By DJH
The US Government has grown too big and wastes too much on spending. Due to this we must take action to limit its size and remove unneeded spending. One place to start is the United States cabinet. My plan is to reduce the number of cabinet-level departments from 15 to five and add one new one. While this may seem a bit radical, allow me to explain:
There are four cabinet departments that’re necessary. These are what I call “The Big Four.” These departments contain extremely crucial parts of our government’s operations. The big four are Defense (military), Justice (rule of law), State (international), and the Treasury (financial). The other department (Health and Human Services) would basically be remodeled to fit a larger spectrum from scientific research to federal aid. The new department (Internal Affairs) would basically be the executive branch’s go-to for interstate affairs. Of course there are two that would be moved but that’s more for making communication amongst the departments easier. And the remaining cabinet departments are all either pointless, massive wastes of money, or both. Or they’re so corrupt that they’ll need a massive overhaul regardless- so it’s better to just start over.
Big Four
These are four departments who’re vital to the US government. Each will likely be redone, but the basic goal of each will remain.
Department of Defense
The Department of Defense is in charge of all military under the US flag. The department would also be the source for national security and intelligence. The Department of Homeland Security will be downsized and merged with the Department of Defense, and all intelligence agencies (including the CIA) will be under the department. This is to make the sharing of information much easier between departments.
Department of Justice
The Department of Justice is the enforcer of laws in America. As such, it is essential that it be preserved. However the department has lost track of what the original intent was. It has become partisan and lost the “protect the law” part that was integral to it. The department needs a massive cleaning out of partisan hacks on all sides.
Department of State
The Department of State is in charge of international affairs for the US. Due to this, it must be preserved. It will be the main base for all diplomats.
Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is in charge of America’s fiscal policy. It will be in charge of taxation, government spending, and fiscal research.
Other Department
Department of Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services would be renamed to simply the Department of Human Services. It’s main objectives would be providing federal aid, scientific research, business laws and regulations, and health.
New Department
Department of Internal Affairs
This new department would be the main decider on matters involving the federal government and the states or interstate matters. Stuff such as federal land and transportation will be handled by this department. Each state also has the ability to meet with this department for requests. All Governors are members of this department.
Moved Departments
Department of Homeland Security
Moved to the Department of Defense to make it easier for information to travel amongst agencies. In this time and age, we must make sure that every bit of intel gets to all agencies that need to know it, and moving this department into the Department of Defense will help.
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation will be downgraded and moved into the Department of Internal Affairs due to the fact that it falls into the “Interstate Affairs” category.
Abolish
Department of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture would pretty much be pointless in this plan. A large amount of the department’s funding is for food stamps and rural development. Welfare would see massive cuts- and food stamps would be one of the things that’re impacted. It would be easier to have it all in one place in the Department of Human Services, and with the rural development plan abandoned by the federal government, there wouldn’t be much of a reason for the department to remain. Any needed agencies would be transferred to Human Services or Internal Affairs.
Department of Commerce
The Department of Commerce is the “Hall Closet” of the federal cabinet. Agencies that people don’t know what to do with are thrown in here. Along with that, the department has a history of horrid spending (IE building a limestone replica of the Great Wall of China in a town in Indiana) and favoring certain companies over others. Needed agencies (such as the Census Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency) would be moved to their proper places.
Department of Education
This is the second worst department of them all- only coming in second behind the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Since the creation of this department in 1979, education has not advanced in many ways in America. We are failing as an educated company and many leave school with no real skills (IE they may remember how to measure the circumference of the sun, but they don’t know how to change a tire). Add on the fact that common core is horrible and education is an issue that should be left to states to decide on, this department is wildly unneeded. And it has been a massive failure.
Department of Energy
The Department of Energy is in charge of the nuclear arsenal, waste cleaning, and energy production. Simply put this department doesn’t really live up to the goal it was given. The department should be advancing energy production through any way possible- but it has shown ineffective at that (Solyndra). It heavily favors “Clean energy” production so it doesn’t really stay out of the way of the free market- what should be the guiding principle for our government.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has been horribly ineffective. Poverty levels are still roughly the same as they were in 1965, when the department began. It has been an abysmal failure. Some things (such as a heavily reformed version of Section 8 and veteran assistance programs) should be kept but in different departments.
Department of the Interior
This is the one department I’m shocked Conservatives don’t go after more. The department has been described as an ethical failure where anything short of a crime goes in the highest levels. And the person who said that was former Interior Inspector General Earl Devaney… The Department of the Interior holds control of federal land. Well, if the Department of Internal Affairs has control of National Park Service and stuff like the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and most of the federal land is sold back to the states where it belongs- what purpose does the department have?
Department of Labor
The Department of Labor has been a pretty big hindrance on business and is largely focused on unemployment and retirement benefits. With human services covering all forms of welfare (including Social Security) the benefits part wouldn’t be needed here. As for the business hindrances, there are some good regulations that should be kept. But most of them do nothing but halt the American business owner’s advancing, allowing them to hire people and lower the unemployment rate. All of these regulations could be upheld by the Department of Justice.
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
This department is the worst of them all. A man risks his life, goes to a far off country to fight for his nation and the values it holds, to stop an evil dictator. And his reward is maybe he doesn’t die waiting for a major operation. This department is sickening. It doesn’t help veterans- when veterans die because this department was playing around, it has a problem. Veterans’ affairs needs a massive restart in the Department of Defense- where actual veterans are in charge, actual people who know and deal with the struggles veterans have. Not bureaucrats who’ve never even held a gun.
Statement
What I have proposed is nothing short of a massive overhaul, but I believe we must do it. The government must shrink and we need to stop spending so much money. Eliminating unneeded departments is one way to go about it. I would put in office people who hold the same values as I, and we would work together to eliminate these offices and to make sure what is necessary from them is kept.
