There is a disease running rampant on the streets of Washington DC. It is a disease that cripples the economy, destroys jobs and leaves Americans living on the streets. Inordinate spending perpetuates the sickness and corrupt politicians keep the cure at bay. Federal expansion is ruining the lives of American citizens and creating a society of impecunious and pusillanimous citizens, unable and unwilling to speak out against the higher power which controls every aspect of their lives. “Where are our (sic) Men of abilities? Why do they not come forth to save their Country?” George Washington once inquired to his fellow man, now, many Americans may find themselves asking this same question as the country continues its spiral downwards (Mizell). The overall expansion of the federal government in the past decade has proven to be detrimental to the welfare of the same American citizens it vows to be “for” and “by” in the United States Constitution. Reckless spending, childish bickering and “half-baked” politicians proclaim the fact that major federal downsizing, and a power-shift from federal to individual states is what is necessary for the well being of the country; the national Congress can no longer effectively perform its tasks.
Reckless spending is the federal government’s main issue today. The private sector of the military has escalated its spending to over 200 billion dollars a year, while on the opposite side of the spectrum, Social Security will have used up its “trust” fund by the year 2033 and at that point, will only be paying out 76 percent of the benefits that it promises (Clemmitt). Yet, in this scenario, Social Security and the military are not the problem. In fact, many Americans fear the loss of these pr...
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Hawkins, John. “The 20 Best Quotes From Ayn Rand.” Townhall.com. Townhall, 20 July. 2012. Web. 12 November. 2013.
Jost, Kenneth. “Re-examining the Constitution.” CQ Researcher. Web. 7 Sept. 2012: n.pag.
Jost, Kenneth. “Supreme Court Controversies.” CQ Researcher. Web. 28 Sept. 2012: n.pag.
“Key Events in the History of Government Shutdowns (sidebar).” Issues & Controversies. Web. 9 Sept. 2013: n.pag.
Mizell, Jack. “Where is George Washington When We Need Him?” WGEA.us. WGEA, 6 July. 2013. Web. 30 November. 2013.
“Obama Calls Impact of Government Shutdown 'Heartbreaking'.” Issues & Controversies. Web. 5 Oct. 2013: n.pag.
“U.S. Debt Crisis Follow-Up: Congress Fails to Make Deal, Triggering Automatic Spending Cuts.” Issues & Controversies. Web. 11 Mar. 2013: n.pag.
“Update: States' Rights.” Issues & Controversies On File. Web. 24 Oct. 2003: n.pag.
Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995.
Gerson, Michael . "The real-world effects of budget cuts." The Washington Post 7 Apr.2011: n. pag. Print.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service. "Editorials on the federal budget". McClatchy - Tribune News Service. 03 Feb 2010 eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb 2010.
Allowing market participants to begin putting their resources back to work in areas they’d be most beneficial. President Obama’s fiscal responsibility summit last February indicated that he understood the urgent need for fiscal discipline. Congress’s enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and President’s proposed budget makes the goals of a sustainable budget and addressing nations longer term fiscal priorities, such as entitlement liabilities, even more elusive. The administrations recently released midsession reviews from the office of management and budget that over the next 10 years the accumulated deficits will total $9 trillion which means that the debt held by public will be a staggering 77% of GDP in 2019. If the debt level continues to grow faster than our economy, the US will owe more than it makes.
The US has been in and out of debt countless times throughout history, going as far back as the Civil War. However, debt did not become a truly relevant problem until much later, in the 1980s (Budget Deficits). Up to that point, large budget deficits were generally only allowed during wartime, but this pattern ended after the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal meant that the government spent much more than it previously did, even after the economy improved (Budget De...
Today, the future of Social Security is in the news again. The reason Social Security is of such concern is that the extremely large group of citizens born in the post-World War II period—the much-discussed baby-boom generation—is retiring. The generation that will take its place in the workforce is far smaller in proportion to the number of retirees, raising fears about the sustainability of Social Security. In the past, proposed solutions to the various problems facing Social Security aroused great debate. Each time, however, the arguments were stilled, repairs were made, and the system continued to fulfill its mandate. That uncertainty about the future has resulted in suggestions for change that range from minor adjustments to complete privatization of the ...
History.com. George Washington - History.com ARticles, Video, Pictures and Facts. n.d. http://www.history.com/topics/george-washington (accessed December 8, 2013).
Federal government has remained a central figure in the American democracy due to its force in encouraging innovation, diversity in group policies, protecting the rights of the minority, redistribution of resources and empowering those who needed intervention among other functions. However, after the 9/11 attacks, there was need to reconsider the expansion of the federal government and particularly the Executive Branch. This is because the nation needs to have a stronger branch to determine who pays the anti-terrorism efforts at the state and the local level and to ensure that the governments are effective at spending the money allocated. There is need to adapt this change and it is still in accordance with the founder’s original intent.
Angell, Marcia. "ObamaCare Confronts a Fiscal Crisis: Why the Affordable Care Act Doesn’t Add Up." New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.) 22.1 (2013): 44-6. Print.
Randall Sterne, Willard. George Washington. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc, 1997. Print.
The current state of federalism in the United States is of one of peril, plagued with recent Supreme Court rulings, current debates over the devolution of Federal powers, and variance in State governing. The United States has always been troubled with the role of the Federal government V. State government on numerous issues. Since around the time of the Great Depression, the federal government was charged with the taking care of the American public in many social and economic matters. Congress was then granted by the Supreme Court almost complete power in passing any sort by legislation by relating it somehow to the Commerce Clause. The Commerce Clause found in Section 8, Article I, United States Constitution, states that Congress may regulate any and all commerce between foreign nations and the states. Congress simply related almost all legislature in some way to intrastate commerce, therefore making the passing of their legislation constitutional. This system was greatly used by Congress for almost sixty years, when, in the late nineteen-eighties and early nineteen-nineties many individuals and special interests groups challenged the constitutionally of these laws passed by Congress using the Commerce Clause. In several cases, such as United States v. Lopez, Congress was dealt a powerful blow and the states seemed to gain an upper hand. In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause by enacting the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. This, along with many other laws repealed by the Supreme Court, weakened Federal control and gave power back to the states, a grievous mistake in my opinion. This increased the strains on the role of federalism in the United States and once again brought up the question, who has the power to govern what? In addition to this, federalism has taken a frightful turn with the current debates of devolution, or returning power to the states. Many current Congressmen and citizens alike believe that states should have a greater level of sovereignty and that federal power should be weakened so as to strengthen state governments. In contrast, many others believe that the Federal government should be allowed more power. This and other conflicting ideas have lead to a constant strain on the abilities of the government to best carry out its duties.
Many Americans believe that the federal government is too big, both in the number of agencies it directs and in the scope of its powers. Some people also think that the daily business of Capitol Hill has no effect on their lives, in part because they believe that politicians do not understand their problems. This dissatisfaction with Washington, D.C., in recent years has renewed debate over the division of power between federal and state and local governments.
Ngak, Chenda. "SOPA and PIPA Internet Blackout Aftermath, Staggering Numbers." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"George Washington." American Eras. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
The framer of the constitution created a limited government which lasts for two hundred and more years. Constitution is the founding stone of our nation’s political system. People say the government of U.S is a limited government. It has power, but the power is restricted by law, no matter in state or federal.