John Burkholder

I have personally worked closely with a signicant amount of Federal employees. Most of the employees have good intentions, but some (just like any job) are lacking in ability. It is just too hard to terminate government employees. For this reason I propose several things: No employee of the Federal Government will be paid more than an equal position in the US Military . Seriously, members of the military are having to file bankruptcy because they are making a pittance in comparison to that civilian doing the exact same job in the desk next to them. Additionally, the military member can be told in a moments notice that they are leaving to a desert camp and the civilian is nearly impossible to terminate. Any member of elected or assigned position in the federal government will make the same salary as the median average in the US ( $29,730 ). The elected positions should NOT be about making money, and rubbing elbows with lobbyist and dignitaries. These people are supposed to be represen

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

Normally, politics is on my avoid list. So today's post will avoid it. However, the deficit itself is a totally non-party issue. With the Occupy groups and the Tea Partiers all yelling their own thoughts about everything from Wall Street to the Gold standard, I feel it is finally time to give my uninformed opinion. Hey, they all have uninformed opinions, so why shouldn't I? Opinion number one. Flat Tax. A while back a man named Steve Forbes pushed for a flat tax instead of the weird, biased tax code we currently have. Yes, this would put a few dozen accountants out of work, but for the good of everyone involved, let's flatten it out. Herman Cain feels 9-9-9 is the solution...well, that is just stupid. 9% Income, 9% Corporate, and 9% Federal Sales Tax is all well and good when it comes to middle and upper class, but the poor would be paying 18% plus Social Security, Medicare, and State Income and Sales Tax. For a group of people that can barely pay rent and utilities, that