Donald K. Allen for President

Top of the Week

March 24, 2008

It’s clear this country is in a financial bind. We are funding a war on terror with money borrowed from China and it’s all we can do to just pay the interest on our foreign debt. Before this year is out our national debt will likely hit 10 trillion dollars, yet Congress continues to load on earmarks to every bill. Spending must be reduced to necessities, and our government must act to limit the burden on the average American.

Fuel prices in our country must be Federally controlled. After experiencing record years of profits, the American oil industry can float through a few years of austerity on their part. Reducing the cost of diesel fuel is paramount, because those costs are passed on to the consumer, including everything from food to nails. Windfall profits occur when crude oil prices go up and the price of gas rises the next day, even though the gas in the station’s tanks cost the producers less.

There are many programs, however, that we cannot afford to cut back on, including defense, national security, health care, education, and mental health. There are thousands of Americans with mental disabilities on waiting lists for community care facilities, and this is a sad situation when millions are squandered on earmarks. If it is vital to our country’s future, and the well being of our citizens, we must reinforce our efforts in these areas and at least keep funding abreast of inflation.

President Bush’s 3.1 trillion dollar budget is mind-boggling. But the amount is not extravagant if we as taxpayers can be assured that the money is being well spent on vital programs. Waste, fraud, corruption, and unaccountability plague all governments, but we should demand better. We don’t. We vote people into positions of power and responsibility and don’t keep track of what they’re doing in Washington. They are often reelected by voters who don’t have a clue what their politicians have been up to.

Presidential candidates often state they are for smaller government and promise to reduce the size of our Federal bureaucracy, but it just keeps getting bigger. With the support of we the people, I would force a cut in the Federal workforce by 10 percent in my first year in office. During a weekly “fireside chat,” I would keep America informed on current problems in Washington, including cooperation or lack of it by your members of Congress. You will be able to respond to voice your opinions via e-mail, and your voices will be heard by your president.