As we approach another State of the Union speech, we need to remind ourselves that before becoming President of the United States, G. W. Bush declared, "Big government is not the answer." However, since taking the oath of office, the growth of the federal government has exploded in ways never seen before.
A recent article in the Houston Chronicle stated, "Now, just past the midway point of his first term in office, Bush is presiding over the largest, most expensive-and, some would say, most intrusive-federal government in history."
During last year alone, federal spending skyrocketed 14 percent. During the past five years, it jumped a whopping 45 percent! Shortly after delivering his State of The Union speech, Bush will submit an unprecedented $2.1 trillion budget to Congress.
Add to staggering budget numbers proliferating police powers and Bush's record becomes even more ominous. One would have to go back to Hitler's Nazi Germany to find a modern day parallel to such massive growth in federal police power.
The magnitude of the federal government is also seen in the never-ending waves of alphabet agencies that constantly crash upon the shores of the nation. APHIS, BIA, CIAO, CPSC, DOD, DOE, DOJ, EAO, EEOC, FEC, FLETC, GPO, GSA, HHS, IMP, NDPO, NEA, NHTSA, NIH, NIPC, NOAA, ODP, OEP, OPM, PBGC, SBA, NCS, NIPC, FBI, CIOS, DHS, INS, FEMA, ATF, DEA to name but a few. Furthermore, the Supreme Court and the White House have become governments unto themselves with virtually no accountability.
The one body of government designed by the Founding Fathers to possess the most power and influence is Congress. It is, after all, supposed to be the one branch of government that directly represents the people. However, for all practical purposes, Congress need not exist! A compelling argument could even be made that America is no longer governed by representative government at all but by presidential and judicial fiat.
If the State of the Union is judged by how big and intrusive the federal government has become, all is well. However, if the criteria of judgment is how much freedom remains, it is a bleak picture indeed.
Therefore, it would appear that the State of the Union speech would be more accurately called The State of Big Government Address, as the annual message has become little more than an outline of increased government expansion and cost.
© Chuck Baldwin
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