The Europeans have ten times the GDP and three times the population of Russia. South Korea has 40 times the GDP and twice the population of North Korea. The U.S. should act as a back-up against the rare hegemonic threat that friendly states cannot handle, rather than the guardian against every mundane controversy and conflict that arises elsewhere.
Bandow: Much corporate welfare runs through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development program, which is supported by politicians like Congressman Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Twp.
The GOP is attempting to defund Obamacare by holding the federal government hostage. Congressional Republicans say: Cut the spending or Uncle Sam will have to stay home.
Unfortunately, while the public doesn’t favor President Barack Obama’s plan to nationalize American health care, people seem even less enthused about Republican attempts to govern like the monkey wrench gang. Better would be a threat to close down the government because the government should be shuttered. The GOP should seek to eliminate entire programs and agencies.
Federal control of health care is a good place to start. The U.S. medical system is a mess, but the government should not decide who gets how much health insurance in what form through whom.
Corporate welfare should be another target. Export subsidies, research grants, farm subsidies, housing aid, regulatory preferences and more. Capitalists long have been among the worst enemies of capitalism, showing up in Washington only to announce “I’m for free enterprise, but … .” A serious assault on corporate welfare should involve closing the Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and Housing Departments, to start.
There’s no better reason to underwrite smaller enterprises, through the Small Business Administration. Is there really a critical scarcity of liquor stores requiring taxpayers to pay for additional ones?
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