The Federal Budget One hears all the time how the US government needs to raise revenue, i.e. taxes, because the government just doesn’t have enough money to spend on the things that are necessary to run the government. For example, there is now a push for a national internet tax. First, one needs to consider why the US government needs even more money and has needed more and more money all the time. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, the US government is spending money on programs that are unsustainable? Take the Department of Defense. The 2013 budget is $856.5 Billion. Part of the Defense budget is $41.9 billion for “foreign economic aid”. By the way, the US portion of the entire world’s spending on defense is 39%. Yes, out of all the money in the entire world spent on defense, the US spends THIRTY-NINE PERCENT of that money! All of South America combined with all of Africa and then again combined with all of the Middle East adds up to 13% of the world’s defense spending. So the US spends three times the amount of those countries COMBINED. The total US government budget for welfare programs is $422.4 Billion. But that’s just not true – see below. The Federal education budget is $137.8 Billion. The Department of Housing and Urban Development budget was $44.8 Billion. There is $30 Billion for the US police force, not state and local police – just police duties performed by the national government (i.e. FBI, Park Police, etc.). The government has allocated $222.8 Billion just for interest payments on the national debt. The health care budget is currently $882.2 Billion of which $510.5 Billion is for Medicare alone with $333.9 Billion for vendor payment for welfare. This welfare money is not included in the welfare programs already mentioned. So the total cost of welfare for the US government is $756.3 Billion. The health care budget is about to have a massive increase with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). I mention all of the above to bring US back to what the original intent was of the creation of these United States as an independent nation. It was created to unite the colonies in defense against all enemies and to recognize that all of the States that form the new nation are independent of one another except where so indicated in the Articles of Confederation, in which Article II states: Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled. Granted, the Articles of Confederation were superseded by the United States Constitution, but that Constitution grants specific powers to Congress (Article I Section 8) and also forbids certain powers to Congress (Article I section 9). Many people seem to forget the 2 amendments within the Bill of Rights: Amendment IX: Rights retained by the people The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Amendment X: Powers retained by the states and the people The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Since there is no provision anywhere in the Constitution or in any of the Amendments that provide the Federal government provide education or provide health care, or provide domestic assistance (welfare) or retirement benefits (Social Security), or housing or urban development to the citizens of the United States, why does the government spend this money on things that are not defined within the Constitution? Many people say that the Constitution is a living document and interpretations need to change with the times. First, one needs to read the Constitution with a copy of the 1828 version of Webster’s Dictionary handy for the English language itself has evolved since the writing of the Constitution. Rules of English grammar are also specified along with use of punctuation. It is very important to use this dictionary to understand what was written. Many words’ meanings along with grammar and punctuation have changed significantly since 1828. For example, the use of the word lfare in the preamble does not mean that the federal government should provide Welfare as it does today. The 1828 dictionary defines welfare as: WELFARE, n. [well and fare, a good faring; G. ]1. Exemption from misfortune, sickness, calamity or evil; the enjoyment of health and the common blessings And don’t think that the word “health” in that definition means that the government should be providing health care. The verbiage is “promote the general Welfare”, not provide it. In summary (finally), the US Government is spending a very large amount of its citizens money for things that it should not be doing. There is no authority to do so. Remember, the government has no money of its own – all money held and spent by ANY government at ANY level in the United States is the peoples’ money. ~Bruce Myers
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 12:54:21 +0000
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