The Paul Plan

Cutting federal spending in the USA has bipartisan support and yet the debate on what to cut is still extremely vague. Politicians are afraid to anger special interest groups and so they declare that they are for cuts but cower when asked for specifics. Understandable given the way that politics works in the States, but for anything to be done at least one politician has to present a concrete plan.

That politician is Kentucky Senator Rand Paul:

The budget-cutting plan introduced Tuesday, Paul’s first major legislative proposal, would cut $16 billion in funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also would eliminate the Departments of Energy and Housing and Urban Development and most of the Department of Education.

Further, it would eliminate international aid and numerous agricultural programs, and subsidies to Amtrak, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. Government Printing Office.

“By removing programs that are beyond the constitutional role of the federal government, such as education and housing, we are cutting nearly 40 percent of our projected deficit and removing the big-government bureaucrats who stand in the way of efficiency in our federal government,” Paul said in a statement.
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Other agencies that would see massive budget reductions under Paul’s plan include the Department of Homeland Security and its Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Commerce, the federal court system, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service.

Paul’s bill also would privatize the Smithsonian Institution and wipe out federal agencies supporting the arts.

The virtue of the Paul Plan is that it doesn’t just trim, which would only allow for growth next year. Too often cuts that are actually made are simply replaced a few years later, and the government falls once again into financial trouble. By cutting agencies out right, the Paul Plan ensures a more long term financial solvency.

If I see one problem with this plan it is that it actually doesn’t do enough. It certainly demonstrates the depth of America’s financial problems when cutting $500 billion only takes care of 40% of the deficit.

This is, however, exactly the jump start that the US needs to climb out of the hole. And as one commentator said, “Paul is showing that he walks the libertarian walk and talks the libertarian talk”