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Downsizing the Federal Government
Most federal programs are unnecessary, actively damaging, or properly the responsibility of the states or the private sector. This book examines a huge range of programs that should be cut to balance the budget and reduce taxes.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 1, 2013
When I started reading Downsizing the Federal Government I figured that this was going to be one of those books that needed to be sent to everyone in Congress and the White House. Well, I was wrong; this book needs to be sent to everyone who pays taxes.
Chris Edwards does a great job of explaining the dire financial straits that our county is in when it comes to the Federal Government and he does it in easily understood terms and examples. The book is written in plain English not economic mambo jumbo that would make an average reader’s glaze over in the fog of government-speak. He also avoids long-winded explanations by providing enough information that the reader gets the point without being bored to tears. He then backs up those points enough evidence to get the thought across. I believe that he did this intention because; after all, the Internet can easily provide an abundance of more specific information on a particular topic of the reader’s choice.
The purpose of this book isn’t to layout every argument possible as to why the Federal Government is bloated to the point where no elected official or officials has even the remotes modicum of control. The purpose of this book is to get the reader to think about how can be possible sustain an economic future where we spend more than we take in. Its purpose is to make the reader think that not every problem in this country has a government solution, that sometimes the government is the problem.
One of the interesting things that came up in the book was the recommendation to sell of the Tennessee Valley Authority because the Feds should be in the power generation business. Just about the time I got to that in the book, that same issue was making the news because that very recommendation had just been made in Congress and the supposed budget-hawk Republicans were against it. It highlighted the exasperating problem with Congress which is everyone talks about budgets cuts just as long as those cuts don’t affect their own district. Then the problem is that we’re not spending enough.
I highly recommend this book for taxpayer no matter which side of the aisle you’re on.
Chris Edwards does a great job of explaining the dire financial straits that our county is in when it comes to the Federal Government and he does it in easily understood terms and examples. The book is written in plain English not economic mambo jumbo that would make an average reader’s glaze over in the fog of government-speak. He also avoids long-winded explanations by providing enough information that the reader gets the point without being bored to tears. He then backs up those points enough evidence to get the thought across. I believe that he did this intention because; after all, the Internet can easily provide an abundance of more specific information on a particular topic of the reader’s choice.
The purpose of this book isn’t to layout every argument possible as to why the Federal Government is bloated to the point where no elected official or officials has even the remotes modicum of control. The purpose of this book is to get the reader to think about how can be possible sustain an economic future where we spend more than we take in. Its purpose is to make the reader think that not every problem in this country has a government solution, that sometimes the government is the problem.
One of the interesting things that came up in the book was the recommendation to sell of the Tennessee Valley Authority because the Feds should be in the power generation business. Just about the time I got to that in the book, that same issue was making the news because that very recommendation had just been made in Congress and the supposed budget-hawk Republicans were against it. It highlighted the exasperating problem with Congress which is everyone talks about budgets cuts just as long as those cuts don’t affect their own district. Then the problem is that we’re not spending enough.
I highly recommend this book for taxpayer no matter which side of the aisle you’re on.
July 25, 2013
Interesting Quotes:
"Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said that 'taxes are what we pay for civilized society'...But Holmes made his observation in 1927 when...taxes represented just 10 percent of the US economy. Those taxes mainly supported basic functions such as justice and national defense, which are indeed prices of a civilized society. Today, taxes represent a share of the economy that is three times larger...Much of the federal government today is a burden on civilized society, not a benefit."
-Chris Edwards, Downsizing the Federal Government
"Government intervention was also a big waste of time and energy in the infamous IBM antitrust case that lasted from 1969 to 1982. IBM was charged with monopolizing the mainframe computer business. During the long legal battle, the industry evolved rapidly. In 1982 the government finally...conceded that it was without merit. The case cost hundreds of millions of dollars..., generated 66 million pages of evidence, and diverted IBM's time and energy from more productive...endeavors."
-Chris Edwards, Downsizing the Federal Government
"Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said that 'taxes are what we pay for civilized society'...But Holmes made his observation in 1927 when...taxes represented just 10 percent of the US economy. Those taxes mainly supported basic functions such as justice and national defense, which are indeed prices of a civilized society. Today, taxes represent a share of the economy that is three times larger...Much of the federal government today is a burden on civilized society, not a benefit."
-Chris Edwards, Downsizing the Federal Government
"Government intervention was also a big waste of time and energy in the infamous IBM antitrust case that lasted from 1969 to 1982. IBM was charged with monopolizing the mainframe computer business. During the long legal battle, the industry evolved rapidly. In 1982 the government finally...conceded that it was without merit. The case cost hundreds of millions of dollars..., generated 66 million pages of evidence, and diverted IBM's time and energy from more productive...endeavors."
-Chris Edwards, Downsizing the Federal Government
May 30, 2010
More so than any other book I know of, this book shows (a) that our fiscal situation is very solvable without resorting to drastic austerity measures or higher taxes, and (b) what a bunch of crooks and leeches our elected officials are. Even though the book was written 5 years ago (2005), the solutions are still relevant - and even more so considering the explosion in spending since then. We should demand that all of these unnecessary, wasteful, and damaging government programs be stopped before the whole system collapses under its own dead weight.
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December 11, 2010Excellent book. A little wonky.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews