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10. Twilight's Last Gleaming?

''Downsizing"

is a popular buzzword today. Word

has it from Cato Institute's Stephen Moore, that 200

years ago, and on the eve of Thomas Jefferson's

election as President, our nation's capitol was relocated

to Washington, D.C. on the south bank of the Potomac.

This was accomplished in part, to placate southern

legislators. All federal government reports, documents,

etc. that existed were filed into 12 crates for the

journey by road to the new, permanent nation's capitol.

Back then, there were 3,000 federal employees,

compared to 18,000,000 governmental employees at all

levels today. The bare bones budget was equivalent to

$100 million in current dollars, compared to a $1.6

trillion federal budget today. Indeed, " ...

provide for

the common defense ...,"

was given more priority

then; it was far less expensive and expansive

than to

" ...

promote the general welfare.... "

What then should we do regarding economic policy?

We can fiddle around or go back to the policies of

former civilizations. If we do that, we will most

certainly be drawn further to the left, any hope of

reversing fiscal irresponsibility will be lost. Our taxes

will soar.

Government, the bureaucracy, and

regulations will continue to gobble up the American

ingenuity, that enterprising spirit that once was the

hallmark of our nation's success.

But there is another alternative. We can muster up

the courage, gird up our loins, and resolve to make

some hard decisions. Further, we can stick with these

decisions and repair the damage that big government

has done to our economic and individual freedoms.

Only in that way can we then expect people to work,

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