Domestic Policy
Return to Common Sense
February 27, 2012
Section:
Domestic Policy
“Limit the federal government to those duties specifically
enumerated in the Constitution, and let the states compete
on merit.”
“Domestic policy can
only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.”
John F. Kennedy.
Philosophy
(Background, Issues, Objectives):
Constitution established a federal
government of limited powers, enumerated in Article I, section 8.
- Establish
justice (courts)
- Insure domestic
tranquility (punishing crimes).
- Provide for
common defense (maintain armed services).
- Secure the
blessings of liberty.
- The Commerce clause “The Congress shall have
Power...To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several
States, and with the Indian Tribes...” has been used to subsume
almost any human activity.
States rights reaffirmed by 9th
and 10th Amendments to the Constitution
- People grant
specific enumerated powers to the Federal government, thus limiting
Federal power.
- Each state has
its own government, and can create its own laws.
- No state may
enter any treaty, alliance, or confederation on is
own.
- Each state is
free to tax
- Each state is
free to spend
Anglo-American foundations of society are:
- God created man.
- Sanctity of
life.
- Enduring
morality and virtue.
- Family.
- Religion.
- Individuality.
- Property.
- Custom.
- Law.
- Community.
- Order.
- Freedom.
- Prosperity.
- Recognition of
man’s fallen nature.
Federal
spending is the third-largest item in the federal budget after Social Security
and defense.
·
Aid
to the states increased from $286 billion in 2000 to an estimated $449 billion
in 2007.
·
The
number of state aid programs soared from 463 in 1990, to 653 in 2000, to 814 by
2006.
Principles:
Unless Constitution specifically grants
power to the Federal government, the states may legislate
their own laws.
- Inter-state
wealth redistribution (transfer payments) is not a valid purpose for any
program.
Government programs must be self
sustaining.
- Programs
periodically examined for effectiveness.
- Favored industry
support is not a valid purpose for any program.
- Analysis must
have macroeconomic view, undistracted by short term or individual industry
impacts
Conservative approach to social
problems:
- A preference for
limited government.
- A desire to
means-test or otherwise target government benefits.
- A concern about
the behavioral consequences of assistance.
- A deference to mediating institutions.
- Respect for
private choice, often in the form of markets.
- Humility bred
from disappointing experiences and the likelihood of unintended
consequences.
Recommendations:
Short Term, Limit size and intrusion of government.
- Enforce federalism principle with the 9th and 10th
Amendments to the Constitution.
o
Interpret Commerce Clause
restrictively to return governmental power to the States.
- Use Performance
Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to evaluate program effectiveness
- Use Commission
on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies (CARFA) Act to
terminate federal programs.
- Lower taxes to reflect government downsizing.
Long
Term, Downsize government, with particular emphasis on
unsustainable entitlement spending:
- Abolish Cabinet departments not covered under enumerated powers (2010
budgets):
o
Department of Agriculture ($142.0 billion annually).
o
Department of Commerce ($16.7 billion annually).
o
Department of Education ($106.9 billion annually).
o
Department of Energy ($38.3 billion annually).
o
Department of Health and Human
Services ($868.8 billion annually).
o
Department of Housing and Urban
Development ($62.5 billion annually).
o
Department of Interior (12.0 billion annually).
o
Department of Labor (209.3 billion annually).
o
Department of Transportation ($90.9 billion annually).
- Privatize major entitlement programs into personal accounts:
o
Medicare (325B) - Privatize
into Personal Health Savings Accounts.
o
Social Security - Privatize
into personal accounts.
- Devolve entitlement programs back to the states:
o
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
($62B)
o
Medicaid ($186B)
o
SCHIP.
o
State Payment for Family Support
($4,142M).
o
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
($18,099M)
- Privatize activities that could be performed better as a standalone
businesses:
o
Privatize the Postal Service ($8.1B).
o Privatize Amtrak ($2.53 billion annually).
- Privatize activities that could be performed better by the private
sector:
o
Army Corps of Engineers ($4.9B).
o
Export-Import Bank.
o
Geographic Survey ($.5B).
o
Global Positioning Service ($7.0B).
o
Government Printing Office.
o
Legal Services Corporation ($350 M).
o
NASA ($15.7B).
o
National Weather Service ($2.3B).
o
Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation.
o
Retirement Insurance, including Social
Security ($527B).
o
Risk Management Agency ($3.4B).
o
St. Lawrence Seaway.
o
Transportation Security Agency ($2.7B).
- Sell off excess federal assets:
o
Excess electromagnetic spectrum ($150B).
o
Commodity lands (Forest Service, BLM) ($160B).
o
Government buildings and lands ($10.B).
