It’s time we invoke a new rule when
discussing the federal budget: don’t focus on spending cuts; focus on
limiting the size of government. All too often we get caught up in
dollar figures of various government programs and agencies, instead of
focusing on their imperative to exist in the first place.
The first step in approaching a spending
bill is to determine if the given venture is constitutionally sound. If
the answer is no, there’s nothing more to debate. The second step is to
determine if that venture, which is constitutionally sound, is helpful
or harmful. Needless to say, if it is harmful to the public then it
should be scuttled. Finally, once the constitutional rationale and the
imperative for the venture are established, we can discuss the funding
level of that venture.
The case in point is the Energy-Water appropriations bill, which funds
the Department of Energy and parts of the Department of Interior. There
is no reason for the DOE to exist. Period. The nuclear program could
easily be transferred to another part of the federal government, while
we eliminate all of the wasteful programs that have not only failed to
increase our energy supply, but encumbered its growth over the past few
decades. Now that Republicans have focused so much attention on merely
trimming the DOE budget, it turns out that they failed to cut anything!
CQ reports that the Energy-Water bill passed out of the Energy-Water
Appropriations subcommittee yesterday by voice vote actually
appropriates $32.1 billion, an $88 million increase above fiscal 2012
levels. But here is the most egregious part of the bill:
Frelinghuysen [the subcommittee chairman]
said the legislation would provide $1 billion to “strengthen” Energy
Department programs focused on determining the causes and impacts of
high gas prices in the future, a $36 million boost from current levels.
It also would provide $554 million for fossil energy research and
development, including a new $25 million shale oil program “to both
increase the efficiency and improve the impacts of shale oil recovery,”
he said.
So we are giving the DOE $1 billion to
focus on determining the causes of high gas prices. Why don’t they look
in the mirror! We know why gas prices are high. The American and global
economies run on energy, and with demand increasing, we need to increase
our supply. The DOE and other branches of government have promoted
green energy and have hindered the private sector from developing our
resources. That’s why gas prices are high. We don’t need to spend $1
billion to study the issue.
Read More at Red State By Daniel Horowitz
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