| Federal
Government Spending The American Voice
Institute of Public Policy believes the
federal government spends far too much
money and operates too many programs.
Since the
1970's when Thomas "Tip" O'Neil
was Speaker of the House and Jimmy Carter
was President, the 106th
Congress is on its way to becoming the
largest-spending Congress on domestic
social programs.
Under the
budget resolutions approved by Congress
in April 2000, total federal non-defense
spending is estimated to grow in real
terms by $33 billion, or 11 percent from
1999 to 2001. Unfortunately, this is a
"best-case" scenario. For just
about every constituency in Washington
from environmentalists to road builders,
to the teachers' unions and universities,
Congress and the White House are almost
certain to add billions more to a budget
crammed with special interest spending.
The first
year of Republican congressional control
called for the elimination of more than
200 federal programs that had been
identified as ineffective, obsolete,
counterproductive or unconstitutional.
Also, three whole cabinet-level
departments -- education, energy and
commerce -- were included on the list.
Between
1996 and 2000, the domestic budget has
increased by 14 percent. The very
programs that were targeted as part of
the Contract with America are at the
center of this federal spending growth.
Total spending has increased from $41.2
billion to $46.6 billion, or 13 percent,
from 1995 to 2000 among the 95 largest
domestic programs slated for elimination.
Additionally, the three cabinet
departments scheduled for closure
spending increased by eight percent.
Spending
increased by $187 billion beyond the cap
baseline when comparing the spenidng
increases between 1996 and 2000. The
spending in the following years exceeded
the reviewed cap by more than $40 billion
even after considering the spending caps
agreed to by congressional leaders and
the White House as part of the 1997
budget deal.
Tragically,
some of the programs congressional
leaders vowed to eliminate have seen more
funding poured in and some of the
programs regularly sited by Republicans
as examples of government waste and abuse
continue. President Clinton's Americorps
program, for example, in 1995 received $81
million and has grown to $282 million or
248 percent. Also, the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting budget has grown 11
percent or from $286 million to $318
million this year. Once targeted for
extinction for purveying homocratic and
sacrilegious art work, the National
Endowment for the Arts maintaing an $11
million budget although it has been
reduced by 37 percent.
In 1995,
the twenty-first century community
learning centers had a budget of just $4
million. However, the program has
escalated to $453 million, an astounding
43,237 percent increase in 2000.
Large
increases have been observed in education
programs frequently targeted by
conservatives such as Goals 2000 and
School-to-Work. School-to-Work increased
by 98 percent ($62 million) and Goals
2000 increased by 112 percent ($259
million).
Since 1996
alone, total federal outlays have reached
an astounding $1.8 trillion which is 20
percent of the nation's entire wealth as
measured by the gross domestic product (GDP)
which is an amount that has increased by
more than 50 percent. (Office of
Management and Budget, Historical Tables,
Budget of the United States Government,
Fiscal Year 2000, Table 8.1, p. 117).
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes the large paternalistic
government in America has grown out of
control. As we begin the new century, the
nation is basically content more
presperous and highly productive.
Fortunately for now, pride and joy in
filling their own needs is taken by most
Americans. To those who need help and are
not yet able to share in the general
prosperity, religious and civic
organizations in local communities
continue to provide assistance. National
security, en efficient judicial system
and a sound foreign policy are the only
services really desired by Americans from
their duly-elected federal
representatives.
In just 10
years, federal domestic discretionary (or
appropriate) spending has increased from
$181 billion in 1990 to over $300 billion
in 2000, an increase of 65 percent (2
Ibid). Since 1990, total federal alays
have risen$60.0 billion (3 Ibid). During
the same period, economic growth in the
private sector has increased federal
revenues from $1 trillion to $1.9
trillion. Despite the government's lack
of fiscal discipline, the first time in a
generation the result has been sustained
federal budget surplused (4 Ibid, table 1.4,
p. 26).
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes the federal government should
focus on its core responsibilities and
perform them well. The American Voice
believes the unrelated.
The
federal bureaucracy must be more
accountable for producing results for the
money it spends. To fund 19 broad budget
function categories, the federal budget
contains over 1,500 line items. A
government full of redundant, obsolete
and overlapping programs that
simultaneously hide waste, fraud, and
abuse has resulted from the sloppy and
unaccountable federal budget process.
