First of all, let me say that I really do try to leave politics and religion out of my writeups on this site nowadays. I might discuss these matters in the catbox, but it seems unseemly to expect the database to hold for perpetuity some transient rant. And when people whom I respect here do that, it hurts my soul to read them when the views expressed are so diametrically opposed to my own. So I can only expect that reading this will hurt them just as much, and for that I apologize in advance.
That being said, I would like to put forward a brief argument for the proposition that the government might be bloated and in need of some serious fiscal trimming. This argument will be centered around an advertisement I hear on the radio at night. It's a stupid advertisement that portrays two young black girls holding a jump rope for their dad who, as with all dads in sitcoms, advertisements, and any media you might consume these days, is a blithering idiot. The conclusion of the ad is that you don't have to be perfect in order to be a perfect father, and the endgame of the ad is that if you feel as if you are not being a perfect father you should log on to a website called fatherhood.gov and get some training provided by your federal government; meaning, provided by me and all the other folks in America who were forced to pay for this program whether they wanted to or not.
I had a father who was far from perfect; he was abusive, alcoholic and then absent from the time I hit puberty. In fact, I think it could be argued that when I became a father I had no idea what it meant to be a good father. Nevertheless, basic instincts seem to have taken hold at that point and I did not need a government website to tell me how to love my child, provide for my child, rear my child, be kind and generous to the child's mother or any of the other things that human fathers have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years without government assistance.
And I think this is the basic conservative political message that often goes without saying. Perhaps that's the problem with getting conservatives elected. They assume that these things that go without saying would be understood by the majority of Americans. Apparently, from the results of this last election, they have vastly overestimated the intelligence of the average American. In fact, the results of this last election has led me to just throw my hands up and say, "Fuck it. You win. Let's see if you're happy with how this turns out in a dozen years."
We have apparently just avoided going over some mythical fiscal cliff by virtue of the Republicans caving in to the President's demands that the rich need to pay more taxes and that there is not one dollar that can be cut from the federal government without serious harm befalling some precious wayward minority group who don't have the wherewithal to take care of themselves. This is insulting on so many levels that I don't know where to begin. But ever since FDR's New Deal, it has been pretty much assumed by liberals that there are certain groups of people who just cannot take care of themselves and it is our duty, by God, to do it for them. "We're the government, and we're just here to help."
So back to fatherhood.gov. This entire initiative has this website, it has a toll-free number, it has publications that will be mailed out cost free (tee hee) to any fathers who feel like they're just not getting it done. Maybe this fellow should contact fatherhood.gov for advice. That way, I would be paying some Rolls-Royce-driving rapper with my tax dollars to learn how to be a better baby daddy. The website obviously costs a lot of money to maintain. The toll-free numbers have to be maintained by folks answering the phone. The printing of the publications has to be paid for and the mailing costs of the publications have to be paid for. How much is all this costing me? I don't know. But if it's a dollar, it's a dollar no one asked me if I was willing to part with. If you click on the website under the "for programs" and then click on "funding," you will see all the government agencies that are involved with this project. There are 11 departments listed there. It is my opinion that 10 of these departments could be eliminated immediately, not only not causing any harm, but actually making life in America better. I would keep the Department of Veterans Affairs but that is the only one. However, it is the position of liberals that not only do we need some of these departments; we need all of them. It boggles my mind that otherwise intelligent people can come to a conclusion such as this when they live in a nation $16 Trillion in debt and more Trillions TBA.