The Deficit Discussion Part 2...Shrink Government

So one of the major challenges with Government includes services. But at what point do services need to be cleared out and turned off? Well, I started going through the list of Government Agencies.Some of the agencies actually make me wonder if they were serious in the creation. For example:

  • African Development Foundation - The United States African Development Foundation is an independent Federal agency established to support African-designed and African-driven solutions that address grassroots economic and social problems. USADF provides grants of up to $250,000 directly to under-served and marginalized community groups and enterprises. So far, $62 Million in grants have been handed out. FYI...The Administration for Native Americans office has handed out $41 Million.
  • Appalachian Regional Commission - The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts.
  • Office of English Language - The office identifies major issues affecting the education of English language learners, assists and supports State and local systemic reform efforts that emphasize high academic standards, school accountability, professional development and parent involvement...Besides the fact America does not have an official language, and the schools pretty much have English covered, I think this is an excellent way to spend $579 Million.
  • Federal Consulting Group - The Federal Consulting Group is made up of career federal executives who have extensive experience in managing major programs and working with senior agency leaders in areas such as process improvement, strategic planning, creative approaches to problem solving, executive coaching, leadership development, and customer and employee satisfaction....uhhhh...huh?
  • Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service - The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, created in 1947, is an independent agency whose mission is to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with two regional offices and more than 70 field offices, the agency provides mediation and conflict resolution services to industry, government agencies and communities. We need this to make sure every acts like grown-ups.
  • Housing and Urban Development - The Office of Housing provides vital public services through its nationally administered programs. It oversees the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) the largest mortgage insurer in the world, as well as regulates housing industry business. Didn't they help us get into his mess?
  • Institute on Peace - USIP is the independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict without resorting to violence. USIP works to save lives, increase the government's ability to deal with conflicts before they escalate, reduce government costs, and enhance our national security....Basically, play nicer people.
There are more that I will not even go into...but you get the idea. We do not need a good chunk of these agencies especially under the control of the Federal Government. The US cannot take care of the US, so stop trying to take care of the world.

Lastly, the defense budge is severly overbloated. When you can have a defense budget equal to the next 20 countries combined, you may be considered a "bully" in the world's eyes.

This brings me to my point as I almost always have one...kill the grants. Just make Grants.gov disappear. We (taxpayers) give away $500 Billion in grants annually. Some people feel this is a way to infuse the economy with stimulous funds in certain areas. I think it is just another way for people to receive money and provide little.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Rare Political Statement...Illegal Immigrants

This is a long post. However, it addresses BOTH sides of the immigration issue. The actual bill as it was received in the Senate from the House. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:h4437rfs.txt.pdf In a nutshell, here is what the bill provides (ref: Wikipedia ): · Requires up to 700 miles (1100 km) of fence along the US-Mexican border at points with the highest number of immigrant deaths. (House Amendment 648, authored by Duncan Hunter ) · Requires the federal government to take custody of illegal aliens detained by local authorities. This would end the practice of "catch and release", where federal officials sometimes instruct local law enforcement to release detained illegal aliens because resources to prosecute them are not available. It also reimburses local agencies in the 29 counties along the border for costs related to detaining illegal aliens. (Section 607) ·
Read more

What is it About Shoes?

I just have to know. What is it about shoes? I own five pairs of shoes and I can tell you where they are located at any given point in time. Each of them has a purpose. I have a black pair of tie-up shoes used for work and only work. In fact, they stay in my locker at work. The second pair of shoes are basically a backup for the first pair. They are slip on Dexter loafers in black and brown. Multifunctional and works with nearly every outfit. Third are my Nike Air Monarchs. I use these for nearly everything casual including my daily trip to work. After arriving at work, I put on the shoes mentioned first. Next are the mowing sneakers. They are plain white New Balance and were the predecessor to the Monarchs. I use them when I am mowing. They are green. Lastly are my bowling shoes. Dexter bowling shoes. They cannot be worn outside of a bowling alley, so they stay in my bowling bag (lately without any usage at all). This brings me to my point (as I almost always have one). Why in the wor
Read more

Moving on and moving out

I have made an executive decision in my life today. MomofJenMatt is right about a very sensitive issue and I have been running it through my mind for most of the night. I am strongly against the support of child pornography and to be honest, Xanga could be considered as contributing to the distribution of child pornography. Therefore, this is my last post with Xanga. I am moving to http://www.blogger.com/ . Blogger.com is tied to/owned by Google. It is a little more complicated to use, but I figure I will get used to it. This is my new blog site: http://n8ivwarrior.blogspot.com/ I welcome you to join me, although anyone can read and comment on my blog. You do not need to be a member. I hereby resign the Viewer's Choice to LarsThunder. Thank you for viewing and good luck to you all.
Read more