Tax
revenues have increased by $735 billion
since 1993 when President Clinton took
office. Greed is displayed when
Washington takes dollars from families'
hard-earned paychecks to fund political
pork. The American Voice Institute
believes that to bring federal bloat
under control, government spending should
be reduced and returned to taxpayers in
the form of tax cuts and budget surpluses.
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes to the level of government
closest to the people involved, programs
and policy implementation should be
devolved.
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes that middle-class entitlements
and corporate welfare should not be used
by policymakers as a way to gain popular
support for projects that are wasteful.
The
American Voice Institute of Pulbic Policy
believes that tangible benefits will be
delivered to every American when there
will be a committed effort to reduce the
scope and size of the federal government
and when surplus tax revenues result to
return them in the form of tax cuts or
rebates.
Federal
Regulation
Between
April 1, 1996 and September 30, 1999,
federal regulatory agencies issued 15,280
final rules and sent them to Congress for
review reported the U.S. General
Accounting Office (GAO). Defined as major
rules -- rules that will have an annual
effect on the economy of more than $100
million, 222 of this startling number
were defined.
Defined as
"Major rules -- rules that will have
a yearly effect on the economy of more
than $100 million, 222 of these final
rules were identified as such (7 data
provided to the Heritage Foundation by
the U.S. General Accounting Office from
its database of ruled under the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act.
The
Federal Register, the daily government
publication in which all proposed and
final legislation regulations are
announced was 68,511 pages long, and 4,000
pages longer than in 1997 by the end of
1998. (Pages count without blank pages.
Historical data table provided by office
of the Federal Register).
An annual
listing of executive agency regulations
published in the Federal Register, that
includes all regulations currently in
effect is the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR). The CFR filled 201 volumes with a
total of 134,723 pages and occupied 19
feet of shelf space in 1998. The CFR
filled 114 volumes with a total of 54,834
pages in 1970 (9. Historical data table
provided by Office of the Federal
Register).
The CFR
grew by more than 32,000 pages about 80
volumes between 1980 and 1998. It grew by
28,000 pages between the end of 1976 and
the end of 1980.
The number
of pages in the Federal Register declined
by more than 22,642 from an all-time high
of 73,258 pages in 1980 (President Jimmy
Carter's last year in office) to 50,616
pages in 1988 during the eight-year
Presidency of Ronald Reagan (ibid).
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes the public must be given better
information by federal regulatory
agencies that clearly articulate their
regulatory strategies, outcomes and goals.
For their decisions, Congress and the
President must use their authority to
hold federal agencies accountable and for
ensuming then intended objective of those
decisions achieved. Transparent and non-discriminatory
must be the enforcement of regulation and
an appeals process must be included.
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes that by focusing on making
smarter decisions to maximize benefits,
minimize costs, and save more lives, the
debate on social regulation (regulation
of the environment, public health, and
safety) must be reframed. Annually, as a
result of the current regulatory system a
Harvard University demonstrates that
about 60,000 lives are lost. This is the
result of billions of dollars that are
squandered on eliminating negligible or
nonexistent risks. While failing to
protect the public from other more
serious hazards. (Tammy G. Tens and John
P. Graham, "The Opportunity Costs of
Haphazard Social Investments in Life-Saving,"
in Robert W. Hahn, ed. Risks, Costs and
Lives Saved; New York: Oxford University
Press, 1996). The American Voice
Institute of Public Policy believes to
assist Congress in making smarter
decisions on some more lives risk-based
regulatroy priorities are required.
The
American Voice Institute of Public Policy
believes degresulction of some industries
works as has been demonstrated by the
deregulatory success of the late 1970's
and early 1980's in the airline, natural
gas, railway, and interstate trucking
industries. To such industries as
electricity and telecommunication
deregulation is needed.
By
offering Americans a myriad of new goals
and services for business and pleasure,
the United States economy and way of life
is being revolutionized by the rise of
the Internet, electronic commerce and
other new communications technologies.
However, bureaucrats appear to be eager
to impose new taxes and regulations as
quickly as new technologies or trends
develop.
Tragically,
on individuals and businesses, federal
agencies increasingly impose ineffective
costly regulations. To improve public
health and safety, they do little. Simply
wrong is the traditional rhetoric of
those that support the current regulatory
system that increased regulation saves
lives.
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