Among the issues most commonly discussed are individuality, the rights of the individual, the limits of legitimate government, morality, history, economics, government policy, science, business, education, health care, energy, and man-made global warming evaluations. My posts are aimed at intelligent and rational individuals, whose comments are very welcome.

"No matter how vast your knowledge or how modest, it is your own mind that has to acquire it." Ayn Rand

"Observe that the 'haves' are those who have freedom, and that it is freedom that the 'have-nots' have not." Ayn Rand

"The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not 'selflessness' or 'sacrifice', but integrity." Ayn Rand

For "a human being, the question 'to be or not to be,' is the question 'to think or not to think.'" Ayn Rand

05 October 2009

Gallup: Half of each dollar spent by government is wasted

The Gallup poll of 15 September asked, "Of every tax dollar that goes to Washington, D.C., how many cents of each dollar would you say is wasted?"  The mean response was $0.50.  Amazingly, these same Americans recently voted for Obama!  Yet, when Americans voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980, Americans believed that only $0.40 of every tax dollar was wasted.

The poll also found that 45% of Americans believe there is too much government regulation of business and industry, while only a wild-eyed 24% believe there is too little.

Stephen Moore, in an article in The Wall Street Journal on 23 September, noted that Obama was the first president since Lyndon B. Johnson who did not even pretend to want to cut taxes.  Moore says that there has been a strong voter backlash against Obama and Bush due to the bailouts, stimulus plans, and multi-trillion dollar deficits.  Saving United Auto Worker Union jobs at a cost of $300,000 each and the funding of many old left-wing programs in the Stimulus Bill was too much.  Moore believes the American People are now "in the mood for a radical shrinking of government in order to reduce debt and waste."  Moore suggests:
  • A 15% cut in every federal agency, whose budgets have generally increased by more than 50% this last year
  • A freeze on federal pay and benefits increases, since federal compensation is nearly twice as high as comparable private sector jobs
  • Furloughs for federal workers
  • Eliminate hundreds of useless federal agencies, such as the Legal Services Corporation
  • Use every penny returned by the bailed-out banks to reduce the debt, rather than as a slush fund for new socialist programs
He concludes:
Mr. Obama keeps calling federal spending an "investment," but Americans apparently feel this is the worst investment they've ever made.  They've come to regard Washington as a $2 trillion Bridge to Nowhere.  They are right.
Stephen Moore is apparently trying to be respectful by using the "Mr." before Obama.  I do not feel that respect.  Besides, Obama wants to be a one-word kind of guy, like celebrities such as Sting, Madonna, Prince and the Messiah.

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