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	Name:	MartiniMan -
	Subject:	Straw man argument
	Date:	3/23/2009 11:56:26 AM

Hound, why is it that you try to deflect from sensible proposals by arguing against something that no one believes? Every time someone suggests a reduction in the number of federal employees you spout off about eliminating all government employees which was never the suggestion. It is a dubious technique but one that cannot be tolerated. But let me address each of your areas of concern:

1) investigate crime (FBI) - actually the FBI in one agency I would strengthen but you have to understand that the vast majority of crime is investigated at the local level.
2) develop intelligence (CIA and NSA) - clearly a federal responsibility and should be strengthened, particularly in the area of HUMINT
3) payout SS - this program needs to be completely overhauled and was supposed to be temporary but like all entitlements it never works out that way. If a private company ran themselves like SSA they would be in prison.
4) support the troops - obviously the national defense is a federal matter
5) protect your technology - what agency does this?
6) ensure your children have some kind of educational standards - give me a break. If you look at the history of primary and secondary education in the U.S. it is inarguable that we have seen lower results with more federal intervention. The Dept of Education should be disbanded and control should be returned to the states and local government where they can be held accountable.
7) collect taxes - we obviously need a federal agency to collect federal taxes but if we had a more sane tax code it could be significantly smaller (and both parties share the blame for the tax code)
8) regulate trade - we should have free trade and if we are smart we would not regulate it in any form or fashion unless we were simply trying to woo union votes. Free markets= free men and women and economic prosperity. Worked every time its been tried and didn't work anytime and anywhere it was not tried.
9) keep foreign companies from buying out critical US companies - how many people does this take and why is it so important anyway?
10) protect national security issues - how do you protect an issue? Anyway, national security is clearly a federal role and should be strengthened.
11) staff our Embassys all over the world, take care of veterans and make sure they get their checks just to name a few. - all federal tasks that are important.

"Without Government employees, you have no government. Period. Just close down the govenment for 3 days and watch people scream when they don't get their services. " This is the biggest laugher of them all. As I recall during the shutdown of the government back in the 1990's we got along just fine without all the non-essential employees. The only whining was from duplicitous federal employees that knew they were getting a paid vacation. My wife was at EPA at the time and it was a big joke because they were told when they left that they would get paid in full and enjoy the time off. She shook her head in dismay at those sniveling liars bemoaning their economic ruin on the nightly news. Trust me, we would be happier and more prosperous as a nation with a smaller, less intrusive federal government and more control at the local level.