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Republic Began With Four Federal Departments. Our Opening Negotiating Position for Next Budget Cuts!

Our Federal Republic began with just four Federal Departments. Anything else was left to the individual States to worry about.  The Four Departments and their Secretaries where:

State, Thomas Jefferson, Secretary
Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, Secretary
War, Henry Knox, Secretary
Post Office, Benjamin Franklin, Post Master General (responsible for Transportation, i,e, Post Roads)

Thats IT! That’s all we need, except for the Post Office! We don’t need that anymore, private enterprise can do it better and cheaper!

So, here is where we can begin budget cutting up to $1.866 Trillion in the next Federal Budget.  These numbers from the 2010 Federal Budget.

$78.7 billion (?1.7%) – Department of Health and Human Services.  This should go back to the individual States where it belongs. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$72.5 billion (+2.8%) – Department of Transportation. This was in the Post Office Department i.e. Post Roads in the First Federal Government but as our Republic has evolved should now be the provenence of the individual States. CUT!CUT! CUT!

$47.5 billion (+18.5%) – Department of Housing and Urban Development. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$46.7 billion (+12.8%) – Department of Education. This should go back to the individual States where it belongs. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$42.7 billion (+1.2%) – Department of Homeland Security. If there was EVER a waste of funds, this is it! Important parts to the Department of Justice (i.e. The FBI) or Department of Defence.

$26.3 billion (?0.4%) – Department of Energy. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Nuclear stuff to department of Defence.

$26.0 billion (+8.8%) – Department of Agriculture. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! If individual Staes feel they must “help” their farmers, then let them.

$18.7 billion (+5.1%) – National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Let private enterprise explore space if they feel there is a profit motive in it.

$13.8 billion (+48.4%) – Department of Commerce. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Let State Department handle any “important” areas that need to be covered.

$13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of Labor. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$12.0 billion (+6.2%) – Department of the Interior. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! SELL OFF Federal lands or give to individual States.

$10.5 billion (+34.6%) – Environmental Protection Agency. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Let individual States handle how they keep their State clean.

$7.0 billion (+1.4%) – National Science Foundation. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$5.1 billion (?3.8%) – Corps of Engineers. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Transfer back toMilitary, the Military functions, then let individual States handle anything else.

$5.0 billion (+100%) – National Infrastructure Bank. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$1.1 billion (+22.2%) – Corporation for National and Community Service. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$0.7 billion (0.0%) – Small Business Administration. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT!

$19.8 billion (+3.7%) – Other Agencies. WHAT IS THIS???  CUT!CUT! CUT!

$105 billion – Other. WHAT IS THIS???  CUT!CUT! CUT!

$571 billion (?15.2%) – Other mandatory programs. Are these in the Constitution? If not, CUT!CUT! CUT! Individual States can decide what is best for the taxpayers of that State.

$453 billion (+6.6%) – Medicare. Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Individual States can decide what is best for the taxpayers of that State.

$290 billion (+12.0%) – Medicaid .  Where is this in the Constitution? CUT!CUT! CUT! Individual States can decide what is best for the taxpayers of that State.

Once we turn these programs over to the individual States and get the Federal Government OUT of areas they have no Constitutional business being in, then we can “negotiate” from there….

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COMMENTS

  • jstjoan

    It also encompasses control of the National Airspace System and the National Railway System, the Maritime Administration. Because they are interstate functions, in my opinion, require federal over site.

    Having said that, there are plenty of places within the DOT to CUT, CUT, CUT!

    Such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I don’t see why states couldn’t oversee this if they even chose to do so.

    There’s also the Federal Transit Administration which according to their website:

    “discretionary programs totaling more than $10B to support a variety of locally planned, constructed, and operated public transportation systems throughout the United States. Transportation systems typically include buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, monorail, passenger ferry boats, inclined railways, or people movers.”

    Seriously? $10 Billion dollars to regulate people movers? CUT, CUT, CUT!

    Otherwise, I pretty much agree that all the other agencies you listed we can either do without or can be better served at the state level.

    • audax

      National Airspace System to Air Force/Department of Defense.
      National Railway System to the FREE MARKET.
      Maritime Administration to the Navy/Department of Defense.

      What the pundits/critics/supporters/everyone talking about this budget deal is forgetting: The 10th Amendment. Does the 10th Amendment mean what it says? If so, we need to adhere to it and have much stricter meanings for the “General Welfare” Clause and the “Interstate Commerce” Clause.

      If we use the Constitution as a guide, cutting the Federal Leviathon down to size envisioned by the Framers, really becomes quite simple.

      • centerrightcali

        I really think we need them for defensive purposes other then that cut cut cut but reconsider killing or abolishing. Remember Thomas Jefferson expanded our country but that wasnt in our constitution and we are talking about a document that can be changed. :) but good post then we need to begin somewhere :D