I'm Mad As Hell And ______ (Fill The Blank)

I'm mad as hell and can't stand it any longer. I've heard conservative and moderate Democrats, Republicans and Independents complain too much taxes, too many regulations and a trend of socialism taking over our lives. President Barack Obama said he's been accused of being a Bolshevik.

I'm mad as hell because these complainers have failed to offer workable alternatives.

I'm mad as hell at farmers who claim they are being taxed out of their farms. No problem. Let's eliminate all the farm subsidies they receive for starters.

I'm mad as hell at the white seniors, mostly, who protest new health reform legislation as socialistic when a public option is proposed. Okay. We'll eliminate Medicare and Medicaid. Yet, what we heard was "But don't you dare take away our Medicare," some screamed at the town hall forums last August. Oops.

I'm mad as hell at those who still argue Social Security should be privatized. Right. You just lost half your benefits this year as did your 401ks because the stock market collapsed.

I'm mad as hell at the NIMBYs. These are mostly tree-hugging liberals who vote green but protest any oil rigs, mining excavations or wind turbines in their back yards.

I'm mad as hell at those who vote against local library bonds but remain avid users of the public library.

I'm mad as hell at those who vote against a 1-cent sales tax to improve their police and fire departments. Yet, they still call 911 when Jack The Ripper bursts into their homes or their house catches on fire.

I'm mad as hell at all politicians who promise to cut budgets without a clue where the money comes and goes.

The people I am mad as hell about are those who subscribe to the Ronald Reagan axiom that government is not the solution; it's the problem. Reagan wanted to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. Never happened. I do agree with the Reagan principle when government performs the work of a nanny. I prefer to see government as the arbiter setting down the rules and preventing anarchy in our market places, that dreaded vox populi factor.

But just for fun, let's look what would happen if Reagan and today's libertarians were in charge. Here's some budget cuts that really would reduce the deficit and pay down the national debt.

• Cut the Defense Budget for all humanitarian relief efforts. Those who worship at the feet of conservative/comedian talk radio host Rush Limbaugh would please him mightily that our military kill the enemy rather than perform "meals on wheels" duty.
• Eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
• Strip the U.S. Department of Agriculture of all duties except drug testing and meat and fruit inspections. Force farmers to pay private consulting rates when using university's Ag Extention experts.
• Cut the IRS by 80% and replace the tax code with a flat tax.
• If that fails, eliminate the capital gains and estate (death) tax.
• Place NASA on hold until the budget is balanced.
• Eliminate all farm subsidies.
• Require the health insurance companies to pay back from profits 50% of annual subsidies they receive from the feds to pay for drugs and medical costs for the indigent and Medicare senior advantage plans.
• Establish a bipartisan commission to review all government programs in which their recommendations for cuts carry the weight of law Congress must enact in part if not in whole. Such a commission already exists for military base closures.
• Any new program enacted by Congress must have a sunset clause renewable every five years.

So you conservatives and moderates who are serious about cutting spending, don't bring a scalpel. Bring a chainsaw. That is the challenge I submit for you and the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party should any of you are swept into Congress in this year's midterm elections. Hint: Your dreams are only that, I'm afraid you'll learn. And if you succeed, you might consider hiring personal body guards to protect you from your constituents whose ax you've gored.

Until that time, shut up. Your speech is shallow.

And, I'm no longer mad as hell.