The Federal Government’s Primary Purpose

By Chuck McGlawn
With wars raging in the Middle East and threatening to set the world aflame. With citizen security at an all-time low, it might be time to reflect on the primary function of the federal government.

Paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence, (which was the Mission Statement for the soon to be created National Government) Mankind has the right to LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS. To secure (that meant to protect) those rights governments are created. And that National Government gets it powers from the governed.

Our Government failed us big time, the attack on the World Trade Center was clear proof of that. And the failure continues. Americans feel more threatened (real or not) than any time in our history.

While our military is off to far-away places with strange sounding names, involved in regime change, spreading democracy, taking on the job of policemen of the world or school-yard bully, I really cannot tell which. The job they are supposed to be doing is unfilled.

In the last fifty years the US Government has spent countless trillions developing an offensive military force (Much of which became obsolete and trashed before we had a chance to use it.). When any sixth grader, with a proper education could tell you that our government is empowered to develop only a DEFENSIVE MILITARY FORCE. Bring our troops home, not only from Iraq and Afghanistan, but from the over 100 nations we now occupy. (where they are spending American taxpayer money in a foreign land) Muster-out all the troops except enough for an invincible defensive force.

Half of the money spent on housing for our troops abroad should be returned to the taxpayer. I suspect it would be in excess of 75 Billion dollars. This would trigger a spending frenzy that would launch an economic upturn unprecedented in America's history. The increased tax revenues to government from this windfall should also be returned to the taxpayers. This would further fuel the skyrocketing expansion of our economy. Unemployment would become a thing of the past, and we would then be advertising in Mexico and other Central American Nations for willing laborers to come to the US to fill those vacant jobs.

Oh, and the other half of the money being spent to house US troops abroad could be put out to private bid on a DEFENSIVE weapons systems, a weapon systems so diverse, so cutting edge and so state of the art that another 9/11 style attack would be hugely reduced. Add to that a national policy that no longer stuck its nose into every nations business, and citizen security would be at an all time high.