candycorn
Diamond Member
I have noted a central theme in this thread, from our liberal counterparts, that they somehow believe that the federal government is necessary and, at this point in time, too small.
We read about FEMA, EPA, and all the rest of the alphabet federal monstrosities, as if they are shining examples of the necessity of having the federal government interfere in our lives. No one talks about the damage they do, or the alternatives to them.
For conversation's sake, let's do a little drill ----
If we assume that all federal dollars that support a particular program are redirected to the state level, name an alphabet organization that can't be done at the state level. Show us an economy of scale as a result of centralization at the federal level. Surely, it's not education, or disaster response, or even environmental control. So, what is it? Besides the obvious federal functions (provide for the general defense, etc.), just what advantage does the federal government bring to the table?
We all recognize the necessity for a federal government, but they seem to have forgotten one important thing - they exist because we create them. Without our permission, the federal government couldn't tax us, couldn't regulate us, couldn't pass onerous laws and regulations. In short, (he,he) they screw us because we bend over and ask them to.
Test for liberals - name a federal function that can't be performed at the state level (with the obvious exceptions), and done more closely aligned to the wishes of those people.
FAA
FDA
FBI
CIA
NSA
DOJ
DOS
CG
NTSB
USDA
EPA
SSA
CINS
Those are just the ones that come immediately to mind.
We all recognize the necessity of military, law enforcement, and intelligence organizations -
However, I adamantly disagree with FAA, DOJ (surely, you didn't think that one thru), USDA, EPA, SSA, and CINS. All those functions can be performed at the local level. You COULD make a case for the FAA managing interfaces between state organizations, but I'm not convinced that is necessary. The same could be said for DOJ, if we ignore the political hammer and sickle it's become over the past 6 years.
Yeah, the local mayor of the city that has a US Steel plant is going to run an investigation into the plant polluting the local lake? This is why the federal level involvement is needed.