Making Government Responsible

Government should do those things that are necessary for the common good and that the private sector cannot or will not do -- and nothing else.

WASHINGTON CAN'T SOLVE ALL OUR PROBLEMS
-- AND SHOULDN'T TRY: 
 

MAKING GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE means understanding that not every issue is appropriate for action by the federal government.

Some issues are not of “national” concern and are better solved by action by State and local governments.

Some problems are not critical enough to justify the money required to solve them--and merely doing something for the sake of making voters happy is irresponsible.

MAKING GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE sometimes means saying "This is not something Congress should be concerned with."

We CAN reduce spending without reducing services.
We CAN reduce spending AND improve program outcome.

In the topics in this section, I explain what I think needs to be done to MAKE GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE.

 

QUICK SUMMARY OF ACTIONS FOR FIXING GOVERNMENT

Responsible Government: Government needs to be run like a business. Congress needs to learn to prioritize national needs and address those needs in a fiscally responsible manner. In particular.

• Government should provide only those programs and services that are necessary and proper to address real national needs.
• Government should respond to real needs with the fewest programs and the fewest bureaucracies.
• Government should spend taxpayer money on only the problems it can actually solve.
• If a problem is important enough to act on, the program needs to be funded sufficiently to solve the problem.
• Government programs should last only as long as a real need for them exists.
• Government programs that are not achieving their objections should be canceled.
• All “government” services that can be provided at lower cost by the private sector should be “privatized”.

Government Spending: We must reduce federal spending by eliminating redundant and inefficient programs and administrative bureaucracies.

We must eliminate wasteful “pork” spending and we must stop letting Congress use taxpayer money to buy the support of their constituents.

We cannot expect our Representatives to stop their wasteful “pork” spending until we stop choosing our Representatives based on how much federal money they can spend in our District.

Government Regulations: Federal regulations should be limited to matters of health and safety—physical and financial / individual and collective—and the prevention of exploitation and fraud. Any regulation worth having must be enforced to the fullest extent.

Federal-State Relations: The federal government has no business intruding into traditional state functions. If the federal government insists that States do something, the federal government should pay 100% of the cost.

State-Administered Federal Programs: We should end the fiction of reducing the size and cost of government by delegating the administration of federal programs to the States. Bureaucracies at all levels should be reduced and funds allocated directly to agencies at the local level where services are delivered.

Grant Programs: Grant programs need to be restructured as “purchase contracts.” Grant recipients should be required to show performance and results, not just activity.

Community Development: We need to change how we view community and regional development. We must integrate economic development programs with programs designed to address the whole spectrum of social needs of communities and regions.

WHAT I WILL DO TO FIX GOVERNMENT

I will personally read every piece of legislation before voting on it . . . and I will challenge every other Member of Congress to do the same.

I will NOT vote to continue ANY EXISTING program UNLESS:

. . .  There is real evidence that the program is achieving a specifically identified objective.

. . . The program is sufficiently funded to achieve its identified objective. [We must either commit ourselves to solving a problem, or stop wasting money.]

I will NOT vote for ANY NEW program UNLESS the legislation:

. . . Justifies the new program with a specific statement of why the problem cannot be addressed by and existing program.

. . . Contains a provision eliminating another program of equal cost to the taxpayers.

. . . Is justified based on a cost-benefit analysis.

. . . Contains a “sunset” provision.

. . . States it’s objectives in measurable terms AND includes aut horization for a future study to determine that those objectives are being met.

I will OPPOSE any legislation that: 

. . . Is not necessary to achieve a constitutionally proper federal objective.

. . . Intrudes into any matter that is better left to the States.

I will PROPOSE legislation that:

. . . Imposes a "single subject" rule for all Congressional action and end the practice of "hiding" legislative enactments in amendments.

To REDUCE EARMARK SPENDING, I will:

. . .   Not seek any unbudgeted appropriations--"pork."

. . . Identify, and publish the name of, any Congressman who seeks any "earmark" appropriations. If an "earmark" appropriation benefits a Congressman's specific campaign contributor, I will also identify that contributor.  [Taxpayers have a right to know who their Congressman is really working for.]

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