- Privatize federal insurance programs since the government has no
Constitutional role providing or guaranteeing insurance coverage:
o
Crop Insurance.
o
National Flood Insurance.
o
Property Insurance.
o
Terrorism Risk Insurance (TRIA).
o
Windstorm Insurance.
- Devolve local programs back to the states:
o
Child Care Entitlement Grants ($2.7B).
o
Child Care & Development Grants ($2.1B).
o
Community Oriented Policing Services ($575M).
o
Community Service Grants ($631M)
o
Environmental Protection Agency ($3.6B).
o
Federal Transit Administration ($8.4B).
o
Foster Care & Adoption Grants ($6.5B).
o
Head Start ($6.8B).
o
Social Service Grants ($1.8B).
- Terminate corporate welfare and other mis-targeted
programs:
o
Administration on Aging ($1.4B).
o
Employment and Training Administration ($5.2B).
o
Low Income Home Energy Assistance ($2.1B).
o
Small Business Administration ($3.0B).
o
Substance Abuse & Mental Health ($3.2B).
o
Trade Adjustment Assistance ($1.1B).
- Terminate failed, outdated, and irrelevant programs:
o
Agency for International Development ($3.7B).
o
Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($466M).
o
Economic Development Administration ($392M).
o
Maritime Administration ($411M).
o
National Endowment for the Arts & Humanities
($254M).
o
Rural Development ($1.0B).
o
United Nations
($362M).
Sell off excess federal assets:
- Excess
electromagnetic spectrum ($150B).
- Commodity lands
(Forest Service, BLM) ($160B).
- Government
buildings and lands ($10.B).
References:
United
States Constitution, 1789.
“The
Law” by Frederic Bastiat published by
Foundation for Economic Education, 1998.
“Liberty
and Tyranny” by Mark R. Levin published by Threshold Editions, 2009.
“Can
Government Be Reinvented?” by Larry Reynolds, dated January 1994,
published by Management Review.
“Congressional
Testimony before Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental
Relations” by Roger Pilon, published by
Cato Institute at http://www.cato.org/testimony/ct-fd720.html .
“The
Corporate Welfare Budget Bigger Than Ever” by Stephen Slivinski, dated October 10, 2001, published by Cato
Institute at http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-415es.html .
“A
Strategy to Eliminate Wasteful Federal Spending” by Sam Brownback,
dated October 16, 2003, published by Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/HL806.cfm .
“How to
Get Federal Spending Under Control” by Brian M. Riedl,
dated March 5, 2004, published by Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg1733.cfm .
“Downsizing
the Federal Government” by Chris Edwards, dated June 2, 2004,
published by
Cato Institute at http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1373 .
“You
Might be a Constitutionalist If…” by Chuck Baldwin, dated
August 9, 2006, published By American Daily at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/05/waterfront_welfare_for_develop.html .
“A Moral Case Against Big Government: How
Government Shapes the Character, Vision, and Virtue of Citizens” by Ryan Messmore, dated February 2007, published by The Heritage
Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Thought/fp9.cfm .
“The
Enlightenment: Anglo-American (Genesis) vs. Franco-Germanic
(Anti-Genesis)” by Linda Kimball, dated March 9, 2007, published by
American Daily at http://www.americandaily.com/article/17939 .
“Federal
Aid to the States – Historical Cause of Government Growth and Bureaucracy”
by Chris Edwards, dated May 22, 2007, published by Cato Institute at http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8246 .
“My
Neighbor’s Keeper? Rethinking Responsibility and the Role of Government” by Ryan Messmore,
dated August 2, 2007, published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Religion/bg2058.cfm .
“Restoring
the American Social Contract” by Stuart M. Butler, dated July 26,
2007, published by Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/hl1039.cfm .
“Social Welfare Conservatism” by
Douglas J. Besharov, dated January 9, 2008, published
by American Enterprise Institute at http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.27338/pub_detail.asp .
“Put
the ‘Independence’ Back in Independence Day” by Michael
S. Berliner dated
“Great
ideas: unintended consequences” by Henry Lamb dated
“The
Supreme Court and the Commerce Clause” by Thomas Brewton dated July
15, 2009 published by Thomas Brewton at http://www.thomasbrewton.com/index.php/weblog/the_supreme_court_and_the_commerce_clause/ .
“’ObamaCare:’ What does the Constitution have to say?”
by Chelsea Schilling dated August 14, 2009 published by World Net Daily at http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106694 .
“Re-embracing
Federalism” dated August 17, 2010 published by The Heritage
Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/08/Re-embracing-Federalism
.
“Overcriminalization
and the Constitution” by Brian W. Walsh and Benjamin P. Keane dated
April 13, 2011 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2011/04/Overcriminalization-and-the-Constitution
.
