Baseline Bamboozle

For several years I was an umpire for baseball and softball games. We had two clearly defined baselines and two more subjectively defined base paths. To compound the issue, the foul line is in reality a fair line. So, let’s discuss government and clarity of language regarding the term “baseline.” A baseline as defined by the federal government is not as firm or as permanent as a 3” line of white chalk that runs from home plate to first base or from third base to home plate. The government’s baseline is repositioned every year, and, on occasion, is moved more than once per year.

Our inspired leaders of the federal government have apparently determined that the budgeting process is too difficult and acrimonious. To expedite the process they have implemented the baseline budgeting system wherein each item in the budget automatically qualifies for a nearly 8% increase from the previous year. Through the magic of compounding, a simple annual increase of 8% will result in a given line item appropriation nearly doubling after 10 years. This increase continues without regard for the efficacy or necessity of the program. Baseline budgeting is the fiscal version of the “In-laws from Hell” who come to your peaceful home to visit but refuse to leave. In baseline budgeting terms the words “merit and value” are alien concepts. Since the “Control Act of 1974” our elected public officials have allowed this fiscally irresponsible and politically unaccountable method of budgeting drive our nation toward the cliff of financial and economic disaster.

Clearly thirty-seven years of a failed mechanism that is unresponsive to economic conditions or to actual requirements for government sustainability is long enough. The GOP House majority should make baseline budgeting a sensible target for elimination…..not tweaking, eliminating. If an agency, program or department cannot justify and detail budget items on an annual basis, they do not warrant any funding….let alone an automatic 8% increase. If the Members of Congress believe that requiring justification for every agency or program would be too time consuming for the budgeting process, then obviously the government and the budget are too large. No one, I repeat, no one….no Corporation, no household has the benefit of an “automatic pilot” annual increase in funding. To the contrary most of our citizens and companies must struggle year after year in an unfriendly taxation environment and coping with an overburdening regulatory situation. Government should not ever enjoy an imperial status that far exceeds the circumstances of the people.

The baseline budgeting system immunizes government and government beneficiaries from all of the many intervening disruptions those of us in the private sector regularly encounter. It creates an artificial justification for additional and usually excessive government spending. An historical and efficiency analysis of many government programs or agencies would discover that their effectiveness and usefulness are of minimal value. Yet…the money train continues running as their budgets escalate with no consideration of the programs’ value or need. That’s no way to run a railroad, but our elected officials are too lazy and uninspired to thoughtfully examine each line item and appropriation, so they set them on automatic pilot. Most of us are either personally or anecdotally familiar with the public agency that scrambles to spend its excess at the end of a budget cycle in order to qualify for the increased funding of the next budget. Those types of fiscal and mental gymnastics are a direct result of the baseline budgeting madness.  Thus, the two primary motivations for implementing such a stupid and irresponsible system are: cowardly politicians and big-government advocates…..neither of which serve the best interests of the nation, our fiscal security or individual freedom. In essence, the baseline budgeting system guarantees that the cost and size of government will routinely grow without any justification….feeble or valid.

There are thirteen congressional committees that deal with various appropriations throughout the federal government. The chairs of those august committees are euphemistically described as the “Cardinals” because of their power to impact our lives through the appropriations process. It seems however, that they are opposed to reducing expenditures and budgets because their power may be diminished. Baseline budgeting has given the “Cardinals” the cover to allow for automatic increases in spending and power, and it also offers the flexibility to insert individual expenditures to bolster the reelection chances for members (baseline plus pork). The additional targeted expenditures merge into the baseline to ratchet the base upward for the next budgetary cycle. The pork spending is added to the automatic increases to form a new “minimum” for the following budget. But that’s not all…..

President Obama’s politically-laden stimulus spending was dispersed through various departments and agencies. In every case the additional funding through borrowed stimulus funds increased the baseline for the affected department, agency or program. In effect, our excessive indebted spending has been radically increased with no inherent mechanism for reducing it. Fiscally, this is a tragic and deadly consequence of Washington’s spending addiction, but even more troubling is the failure of the GOP House to address this travesty. They promised to repeal ObamaCare, and they have not. They haven’t even attempted to defund it. All of the facets of the Healthcare monstrosity are integrated into the baseline budgeting system. Also, we have not heard anyone from Congressional leadership suggest that the budget-busting 1974 Act should be repealed. Why not? Are they contented with this system and the growing power over our lives that it promotes?

Bottom line: If the GOP House leadership were absolutely serious about reining in our spending explosion, they would seek to repeal The Control Act of 1974 and defund Obamacare and other budget-busting programs, agencies and departments. The power of the purse should be used to change the direction of our country….not on a glide path, but with a “180” directional shift. Government bureaucracies should be put on notice that the gravy train has been sidetracked, and the Constitution of the United States is the new sheriff in town. Duty calls, Congress, please stop ducking your responsibility.

