by Sam Huntington
According to an article in the Daily Caller the other day, the Internal Revenue Service once again demonstrated its arrogance when it decided to spend $60,000 on the production of two parody videos, one of which was a Star Trek imitation. Jim Treacher wrote, “Thanks to the sequester that Obama has been fighting even though it was his idea, we might not get a sequel to the following masterpiece. …It’s got the same production values and acting talent as a porn movie, except the only one getting screwed is you.”
Subsequently, a good friend asked, “Why do we need the IRS again?” I could not answer.
Although I do suppose that if we are going to have an income tax (which is little more than a license to spend as much of other people’s money on stupid things as possible within the framework of a fiscal year), then government has to have a bureaucracy to prevent cheating. Apparently, Joe Biden and every other progressive on the planet thinks it’s patriotic to pay this extortion —even though there was no income tax during our country’s most patriotic years (before 1824). We should simply wonder why it takes a bureaucracy as large as the present IRS to manage this “cheating prevention” program.
According to Ron Paul, the IRS is a horrific waste of money. This truth becomes self evident when one considers that the IRS costs $18 billion dollars annually to keep its doors open. Now, it may be true that were it not for the IRS, thousands of tax accountants, auditors, and attorneys would otherwise be out of work and forced to work in other areas of crime, but it is also true that the US government collects only about 40% of its revenues from income. The remaining sixty percent comes from other sources of revenue.
Let me quickly add that I worry about such ideas as a “flat tax” because, while we may assume that our tax obligation would be around 16%, Congress could just as easily impose a flat tax rate of 35% on everyone whose names do not appear on the “FOB” list … friends of Obama.
Still, it would seem we have the technology to do a better job without this tremendously high overhead. As to this point, Mr. Paul informs us that if government cut its unnecessary and unconstitutional spending by one-half, this country would quickly amass a budget surplus. A budget surplus would allow us to improve the lives people that are truly in need. Naturally, this would not include demands for Obama Phones.
How should we achieve spending cuts? I think Mr. Paul’s ideas have merit.
We could start with the IRS: cut it in half.
Shut down the Department of Health and Human Services; it is the genesis of the entitlement mentality. While we’re at it, shut down the Department of Education. We haven’t educated any children for the past 80 years.
In 1977, Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy. It's purpose was to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Presently, we are spending $24.2 billion annually to maintain this monstrosity. By the way, the Department of Energy employs 16,000 regular employees, and an additional 100,000 contracted employees and our dependence on foreign oil is at an all time high.
Do away with the so-called war on drugs. We lost that war a long time ago.
Prohibit spending money advertising our welfare programs inside Mexico.
Reduce overseas bases … there are about 700 of them.
Reduce the number of flag rank military officers by 600: in the first place, our Navy only has 230 commissioned ships: it doesn’t need 215 admirals. Secondly, if little Marty Dempsey and his family of sycophants represent the best and brightest this country has to offer, then all future wars are already lost. Let’s stop the bleeding now.
Fire Janet Napolitano and do away with the Department of Homeland Security. What a waste of money that is! While we’re at it, repeal the Patriot Act.
Reduce the size of FEMA to a processing office staffed by no more than ten people; reduce the size of emergency funding requests to no more than ten pages, and then rely on the states to provide this paperwork. Designate Congress as the approval authority for all emergency funding requests.
Limit the number of Presidential and First Lady vacations to no more than two. No more dates to New York City at the people’s expense. No more sending FOBs along to exotic overseas junkets at the people's expense. No more sending the first brats to Mexico for Spring Break. No more sending secret service agents to foreign countries so that they can screw their brains out while on government per diem.
Demonstrate an easily observable national interest before spending one dime on foreign aid.
Reduce the Postal Department to a 3-day per week mail delivery system. No one is using the post office anyway.
Last, but not least, require states to fund the salaries of elected representatives in the House and Senate. We the people can pressure state legislators far more easily than we can influence the federal congress.
Will we the people implement any of these recommendations? Of course not: we’re a nation of sheep, after all.
