The Scope, Size and Funding of Government

Any discussion about the funding for government must begin by asking a few questions; “What are we paying for?”, “What is the proper role of government?”, “Should the government take the power from the people by doing those things which the people can do for themselves?”.

The size and scope of our current incarnation of government has far surpassed its defined roles... at the federal level it has not just broken its chains... it completely disregards often with malice the confines set upon it in the Constitution. The State and local governments have followed suit and have pervasively intruded upon and violate our Natural Rights. Collectively government has outgrown its usefulness and perpetuates itself by continuing to encroach upon “duties” it should not and need not be involved in thereby demanding a perpetually increasing amount of taxation, fines, and fees... all due to its unfounded expansions.

Those who came before us knew very well and were vocal about the tyranny inherent in government and its proper role:

“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.”
Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791

“The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Spencer Roane, March 9, 1821

“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816

“[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788

“Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt.” Patrick Henry, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1788

When this confederation and then union was young those who served public office were not professional politicians. Their public work was very limited and they maintained their own work as their livelihood. This was achieved by having an extremely limited government in scope and size. To fund such a government is not a difficult thing to do. Originally accomplished through sales tax on specific items to tariffs which for a time was the only source of federal government funds. Early in our history some States had enacted a form of income tax... but it was only on income derived from property.

In the early years of our country there were very few taxes as the governments did not require much to do the limited jobs that were required of them. It wasn't until the early 1860's that the federal government even imposed an income tax to support the Civil War effort. After a few incarnations the short lived income tax was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1895.

It wasn't until the early 1900's that the bloating federal government in need of more funding would begin to look for ways around the Constitution and began a Corporate Excise tax that was in actuality a Corporate Income tax... ruled constitutional on the grounds that it was an excise tax for the privilege of doing business, the intellectual dishonesty and “games” had begun.

In 1913 the greatest affronts to the principles of Natural Law, utilized as the power behind the Declaration of Independence and protected within the Constitution, occurred as the 16^th amendment turned the original Constitutions limits on taxation upside down. Later that same year the birth of a slathering beast; the “Federal Reserve Bank” would to this day change the “need” for an income tax... as it is the primary source for paying the interest debt owed by the federal government to that private bank.

Along with these changes, the building of empire and an increasingly progressive, intrusive, and expansive agenda has caused the scope and thus size of government to grow far beyond its intended and needed use thus necessarily the need for government to feed has followed suit and is just as unfounded as the expansion itself.

With this in mind it is easy to see that we are paying for unfounded, unneeded, and often unconstitutional overreaches of governmental scope which the people and their private institutions have in the past held the power and ability to provide; a power that rightfully should be returned to the people.

We need not continue to feed this bloated, self important, and self-aggrandizing antagonist of individual natural rights that which it so vehemently demands. We should instead strip it of its overreaches; re-mandating its scope to a manageable size. Shut down all foreign bases (which are unconstitutional) returning our troops home. End: The Federal Reserve Bank; Foreign Aid and Intervention; All unconstitutional departments, legislation, and executive orders of the federal government; Corporate and Individual welfare; and All State departments and purview that violate our individual natural rights and steal power from the people. Programs such as Medicare and Social Security should be gradually ended paying back all monies paid in.

As the public work then needed would be significantly reduced... make nearly all governmental posts voluntary; without pay. For those jobs that might require more than a minimal dedication of time pay them only for days worked on an hourly basis not to exceed the average hourly pay of the people they serve or outsource those jobs when possible to private business.

With such a trimmed down government it would only require a lean diet to maintain easily provided for by lotteries, donations, and if needed specifically voted on sales taxes. This type of funding follows a non-aggressive path and allows the private individual to decide what they will or will not do with the fruit of their labor.