The Federal Government has never been mandated to protect its citizenry from themselves. The only Charter to defend and protect has to do with protecting the citizenry from external threats and enemies.

In the attempt to streamline the wretched excess of Washington, D.C., roughly 2/3rds of all Agencies should become redundant. The CBO even admits openly that the Department of Education is so rife with waste that it could be at least cut in half. I would propose to cut the very same Department by at least 75%, because of the redundancy with the States. If this is true about the Department of Education, then think of the possibilities in all the other Departments and Agencies.

Why does it make any sense to send our tax dollars to Washington, D.C.? They are acting as a “middle man” that we don’t need. All fifty States are more than capable of executing all the programs and benefits we currently receive from the Federal Government.

The United States of America can be adequately run using seven Departments and three Branches:

1] The Executive Branch                 1] The Department of the the Interior

2] The Legislative Branch               2] The Department of the Treasury

3] The Judicial Branch                    3] The Department of Defense

                                                         4] The Department of State

                                                         5] The Department of Energy

                                                         6] The Department of Education

                                                         7] The Department of Audit

Certain Reforms must take place to make this scenario work properly. The first major reform will involve the Business and Financial Sectors. Secondly, reform and decentralization of the Department of Education will have to occur. The largest undertaking will be the restructuring of the Department of the Interior, which will absorb many existing Agencies. The Department of the Treasury will handle all things Financial. The Department of the Interior will take care of all things Business related, Land related, etc. The Department of Defense will guard our borders and protect the Country from outside aggression. The Department of Energy is self-explanatory, and will necessarily utilize parts of the Department of the Interior. The Department of Education will set a National base curriculum standard, and have enforcement powers in that area. The Department of State will be tasked with Diplomacy and Treaties and Alliances, with the exclusion of Economic Agreements. It will also be in charge of weeding out the useless, outdated, and injurious diplomatic treaties (Interior takes care of the Economic deals.) Finally, the Department of Audit will be responsible for constant audits of all Government Departments, S

Agencies and Branches. Collectively, the three Branches will be pared down to efficient, rational size. The U.S. Constitution will reign supreme over any questions, disputes, clarifications, etc., after useless, outdated Amendments are stripped out. This is all a proposal aimed at giving the States their rightful autonomy and responsibility. The Federal Government is present to direct and oversee National Policy, only.

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Gun Control: the easy way

For years we’ve argued that guns should, or should not, be in the hands of the greater population. To this end, gun owners have consistently been the target on both sides of the argument. I believe that there is another, more rational, way of tackling this subject.

Consider, if you will, the shear numbers involved. Would it not be much easier to deal with one of the smaller groups? There are a number of groups in this set.

1) the number of guns (largest group)

2) the number of gun owners (second largest group)

3) the number of gun manufacturers (third place)

4) the gun dealers/sellers (far, and away, the smallest group)

It seems to me that when dealing with the enforcement of Laws and the control of deadly weapons, it is entirely more cost and time efficient to deal directly with the smallest amount of people. There is so much going on in the gun trade, it boggles the mind. There are more than fifty Laws, on the books, the can be used to put these dealers/sellers out of the business of arming our population with weapons, the likes of AK-47’s, Glok-9’s, etc. If any Politician is actually serious about curtailing the gun violence in this Country, start with the dealers/sellers. You know exactly who they are and where they do business.

I want a single prayer Health Plan!

No going to Communion; no kneeling to the East; no Hosana’s on high; just a plain, simple single-prayer Health Plan that you can access anywhere, any time.

Got the Flu……say  a prayer!

Need that operation…….say a prayer!

Pick your own doctor…….say a prayer!

Gotta have that Root Canal……..say a prayer!

Hey, if its good enough for the friggin’ Pope, its good enough for us. Oh, I almost forgot: End-Of-Life Death Panel Instructions…..just spread your legs, bend over,

and kiss your ass goodbye, after you’ve said your prayer.

How the Rich got Richer, and the Middle Class Disappeared

   The year 1994 started out with some pretty bold and encouraging claims and promises from the Federal Government; most notably, Bill Clinton. The North American Free Trade Agreement was ratified by Congress. This Trade Treaty was supposed to put the United States on a long road of wealth and prosperity. Our Middle Class was to be forever cemented as the vast foundation of our Economy and Society.

   It turns out that we were sold a bill of goods. It was all lies. There was no misunderstanding, no misinterpretation, just lies. Our exports to Mexico were supposed to almost double overnight: lie. We were to gain 1 Million jobs in the Manufacturing Sector every year: lie. This was a mutually exclusive Treaty: lie. In fact, our import/export figures with Mexico went in exactly the opposite direction. We started hemorrhaging jobs at the very rate we were supposed to gain. Along came the DR-CAFTA (Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement), and the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas). 1993-94 are the years that signaled the start of the decline in our Middle Class; the folks who used to make this Country function as an economic super power.

   Almost all of that is gone now, not even 20 years later, and the jobs that have been lost, or sent offshore, are not returning. Corporations, large and small, delighted in expansive tax incentives to do their business outside the confines of this Country. Isn’t it a little ironic that the people who so loudly claim hatred of the welfare state themselves drink mightily from the very same welfare trough? Why would obviously well educated, highly regarded champions of Industry and Finance knowingly put themselves on the same level as any other recipient of Government aide?  

Offshore Tax Havens: A State-By-State Breakdown Of The Cost To Taxpayers

Arthur Delaney

arthur@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting

First Posted: 04-15-09 12:04 AM   |   Updated: 05-15-09 05:12 AM

A Senate report estimated in 2008 that the United States loses up to $100 billion a year in tax revenue to offshore tax havens (PDF). In a report released Wednesday, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group offers a state-by-state breakdown of the cost to taxpayers of tax revenue lost to "shell companies and sham headquarters" in places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

The practice soaks dutiful taxpayers in every state for hundreds of millions of dollars, according to U.S. PIRG. The citizens of New York and Texas shoulder over $8 billion a year, and the good people of California are on the hook for an extra $11 billion.

Click here for U.S. PIRG's table with the state-by-state breakdown of the burden shifted to taxpayers.

U.S. PIRG came up with the state numbers by dividing the $100 billion figure by the percentage of total federal revenue contributed by each state. The nonprofit released its report on tax day to drive home a message:

"This is the day when we're all working hard, rushing to the post office, filing our returns, and then to hear about these large multi-billion dollar corporations who have used gimmicks to avoid paying their fair share -- it's something that should end this year," says John Krieger, a staff attorney with U.S. PIRG.

U.S. PIRG's report, titled "Tax Shell Game," highlights some findings from a January report by the Government Accountability Office that found over 80 percent of the hundred biggest U.S. companies took advantage of tax havens. In 2008 the GAO found that one five-story building in the Cayman Islands, known as the "Ugland House," contained 18,857 registered businesses, very few of which had anything but a P.O. box there. Bailout beneficiaries Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Bank of America boast over 300 subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands.

The tax day release of the report coincides with protests at post offices across the country coordinated by the Campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now, a coalition of groups supporting the president's budget priorities. Obama's budget calls for reigning in offshore tax havens.

In a speech on Tuesday, Obama talked about "shutting down loopholes and making sure everyone pays what they owe."

John Krieger says similar efforts by U.S. PIRG last year brought attention to tax evasion by major defense contractors like Kellogg, Brown & Root, ultimately leading to legislation to make sure contractors pay their share.

"The point is that we all pay for it," Krieger says. "The issues of tax havens, tax avoidance -- the reason they've had so much cover is that we all think of it as a D.C wonky issue, but in reality it has an effect on every taxpayer who has to take on this extra burden."