Government Includes Quasi Government Ventures

The role of the government in America is changing on federal, state and local levels.  Mandates often unfunded are fostered upon business organizations and private citizens. If unchecked government grows - it is the nature of bureaucracy to expand.  The use of sun-set legislation is underused or the bar set too low when it comes to extending and renewing government bodies. Politicians and bureaucrats deterred from expanding or funding programs by a few vigilant citizens, wait and find creative ways to reach their objective at a later date.  Creating special bonds, attaching fees to needed services or narrow taxes that go on to fund new authorities, commissions, and districts.

The government need not be efficient, we see this in issues small and large, for example in our currency. Not only is the penny still being used, four new versions of it were released in 2009.  The penny is totally antiquated and illogical if an employee is paid only $12.00 per hour it cost twenty cents per minute.  How can businesses afford to pay that employee to count and handle pennies when the labor exceeds its value?  According to the “citizens to retire the penny” it cost the Country more than $15 Billion Dollars annually, but to the government that matters naught.

The Government hurls money at inefficient programs to assist the poor.  Government has spent a fortune in housing for low-income people offering low prices to the applicants, they compete with private enterprise but due to subsidizes are able to “cherry pick” those that will be good residents, rejecting to the streets the more troubled.  They ignore that this is is in conflict with their mission of helping the most needy.  Food stamps do not limit the user to economical healthy basic foods but allow even a recipient to pick up steak and lobster that they can give to friends and family at Christmas, a blind eye is turned towards this glaring flaw.
   
I often sit and have coffee in a chair near the front window in the building where my office is located, this window looks out on what might be called the crossroads of America.  Across the street is a Target store that was recently expanded into a super-target, behind it a toxic waste site cleaned up to where it may be used in a limited way.  A bank on the corner, built eight years ago after demolishing the preexisting buildings, has changed its name five times through acquisitions.  Miscellaneous stores and offices line the street, coming and going, with all for lease signs that accompany such a changing landscape.


Unneeded quasi-government organizations by nature reach out to expand the influence and power of their directors. Instead of focusing on the business of government and simplicity, this new proactive movement, one of "cuteness", disguised in the shawl of flexible and diversity is being expanded, and we are paying the tab.  Government is proud of pet projects, it allows bureaucrats to experiment and try new things without the personal financial risk forced upon those in business, they are creative and tinkering on our dime and this is a problem for concern. The best time to kill a monster is while its still small, that time has passed, now we can only hope to slow its growth through starvation, and that is unlikely.


Footnote; this dovetails with a post on February 6th, 2012 titled The Assault of Growing Government, it can be accessed at
                    http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2012/02/assualt-of-growing-government.html