I wonder sometimes when people say “shrink government” exactly what do they mean?
Do they mean the over loaded bureaucracy, or the pork that various congress people in Washington manage to secure? Do they want to shrink governmental loopholes for corporations? Do they want to shrink the unfair taxation rules we have where private jets get a free ride? Do they want to shrink the power of lobbyists and their capacity to buy votes?
Last week my brother told me a joke that he made up: “You know the economy is getting bad when Exxon Mobil has to lay off 50 congressmen.” Not a bad joke, but a little too true.
I received an email from a friend saying that they heard of a couple in need who phoned JFS and were told that we had no more resources available for rent or utilities. My friend felt that this was a terrible message to give out. I think it’s a terrible truth to have to tell people. We don’t have infinite capacity to take care of the ever growing poor in our community. Sometimes we either run low or out of resources.
We usually recover and replenish some of our capacity. We count on the generosity of individuals. People have been generous. But needs grow faster than support. I guess you can’t have everything. Either government that spends its resources on the welfare of its citizens or endless, senseless wars with no tax increases to pay for them. I guess we made our choice.
I just tacked a powerful quote by FDR above my desk. It reads, “The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group.” Is it only our government that could use some shrinking ?
This is the country of “super size me.” I don’t think people want to shrink anything other than their waist band! What do they mean when they say “shrink government?”
Alberta