Friday, 29 March 2024

Daniels: Warfare state/welfare state and national debt

The two causes of the national debt being the warfare state and the welfare state both are easy to correct with any intestinal fortitude by members of Congress.

The warfare state is an excessive support of the defense-industrial complex and no related tax increase.

Harry Truman was the last president to raise taxes in wartime. Now our defense spending is larger than the next three countries combined. Our defense spending is also three times larger in adjusted dollars than that recommended by General Eisenhower.

The “Eisenhower Minimum” as it is called is what is needed for adequate self-protection and does not support world policing. It does not support large numbers of infantry on foreign soil, two navies, worldwide-based Air Forces and numerous foreign Army/Navy bases.

The Eisenhower defense budget was originally design to support a large nuclear deterrent (which can now be used for Special Forces and homeland security), adequate research, a single navy to protect commercial shipping, and a standing army on homeland bases.

Included in this Eisenhower budget was large equipment and ordinance reserves for immediate support of any call-up required for self-protection.

The warfare state has resulted from the desire of our leaders to project military power for purposes of supporting foreign governments from both internal/external treats and the false manifest destiny to spread democracy throughout the world.

Neither of these goals is appropriate and they increase the likely hood of terrorism rather than protect our population from terrorism.

The welfare state results from the misguided efforts of our leaders to provide a total population economic safety net or to eliminate the natural condition of poverty.

This largeness of government assistance to provide for an all-encompassing total population safety net has developed a population that is generational repeating dependent on government assistance.

This safety net has grown to include generous Social Security disability payments for numerous physical and mental conditions.

The original purpose of Social Security was to provide an old age economic safety net. In addition to mission creep in Social Security eligibility, the various federally funded free food programs (originally for the truly needy) have expanded to include low cost or no cost food for school program that provide for many more than the truly needy.

Similarly the extension upon extension of unemployment benefits (beyond that supported by previous contributions) includes a large component of fraud estimated to be one third the total payments.

Another component of the welfare state and the federal government largeness is the federal monetary assistance to corporations and various state and local governments.

Corporate welfare includes funding foreign marketing, funding specific industry research (i.e. vineyard diseases), individual grants to specific individuals, universities or corporations for product development. Government research should be limited to basic science except for defense related products.

In addition, corporate welfare includes numerous income tax advantages to reduce expenses or increase markets for favored industries. Government to government welfare includes federal grants for all purposes not related to disaster relief.

An example of excessive government to government welfare and abuse is the redundant existence of federal funded fish and game agencies and then these agencies making extravagant grants to (of all things) repair county roads.

The solution to the welfare state is a very strict means test and to reduce or eliminate assistance based on these means tests. Similarly this would include eliminating corporate welfare and government to government welfare.

Garamendi, Thompson, Feinstein and Boxer are all professional politicians and their main concern is re-election.

Increasing our fortunes is dependent any actions that also increase their fame and/or fortunes. These California politicians support the failed economic theory that national budget deficit to not matter.

We all pay now and our children will in future for their greed.

John Daniels lives in Lakeport, Calif.

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