Reversing federal growth

"I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground: That 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people.' To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition." Thomas Jefferson 1791

I agree with Jefferson's assessment that the 10th amendment, as quoted above, is the bedrock of the Bill of Rights and the foundation of the Constitution. The Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights were founded on the basis that the federal government does certain specific things and the rest belong to the states to run as they see fit.

Today, it is the reverse and our country is suffering because the federal government has taken too much power that was meant for the states. My proposal is for the federal government to eliminate certain cabinet departments - education, energy, HHS, HUD, and Commerce - along with the EPA. These departments and agencies are infringing on the rights of American citizens and a federal intrusion into areas that the states should run.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Archibald Stuart, Philadelphia (23 December 1791).

Obamacare

In 2009 & 2010, the president with the help of Congress passed the biggest overhaul to health care since Medicare. Ever since, health care has gotten worse. When the power to determine one's health is transferred from individuals and doctors to bureaucrats in Washington DC, medical care gets worse. Quality of care goes down while premiums go up.

I disagree with President Obama on many issues concerning medicine. Obama believes that health care is a right. I believe it is a privilege of those who take care of themselves and a responsibility of individuals and society to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves.

I also disagree about the economics of current medical care. Obamacare goes against American ideals of individual liberty and capitalism. It punishes innovation and rewards bad health (unless you're a smoker). Obamacare will lead to European/ socialized medicine like Great Britain's NHS or the VA system in the United States.

After 6 years of the lies and misinformation about its effects (you can keep your doctor & plan, premiums will go down, it will save the government money, etc.), isn't there a better solution out there? Many states have tried to undermine certain aspects of its at every turn. The Supreme Court is the only reason why Obamacare is still on the books because of their twisted logic on cases brought before them.

On top of that, Obamacare allows the IRS to collect the penalty/fee/tax of not being in compliance with Obamacare. The same people who lost six months of e-mail that demand 7 years of tax returns if you're under audit is now going to hound taxpayers even more, especially those against the ruling class in this country.


http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/09/obamacare-health-reform-insurance-economics/500348/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2016/09/15/new-york-revolts-against-obamacare-component/#79ef08d83c0a

http://time.com/3937366/john-roberts-obamacare/

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/20/irs-more-paid-obamacare-fine-than-expected.html

Debt

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I, therefore, intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt."

Barack Obama - source: brainyquotes.com

Government should not be spending more than it takes in unless in an emergency. If the government was a business, it would have been bankrupt a long time ago.  Any entity - business, individual, government - that has too much debt on top of massive future unfunded liabilities is heading toward a major economic catastrophe.

Federal program should be prioritized and some that don't make the cut get defunded. If a government believes that certain programs are priorities that didn't get the funding in a previous year, the government should shift funds from a less priority or a program that is very inefficient.

In the past eight years, the national debt has doubled. What has the government with that extra spending? Landed on the moon? Cured cancer? Developed a better way to travel? The answer to all of them is no. The government has doubled the debt and has done nothing to justify it.

Senator Obama was right when he stated that raising the debt limit is a failure of leadership. The problem is that President Obama does not care about reckless spending and is a failure as a leader.

Debt Clock in real time