Delegate

Has anybody reading this post ever felt too small to make a lasting change? If so, the topic for today may present you with a solution.

I'm learning that our world is becoming smaller and larger at the same time; smaller in the sense that I can talk to somebody on the other side of the world without any amount of difficulty and larger in the sense that because more individuals are able to be heard, each individuals' voice is harder to hear. With all the clutter on the internet and television, skepticism and passive attention is given to most ideas, even the good ones.

Take this blog for example. I am nobody of consequence and as a result this article will be viewed by very few relative to the number of internet users. In my opinion, if the suggestions contained in this article were followed they would bring about the empowerment of each individual. But first, it must be read. Then, the masses have to agree with it. Then programs and corruption have to be overthrown and bills have to be passed in order for any of these ideas to be actualized. Frankly, I feel slightly hopeless that anything I say will have any impact on American society.

This idea is still formulating in my brain, and I haven't ironed out all the details as of yet, but it started its formulation when I received my first paycheck from a data entry job I had a couple of years ago. I looked at the net pay and was suddenly overcome with the desire to storm the I.R.S. and demand the rest of my paycheck. Thankfully, I didn't. Instead, I began an internal debate to find the problem and subsequently, the solution.

The first thing I wanted to know was where all my monotonously earned money went. I examined the check stub and noticed that compared to the amount my state received, the Feds were cashing in, big time. "What in the world are they doing that costs so much?!" I asked myself. After all, I hadn't perceived any real benefit from the paycheck deduction.

Please understand, I realize that complaining about high taxes and government inefficiency is an extremely old cliché. What I don't understand is why nobody does anything to fix those problems. If we were more efficient with our revenue, deficits would not be such a prevalent paradox.

If the preamble to the Constitution of the United States in examined thoughtfully, it is clear that the Federal Government is trying to do more than it was designed to do. The exact text is as follows:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

In other words, the Constitution was designed to form a union stronger than that of the Articles of Confederation, make sure "we the people" are dealt with justly, remain safe and that those blessings are perpetuated through the lives of our posterity. How many Federal Government programs fall outside the realm of that purpose? I say that the answer is, "too many!"

I want to also make a special note regarding the way the “general welfare” is addressed. The Federal Government is responsible for promoting the general welfare of its constituents. If the founding fathers believed that the government was supposed to supply for the general welfare of the United States, I believe that they would have used the word “provide” as they did when addressing the common defense. As we have seen, this is not the case.

Given that this interpretation is correct, the Founding Fathers showed a great deal of foresight in making sure that the Federal Government was not responsible in providing for the welfare of its people. There are 309,210,119 people living in the United States right now. The Federal Government estimates that 2 million people work for it. That means that there are roughly 150 citizens per U.S. government employee. Yes, you read that right. One government employee is responsible for you and at least 149 other people. Given that most of these employees live very far from where I live, I don’t believe they could ever adequately provide for me. If they tried, our country would be bankrupt by now. As of yet, we are merely headed for bankruptcy. It is time to turn the tides.

I offer my solution: delegation. The only way an organization as large as the United States of America has any chance of survival is effective delegation. As things are, we're being lead and governed by a body of individuals that know nothing about us. How is it that D.C. can know anything about a person living in Mesa, Arizona? Could they spot Mesa, Arizona on a map? When people feel like they are not being represented properly they become slightly apathetic and disloyal towards whatever organization is misrepresenting them. Apathy and disloyalty are not a welcome problem in the United States. (The lack of action towards illegal immigration from the Federal Government may suggest otherwise, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.)

In my introductory post on this blog, I stated that my tax dollar allocation worried me. The states need to be trusted. Nebraska’s congress needs to have more power to do its job for Nebraska’s citizens, and so-on throughout all fifty United States. If Nebraska fails, the citizens should be free to move else-where. This will bring competition amongst the states which will breed efficiency and improvement. Until recent years, the United States has had no real competitors. Thus, it has had no need to improve. Now we find ourselves in dire need of improvement with a governmental structure that is too large and robust to improve in time.

It is time to divest in centralization and invest in delegation.