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Dear Congress

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader and Members of the House Republican Caucus,

You have been returned to the majority because most of the people of this nation have recognized that our country is facing a severe economic, social, fiscal and political crisis. The majority of voters in November of last year discerned that the Democrat majority under Speaker Pelosi had relinquished any semblance of fiscal responsibility that they may have ever held. In addition to their profligacy, their legislative agenda undermined the liberty of our citizens and generated more tension between the taxed and the beneficiaries. You were either elected or re-elected to stop the madness and to turn around from the disastrous direction that our United States of America clearly is headed.

We understand that many of you are career politicians who lust for office and the accolades that shower you. We understand that many of you may be honest and moral, but you appear to lack the finely honed principles that should guide you. You have taken an oath of office………

                                 I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

We have some questions for your consideration. Did you take the oath seriously? Do you understand the oath? How would you define “support and defend the Constitution?” Have you done so during your political career? Is a “good idea” necessarily Constitutional? Where do you personally draw the line about when to support the Constitution and when to ignore or dismiss it? Have you willingly violated your oath because the nation has needs that are not addressed by Article 1 Section 8? Or have you violated your oath because the Constitution has been abused by Congress for so long that it cannot be fixed….you know, that toothpaste back into the tube dilemma?

We know that Democrats lie, cheat and steal (votes) to move their agenda. We are grateful that, for the most part, you seek to fulfill your duties and obligations with honor and integrity. We want you, however, to be bold, courageous and principled….fight constantly and consistently for Constitutional principles and the restoration of personal liberty for all citizens of the United States. You appear to have resisted advancing ideas, strategies and legislation that would challenge this incremental march toward personal and economic tyranny because they might fail. I might add here that the incremental march has become a gallop. Why are you afraid to fail on a matter of principle? You should know that your vote to repeal the healthcare fiasco was appreciated, but we know that you have made no serious effort to defund it. In fact, during this debt ceiling/budget cuts kabuki dance, the President declared that his opening gambit for socialized medicine was “off the table,” and we hear nothing…….crickets from the House of Representatives. Many of the people who have supported you are sorely disappointed that your actions have been so feeble and so hesitant. We frankly do not care if Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi does not like you in fact we prefer it that way. Only a few of your members seem to understand that “business as usual” is no longer a viable option. The conditions in our country are no longer usual, they have become critical.

If you are reluctant to battle on principle because you may not have the votes, or the Senate will shoot it down, please note that when an underdog football team has a powerhouse on the schedule, they show up, get dressed and play the freakin’ game. They do not hide on the bus or refuse to leave the locker room. Their opponents may be faster, stronger and better coached, but once in a while the underdog wins. You cannot win if you refuse to get off the bus. I understand that expecting career politicians to be courageous could be classified as wishful thinking. I also understand that desiring you to stand for principles and Constitutional integrity may be asking for more than you are capable of delivering. I am aware that a principled Constitutional position may jeopardize your chances for re-election. Are you aware that some 235 years ago some men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor? And you are worried about your image, your polling or your next election? If so, that is shameful. It is also a symptom of why we are in this current mess.

We heard you say many times during the last campaign that you had learned a lesson from the last time you had a majority, and the voters reacted with fury. I do not believe you. Learning a lesson should propel you to take bold action for the nation. Nibbling on the margins suggests that you are merely doing so for appearance’s sake. We suspect that many of you resent those of us who want smaller government, lower taxes and more personal freedom. Some of you believe that we are “kooks” or “wackos.”  We love our country, and we do not want to watch anyone destroy it….or simply stand by while it disintegrates. Please be bold. Be courageous. Be principled, and follow the Constitution…or have the guts to amend it. We, and I, will be watching you. Remember your oath or affirmation. Our nation is at risk, and we cannot afford to have you piddling around any longer.

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The Energy to Thrive

The spirit of a nation is determined by its commitment to individual liberty. On the battlefield America’s warriors have been known for their passion and resourcefulness as a result of their freedom to make reasonable choices. While the spirit of the nation is liberty, the blood of a powerful economy is energy. Self-driven citizens and energetic entrepreneurs have limited opportunity and scale if their power sources are mules and oxen. A nation thrives with liberty, and a vital economy grows through energy.

It’s a curious situation….well, actually, it’s a criminal circumstance that our political leadership continually refuses to address the dire consequences of our unconstitutional entitlement programs. One does not have to be an actuarial specialist to understand that our country is condemned to insolvency if the profligate spending is not curtailed. The end of our fiscal house of cards will come sooner rather than later, yet many politicians dismiss the reality of the “unsustainable” scenario. Others claim to be aware of the pending fiscal doom, but for political reasons offer mere half-measures for rectifying the problem.

