A Few Quick Words About Small Government
We don't have a lot of time for a big discussion today, but I wanted to take a second and talk about basic Federal Government economics as they apply to Rand Paul.
It is his stated vision to reduce the size of Government...and it is an undeniable reality that the vast majority of the Federal Budget is focused on only a few areas of spending. Today, we'll quickly run through that economic reality, and we'll challenge Dr. Paul to tell us where he stands.
So it's about as basic as this: the four biggest items in the budget are Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, the Department of Defense budget, and interest on the Federal debt.
Those four items are 80% of the total 2011 budget. What does that mean? That means you can get rid of every other thing that Government does--no more people overseeing oil drilling, no food inspections, or border security, no FBI or ATF or DEA or CIA, or OSHA or MSHA, no National Guard or air traffic control or Coast Guard or NASA...or Department of Agriculture or food stamps, either--you can get rid of all of it, and government will still be 80% of what it is today. And that means that the only way you can really make the Federal Government smaller...is to cut one or more of those four core activities that Government is performing. So which one will it be, Dr. Paul?
Are you against Medicare and Medicaid?
What about Social Security? Are you ready to tell Kentucky voters that you do not believe that the US should be the world leader in military technologies? Do you think China should be the preeminent military power? Let's get these questions in front of Dr. Paul, and even as he tries to dodge questions about the right of Woolworth's to keep its lunch counter white, let's make him face these questions as well...which are neither abstract nor obscure.
A Few Quick Words About Small Government | 4 comments (4 topical)
A Few Quick Words About Small Government | 4 comments (4 topical)
|
|
Recommended Diaries
Recent Diaries
The Catfood Commission seems to be hitting snags
By eridani (0 comments)
Don't cut Social Security or Medicare
By eridani (1 comments)
Attorney General Rob McKenna promotes ballot rehab effort for anti-gay candidates
By Lurleen (0 comments)
Panel Discussion: How faith communities are working to secure marriage equality
By Lurleen (0 comments)
The Tim Eyman Song and other fun stuff
By ThinkerFeeler (0 comments)
Health Insurance != Health Care
By m3047 (0 comments)
2010 Essential Races - Who Would You Support?
By The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (5 comments)
HCR--just a political liability, not a political disaster
By eridani (8 comments)
DelBene Goes Re-Puke. More DINO's
By rmdSeaBos (4 comments)
Eyman and Bopp suffer big losses
By Lurleen (0 comments) Washblog RSS FeedsPolitical ContactsLocal MediaAberdeen Daily World Chinook Observer Montesano Vidette Pacific County Press Willapa Harbor Herald KXRO 1320 AM Peninsula Daily News Bremerton Sun Bremerton Chronicle Gig Harbor Gateway Port Orchard Independent Port Townsend Leader North Kitsap Herald Squim Gazette Central Kitsap Reporter Business Examiner KONP 1450 AM Anacortes American Bainbridge Review Voice Of Bainbridge San Juan Journal The Islands' Sounder Whidbey NewsTimes South Whidbey Record Stanwood/Camano News Vashon Beachcomber Voice Of Vashon KLKI 1340 AM Bellingham Herald The Northern Light Everett Herald Skagit Valley Herald Lynden Tribune The Enterprise Snohomish County Tribune Snohomish County Business Journal The Monroe Monitor The Edmonds Beacon KGMI 790 AM KELA 1470 AM KRKO 1380 AM King County Journal Issaquah Press Mukilteo Beacon Voice of the Valley Federal Way Mirror Bothell/Kenmore Reporter Kirkland courier Mercer Island Reporter Woodinville Weekly Seattle PI Seattle Times KOMO TV 4 KIRO TV 7 KING 5 TV KTBW TV 22 KCTS 9 UW Daily The Stranger Seattle Weekly Capitol Hill Times Madison Park Times Seattle Journal of Commerce NW Asian Weekly West Seattle Herald North Seattle Herald-Outlook South Seattle Star Magnolia News Beacon Hill News KIRO 710 AM KOMO AM 1000 KEXP 90.3 FM KUOW 94.9 FM KVI 570 AM The Columbian Longview Daily News Nisqually Valley News Lewis County News The Reflector Eatonville Dispatch Tacoma News Tribune Tacoma Weekly Puyallup Herald Enumclaw Courier-Herald The Olympian KAOS 89.3 FM KCPQ 13 KOWA FM 106.5 UPN 11 Ellensburg Daily Record Levenworth Echo Cle Elum Tribune Snoqualmie Valley Record Methow Valley News Lake Chelan Mirror Omak chronicle The Newport Miner The Spokesman-Review KREM 2 TV Spokane KXLY News 4 Spokane KHQ 6 Spokane KSPS Spokane Statesman-Examiner Othello Outlook Cheney Free Press Camas PostRecord The South County sun White Salmon Enterprise Palouse Boomerang Columbia Basin Herald Grand Coulee Star Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Yakima Herald-Republic KIMA 29 Yakima KAPP TV 35 Yakima KYVE Yakima Wenatchee World Tri-City Herald TVEW TV 42 Tri-cities KTNW Richland KEPR 19 Pasco Daily Sun News Prosser Record-Bulletin KTCR 1340 AM KWSU Pullman Moscow-Pullman Daily News |