According to an article in the Daily Caller the other day, the Internal Revenue Service once again demonstrated its arrogance when it decided to spend $60,000 on the production of two parody videos, one of which was a Star Trek imitation. Jim Treacher wrote, “Thanks to the sequester that Obama has been fighting even though it was his idea, we might not get a sequel to the following masterpiece. …It’s got the same production values and acting talent as a porn movie, except the only one getting screwed is you.”
Subsequently, a good friend asked, “Why do we need the IRS again?” I could not answer.
Although I do suppose that if we are going to have an income tax (which is little more than a license to spend as much of other people’s money on stupid things as possible within the framework of a fiscal year), then government has to have a bureaucracy to prevent cheating. Apparently, Joe Biden and every other progressive on the planet thinks it’s patriotic to pay this extortion —even though there was no income tax during our country’s most patriotic years (before 1824). We should simply wonder why it takes a bureaucracy as large as the present IRS to manage this “cheating prevention” program.
According to Ron Paul, the IRS is a horrific waste of money. This truth becomes self evident when one considers that the IRS costs $18 billion dollars annually to keep its doors open. Now, it may be true that were it not for the IRS, thousands of tax accountants, auditors, and attorneys would otherwise be out of work and forced to work in other areas of crime, but it is also true that the US government collects only about 40% of its revenues from income. The remaining sixty percent comes from other sources of revenue.
Let me quickly add that I worry about such ideas as a “flat tax” because, while we may assume that our tax obligation would be around 16%, Congress could just as easily impose a flat tax rate of 35% on everyone whose names do not appear on the “FOB” list … friends of Obama.
Still, it would seem we have the technology to do a better job without this tremendously high overhead. As to this point, Mr. Paul informs us that if government cut its unnecessary and unconstitutional spending by one-half, this country would quickly amass a budget surplus. A budget surplus would allow us to improve the lives people that are truly in need. Naturally, this would not include demands for Obama Phones.
How should we achieve spending cuts? I think Mr. Paul’s ideas have merit.
We could start with the IRS: cut it in half.
Shut down the Department of Health and Human Services; it is the genesis of the entitlement mentality. While we’re at it, shut down the Department of Education. We haven’t educated any children for the past 80 years.
In 1977, Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy. It's purpose was to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Presently, we are spending $24.2 billion annually to maintain this monstrosity. By the way, the Department of Energy employs 16,000 regular employees, and an additional 100,000 contracted employees and our dependence on foreign oil is at an all time high.
Do away with the so-called war on drugs. We lost that war a long time ago.
Prohibit spending money advertising our welfare programs inside Mexico.
Reduce overseas bases … there are about 700 of them.
Reduce the number of flag rank military officers by 600: in the first place, our Navy only has 230 commissioned ships: it doesn’t need 215 admirals. Secondly, if little Marty Dempsey and his family of sycophants represent the best and brightest this country has to offer, then all future wars are already lost. Let’s stop the bleeding now.
Fire Janet Napolitano and do away with the Department of Homeland Security. What a waste of money that is! While we’re at it, repeal the Patriot Act.
Reduce the size of FEMA to a processing office staffed by no more than ten people; reduce the size of emergency funding requests to no more than ten pages, and then rely on the states to provide this paperwork. Designate Congress as the approval authority for all emergency funding requests.
Limit the number of Presidential and First Lady vacations to no more than two. No more dates to New York City at the people’s expense. No more sending FOBs along to exotic overseas junkets at the people's expense. No more sending the first brats to Mexico for Spring Break. No more sending secret service agents to foreign countries so that they can screw their brains out while on government per diem.
Demonstrate an easily observable national interest before spending one dime on foreign aid.
Reduce the Postal Department to a 3-day per week mail delivery system. No one is using the post office anyway.
Last, but not least, require states to fund the salaries of elected representatives in the House and Senate. We the people can pressure state legislators far more easily than we can influence the federal congress.
Will we the people implement any of these recommendations? Of course not: we’re a nation of sheep, after all.
Sam for President! Seriously!
ReplyDeleteIs that Carly Fiorina at the communications con?
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas for a Nation of Humans. It's too bad that this Nation has degenerated into one of SHEEP! Liberalism is terminal!