I am voting for Ron Paul, but I do have one question. When he starts cutting all those government agencies, what about all the jobs that will be lost? The gov't is the largest employer in the US.
Your thoughts?
My wife asked the same question - she's a payroll accountant.
Realistically, jobs will shift with the tax burden removed.
Yes, there will be layoffs but priorities will shift from tax accounting to 3rd party Social security and benefits accounting.
DO Edu - IMO, they should teach their own mantra then. They're practically worthless now.
DO Energy - will become consultants for existing and new energy companies that don't have to pay the taxes they pay now.
Foreign military aid related - people can fund this if they want to see some good come about.
Just like the money bombs we raise, there could be a money bomb raised for a Dafur package to send private soldiers that are ex-military to aid over there.
Last edited by azminuteman; 12-18-2007 at 02:14 PM.
When President Paul fires 100,000 IRS agents, are you going to shed a tear? I'm not. What about when he fires 50,000 BATF goons? Don't worry; I'm sure the malls will be looking for increased security, when American shoppers' pockets are bulging with their own expendable income again. Maybe some of these displaced thugs can even find new jobs protecting our borders. I'm not worried about them.Originally Posted by Bilgefisher
It would not happen overnight
It would be a process with the IRS and Department of Education first on the chopping block....I assume. This would not occur overnight.
"Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it." -- Buddhist Proverb
It doesn't matter if you care this can backfire and make him look like a bad president. I know I wouldn't care about IRS agents actually looking for some honest work but many people will scream bloody murder. Hopefully the process would be a slow one.
Here is the main thing you have to think of. There are two things government employees do.
#1 is something the market should be doing anyway. For example the FDA. That can easily be a private company like Undwerwriters Laboratories paid for by Health Insurance companies to make sure drugs are safe and that they work. So the people who do the real work would just work somewhere else.
#2 Regulators - These are jobs that should be eliminated. The IRS and DOE come to mind. These people are doing work that hurts this country and the markets and we would be better off without these jobs. But if the people have skills they will be in demand in the industry. Plus they already have industry ties because of the work they do so finding a job shouldn't be difficult.
Finally with the money we will be saving from giving up our empire we could give everyone a 2 year severence.
Read Frédéric Bastiat's That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen
specifically the second chapter (replace armies with IRS agents or any other bureaucrats employed by the federal government).
Last edited by pdavis; 12-18-2007 at 10:31 PM.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Actually yes, they are just doing their jobs. I know two folks in the IRS, good people. Do I believe they should be out of the job, yes to that too. Kind of a contradiction. I merely try to point out it will affect a lot of people.
I do think the free market economy will help though. As people pay less to the govt and effectively make more money, they will spend more and create more jobs.
If you have kids you will not miss the DOE!! If you get rid of Illegal's there will plenty of jobs!!!! LOL
The backlash argument is bogus (and I suspect is primarily promulgated by enemies of liberty....and some naive anachists). The first thing that needs to be cut is not necessary spending or the size of the state, but the enforcement of bad law. There isn't going to be a huge amount of public sympathy for displaced thugs and goons. However, we can always transfer the BATF freaks to the border and send the IRS agents to audit the Fed. The 1st thing that needs to happen in a Paul administration is the relief of the oppressed masses -- which I sincerely doubt will generate any significant backlash, especially if it accompanied exposing the corrupt practices of those agencies and the very public prosecution of the offending officials. In fact, the only genuine "backlash" such a tack would inspire (IMHO) is one of mass good will. Once the relief is experienced and the good will generated, the more controversial steps can begin. It's important to note that once relief from tyranny has been experienced by the masses, they will not so readily accept its yoke again, and attempts to reimpose it could spark a real revolution, just as similar circumstances sparked our own American Revolution.
PS - Reagan survived the firing of the air traffic controllers, and I believe they are MUCH more popular than IRS thugs and BATF goons.
American taxpayers come before government employees.
I've been involved in a conservative campaign in Canada before. When the premier (like the governor) cut the size of government in his province by 2/3, there was HUGE public outcry about the 300,000 jobs lost. No one says "300,000 IRS agents" either - it's "public servants". Remember that for every IRS guy there are two pencil pushers or secretaries, many of them single parents, all of them good honest people working for their country. It's CHILD'S PLAY to find a solid human interest story here. And the media/the unions will.
That being said, yes the private sector does take over. Yes, people find other jobs, despite the complaining. The jobs will almost never be as cushy, as overpaid or as easy, but no one will die hungry on the streets. The public outrage doesn't last four years. In fact, in the case I worked with, come election time he held a solid majority for the second term, largely based on the huge economic boom he had generated for the province.
How about all of those jobs that "American's won't do"? How about all of those jobs where we "can't find an American to do it"?
Stop importing legal and illegal labor, and they would have jobs...
Not to appear insensitive to your friends, but many good people's live are destroyed by the actions of "well meaning" IRS agents, who are "just doing their jobs." I'm more sympathetic to the people whose lives are destroyed by the unjust actions of a rouge agency than to the plight of displaced bureaucrats. I have not doubt that many of the civil servants who facilitated the transportation of the disfavored German citizens to the camps, and who guarded them during their stay, were just doing their jobs. Their children and neighbors probably thought they were swell people, too.
They will enter the economy = STRONGER ECONOMY!
A better question to ask is "how much longer can we support non-productive government jobs?". It will all end sooner or later. A job that has no market reason to exist, cannot exist indefinitely. There is simply no money for it. Homeland security dept. was recently created and a new army of people was employed. What did they do before? They can do similar things after. It seems to me we are going down economically no matter what. Our last chance is to get real and regroup as quickly as we can. Government employees can see from inside what house of cards we are talking about here. They know it's unrealistic.
All of the new businesses being formed with the saved tax revenue will need accountants, a job for which IRS agents are perfectly suited. The BATF; well we can deport them
It will work itself out. I will be excited to see the free markets and all the creative potential they have. It will be amazing how quick things will get going and the energy that will drive us as we will be free at last free at last!!!
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