At the same time that government is derelict in its duty to acknowledge our spending and entitlement programs, it has become a major obstructionist in our efforts to develop new sources of proven energy that would provide the impetus to help our economy grow. The very same politicians who refuse to recognize the pending fiscal collapse also refuse to accept data that suggest we have ample domestic energy resources for the near term. The North Slope of Alaska, offshore sites (deep and shallow), shale deposits and oil sands, when combined, should provide enough natural gas and oil production to carry our nation for nearly two centuries….far longer than the entitlement programs will maintain any hint of solvency. Yet in their infinite ideological and Nanny State wisdom, they ignore the probable (entitlement and fiscal collapse) and deny the possible (energy extraction). The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal deposits, but our fearless (i.e. fearful) leaders reject that resource along with all fossil fuel development. A new, greener, renewable energy source would be welcome, but for the moment none is available that is cheap enough, reliable and massive enough to replace the fossil fuels.

To escape the dismal fiscal box that we and the career politicians have built will require a two-pronged strategy: drastically cut spending and government while jump-starting the engine of economic growth. Our political leadership is doing neither. In fact their continued dawdling and diddling is allowing the situation to become much worse. There are some flickers of enlightenment, however, that may develop into a unified policy of reducing government while allowing the private economy to prosper. Congressman Bob Latta (R-Ohio 5^th C.D.) has introduced HR-1777 which would be a “sense of the Congress” to allow development of many of the dormant petroleum deposits that have been placed off limits by Congress, the Administration and the bureaucracy. The Latta resolution has been referred to the Judiciary Committee for further review. Let’s hope that it does not meet a fate similar to Osama bin Laden’s. The Latta piece is not as comprehensive as I would prefer, but it is a movement in the right direction for the necessary domestic energy exploitation that we must have for reigniting our economy.

For anyone who has worked with trees, you know that sometimes one must prune the tree to help it grow…particularly to grow in a manner that is most beneficial for the tree and the owner. Our government is resisting the pruning and refusing to fertilize the roots. The first step towards a sound energy policy would be to return the sequestered land and resources to the states. The initial step towards a sound fiscal policy is to allow the states to determine what levels of social policy they wish to embrace and which ones they desire to discard. Odd, isn’t it, that the clearest most efficient remedies for our national fiscal and economic ills involve reinvigorating our federal model as designed by the Founders? Reducing our problems and localizing our solutions is the surest way for us to resolve our budgetary excesses and redeem our energy shortages. Smaller government is the path to greater freedom, lower debt and enhanced prosperity. Come on, States, exercise your rights, and do so now!

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The Prince and the Paupers

As the President was addressing the nation (or the tiny audience that watched) yesterday, I found that my reaction was as predictable as his rhetoric. I do not believe that he is aware that the “all men are created equal” society of the United States has different expectations for our leaders than Kenyans have for their historic royalty. Vague royal pronouncements from the Prince do not allay the concerns and worries of the people. They sense that he is transforming them into paupers. After all, he does take pride in his transformational presidency. When the nation is wallowing in absolute insolvency, he can call another press conference and claim “Mission Accomplished.”

Obama used a term during his address that I found staggering for its effrontery. He claimed that part of his deficit reduction plan would be to save a trillion dollars through spending reductions in the tax code. That little term provides a picture window insight into the real attitudes and ideology of the poseur. The implication of the statement is that all money belongs to the government, and any portion of it that the people are permitted to keep is an expenditure…spending. So, the imperial prince of mendacity has determined that the government should cut spending by raising taxes. He wants more money from taxpayers so that he doesn’t have to curtail the goody packages that he hands to his most loyal supporters.

El Presidente’ delivered a laundry list of pandering programs that he asserted were national priorities. Perhaps they are national priorities in his elitist statist mind, but a thorough examination of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States reveals no evidence of the existence of any of those programs or goals. Not there. Not constitutional. Perhaps they are worthy. Maybe they are good for the country, but they are not constitutionally mandated or allowed. Nearly every president in our short history has overstepped the bounds of the constitutional limitations. In 1794 a group of western farmers objected to higher excise taxes on whiskey (to pay down the national debt) and resisted. President Washington sent the militia to force their compliance with the offensive tax. Congress has not been immune from blatantly violating their constitutional constraints. Every time some bubble headed legislator has an idea, they manage to further infringe on the rights of the people. So, Obama is not unique, but his sheer audacity and casual disregard, perhaps even contempt, of the constitution is breathtaking and ominous.

