THE CONSTITUTION LIMITS THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT

So Why Not Cut It?

Limiting the size of government IS Constitutional; DOGE is on the right track. We’ve long exceeded any thought of what the government should or may do. Just because it can seize the power doesn’t make it right. Here is a summary, which is makes it clear why so many of the federal departments have no right to exist. Federalism meant to limit “scope creep” where federal employees or elected officials seek to grow their power and spend our money. But it has been ignored, as the Founders feared.

1. Enumerated Powers:

• The Constitution lists specific powers granted to the federal government, such as the power to regulate interstate commerce, declare war, and coin money. As we know, the interstate commerce power has been expanded so grossly that it can penalize a farmer for growing food for his family’s use only.

• The federal government cannot exercise any power that is not explicitly granted or reasonably implied by these enumerated powers.

2. Federalism and State Powers:

• The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

• This means that states have broad authority in areas not explicitly covered by federal law, such as education, local law enforcement, and public health. This should have meant that the NIH and CDC shouldn’t have had the power they had during Covid. By federal law, the Constitution means the limits it has placed on it, unless the majority of states demand action.

In essence, the federal government is a government of limited powers, subject to the constraints of the Constitution and the principles of federalism, separation of powers, and the rule of law. As we began as a country, the Founders saw that there were some things that had to be run at the federal level, such as to fight battles and protect the nation. Over time, other things seemed to make sense, such as the Post Office (though one might question this, given how far in debt they are).

Why Was This Such a Good Idea?

In those days, people knew what they didn’t want—the power of a King to control their lives. Freedom was the main idea behind our new nation, so the Constitution had to design a system that would protect liberties. The Founders built in structural limitations hoping to keep the federal government from overstepping its role. Many know that our country is the only one founded on an idea, and that idea was to protect and ensure individual liberty and avoid the incursion of statism, absolutism, or totalitarianism (communism and socialism fit into this category.) Their fears weren’t unwarranted; they knew what happened to other countries where government was a threat.

They didn’t anticipate the cost of a huge government, though. But we know that our federal government is too costly, and that their spending is completely out of hand. And yet, it is OUR money, not theirs. The way they created this was through the “4^th branch of government;” bureaucracy. Though there was provision for the Executive to have some degree of this function, it was never intended that it could usurp all three branches of government, taking over legislative and judicial powers, without anyone able to control it. It is this area DOGE seeks to disempower. The power of the purse is reserved for Congress, but it has been overtaken by bureaucrats who hand out our money without oversight.

When you try to start a business, make use of land you own, or a thousand other personal choices, this bureaucracy will tell you what you can or cannot do, charge you for the privilege and, in many cases, make your life a living hell.

The Constitution doesn’t actually allow the Feds to interfere in education, agriculture or energy. It has given the Feds no authority to act in transportation, housing, health, labor, etc. It doesn’t really give them the right to take our tax dollars and give them to organizations in other countries.

If, we the people, wanted the Feds to do these things, our states can get together to pass Constitutional Amendments…but we haven’t asked for this.

James Madison once said, “If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money…the government is no longer a limited one possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one.” We don’t want that.

What’s The Worst That Can Happen?

If we abolish the Department of Education, will people suddenly fail to be able to get an education? No, of course not. Quickly, financial institutions would step in to offer student loans. Solutions to help students who struggle or who have educational handicaps would be met at the local level, where solutions belong. A struggling student in my relatively wealthy community needs far different resources than one in Oakland, CA.

Obviously, we won’t see an entire department disappear overnight. But even ½ of a bad idea is still a bad idea. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have seen the political takeover of Justice to try to end Donald Trump. Even if we need the DOJ, it should never have the power to do this, nor should the IRS be able to go after conservative groups. We wouldn’t have seen nearly every cabinet department load up on guns and ammo during Covid, mostly to deprive good guys and gals from having protection.

And what if a mistake is made? It probably isn’t hard to fill in the small holes that might be left. We have proof of this in that too many companies did mass layoffs, leaving areas unfilled. They quickly figured out the mistakes and fixed them, often rehiring some of the people they had laid off. The government can do the same, if needed. The only difference is that the government doesn’t have to make money, so they have no incentive to save it. At the very least, we need to get rid of the many who do nothing useful except cash their paycheck.