Another Lesson From the 2012 Election

OK.  So the first lesson was for working people to learn to limit the
access the Federal Government has to the cash in your pocketbook.

The second lesson would be to limit (or eliminate) the money the
Federal Government can collect and/or spend on programs that
are constitutionally the responsibilities of the state or local
governments.

Politicians love to piggy-back on spur-of-the-moment, hot button,
emotional issues they can use to gain votes, face-time on
television, and attention on the Internet.

The first question working Americans ask should be "Whose
responsibility should it be to fix the problem?".  Then, "Does the
Federal Government really need to collect taxes from everyone to
give back to the states to give to the local governments to solve
this problem?".

Why couldn't local governments raise the funds to fix this problem
if it were important to their constituents?  Collecting Federal taxes
to give to local governments seems to be designed only to make
the local governments financially dependent on the Feds and the
strings that come attached to the funds.

Take the Department of Education as an example.  I can see
using this department to do things that the states can't do for 
themselves.  National tests to measure achievement in basic
educational skills (reading, writing, math, science, and logic) seem
to be an impartial, proper way to compare state and local results
against others, so that parents and educators could measure their
results against others, and decide if improvements need to be made.

But I can't see using this department to set standards on everything
from school nutrition, to the curriculum, to anti-bullying policies, to
political correctness, to union issues, to anti-violence policies, etc.,
etc., etc.

I'm not trying to say that these aren't important issues.  I'm saying
that it is the local school districts who should be funding and deciding
these issues, not the Federal Government.

I feel the local citizens can decide these issues for themselves just as
well, or better, than the Republican Senior Senator from California can,
or the Democratic Representative from the State of Alabama can, or the
President of the United States can.

Lesson Number Two for the working person...stop giving money from
your pocket to the Feds to decide things that you can be, and
constitutionally should be, spending and deciding on your own.

I know.  I know.  You're busy, you've got a life to live, kids to take care
of, you don't have the technical training, yada, yada, yada.  They must
know better than you do what's the right thing to do.





True, some of them do know better than you.  But to the vast majority,
the right thing to do is for them to get re-elected.  They will say what
they have to say, they'll cave to the special interest groups, they will play
on your emotions, and they'll stick it to you if you let them.

Do not let national politicians game the system to take your money and use it
to gain power in areas where they don't belong.  Vote for those who are willing
to limit the ever-increasing takeover of local decisions by the Federal
Government.