Given the willingness of both parties of Congress to cavalierly violate the Constitution and the natural rights of the people, we cannot expect them to suddenly acquire a constitutional conscience. Congress is complicit in the lawbreaking frenzy. Congressmen and Congresswomen believe that their intellects and their compassion are superior to ours; therefore they believe they are obligated to protect us from ourselves. Who, pray tell, will protect us from them? So, in the current environment where the President wishes to raise taxes and promise token reductions in federal spending as we speed towards fiscal collapse, the Congress will provide minimal resistance. They will engage in high sounding rhetoric and predictions of woe (truthfully, for once), but in the end they will hop on board the President’s fast track to failure. It is not coincidental that as the needs of the people increase, and the government lurches to supply them, the people’s abilities and capabilities to solve their own problems diminish. Feed the wolf on a regular basis, and he will forget how to hunt. Government programs have coddled us to the point that our survival as individuals and as a nation will be problematic if the system would collapse.

As we circle back to the President’s address and its underlying philosophy, my pessimistic assessment is that on April 13^th, 2011 at approximately 1:45pm EDT, Barrack Hussein Obama delivered a suicide note for the United States of America. Congressman Paul Ryan responded with a statement that was equivalent to insisting that the President postpone the evil deed for a day or two. Under both scenarios we die. One lingers more than the other. Sometimes politicians believe that they are god-like. Apparently they are because they control the life and death of a great nation, and, it seems they choose death.

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Smackdown

As a non-essential voter and commentator, I am somewhat perplexed by the joyful noise emanating from the treasured halls of our nation’s capitol surrounding the fact that a federal government “shutdown” was averted. I realize that it couldn’t be described as a “slowdown” because that is standard operating procedure for most government agencies. In addition, “slamdown” wouldn’t work so well because 55% of the government functions and work force is considered “essential.” Oddly, the President arbitrarily decided that the payroll for military personnel was not an essential function of the government. I understand that he is not as bright as advertised and is not a diligent Commander-in-Chief, but couldn’t someone remind him that an “all-volunteer military” does not mean that they fight and die for no pay?

When I was younger, support for my government was synonymous with patriotism. In my view, that is no longer the case. I do not trust my government (sadly, at any level), and I do not believe my government. When 55% of the government continues to operate during a “shutdown,” and military pay is not included as “essential” (Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution identifies defense of the nation as a mandatory function of the federal government), then anything goes. Any Alice through the Looking Glass character would be thrilled by the twists, turns and distortions encompassed in “government speak.” Essential is not vital. Shutdown is a mere allusion to stoppage. Cuts are really smaller increases. Critical family planning programs is new speak for killing babies at taxpayer expense. Supporting a critical unbiased presentation of news is in reality a subsidy for limousine liberals who are too cheap and money hungry to underwrite their own programming preferences. Also, PBS funding allows Bill Moyers, Charlie Rose, Ken Burns and Big Bird to live in a style much nicer than that of lesser beings (you and me).

While the President was backhanding the military and Harry Reid was defending baby killers, John Boehner was holding the keys to the treasury (almost empty treasury). Boehner and his diaper-clad henchmen fought as hard as they could against the evil spenders and bankrupters in government, and they gained a massive concession from the statists. The statists promised to spend $38.5 billion fewer dollars in the next six months than they originally planned….although some of the money was already sitting in appropriated but unspent funds and others had already been dropped from the White House request. The bottom line is that the GOP House leveraged the power of the purse into promises of $12-14 billion dollars in projected cuts, and the annual deficit for this fiscal year will be a mere $1.5 trillion – 1.7 trillion. No wonder the GOP members were so excited and ecstatic. They claim to have changed the “dialogue” on Capitol Hill to now include spending cuts.

No more sarcasm today. Obama wins, the GOP should be embarrassed and the people lose again…Big Time. No significant change in the projected deficit translates into no impact from the Republicans. The money (borrowed money) continues to be spent, the babies’ deaths are underwritten by the taxpayers, and the wine and brie class continues to enjoy its taxpayer-supported high-brow entertainment. Nothing has changed despite the fevered pronouncements that cuts are now on the table. The spending goes on, unconstitutional programs, agencies, bureaus and departments continue to be fully funded so that they can continue to harass and over regulate the people. When a government has become as large as this one is, they can overwhelm the citizens with legislation, regulations and rules. When citizens attempt to restore their rights and liberties, they discover that the battle must be waged on a multiplicity of fronts simultaneously. The task is monumental, and the odds for victory are small. The difficulty is made greater when the holders of the keys to the Treasury claim to support constitutional government but makes NO EFFORT to eliminate unconstitutional elements of the federal monolith.

The citizens, we citizens, are in this fight alone. We must work together in the spirit of Samuel Adams to reject and dismantle the tyrannical government at all levels. Shutting down 45% of the government for a few hours isn’t going to get it done. Don’t look to the Republicans for help. They are not capable. They are also culpable. I nominate Punxatawney Phil to lead the GOP. At least he is honest enough to admit that he’s afraid of his own shadow. The time has come for “we the people” to begin a government smackdown. Are you ready to rumble?

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