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Posted on 11/26/2002 2:21:19 PM PST by winner45
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Homeland Security is the Largest Federal Expansion in 50 Years
The administration and Congress put the finishing touches on the monstrous Homeland Security bill last week, creating the first new federal department since the Department of Defense at the end of World War II. Laughably, the new department has been characterized as merely a "reorganization" of existing agencies, even though I notice no department was abolished to make up for it! One thing we can be sure of in this world is that federal agencies grow. The Homeland Security department, like all federal agencies, will increase in size exponentially over the coming decades. Its budget, number of employees, and the scope of its mission will EXPAND. Congress has no idea what it will have created twenty or fifty years hence, when less popular presidents have the full power of a domestic spying agency at their disposal.
The frightening details of the Homeland Security bill, which authorizes an unprecedented level of warrantless spying on American citizens, are still emerging. Those who still care about the Bill of Rights, particularly the 4th amendment, have every reason to be alarmed. But the process by which Congress created the bill is every bit as reprehensible as its contents.
Ironically, many in Congress who usually champion limited government were enthusiastic supporters of the largest federal expansion in 50 years. Twenty years ago President Reagan revitalized conservatives across the country by appealing to their Goldwater roots, promising to slash the size of government and eliminate whole departments. Yet the promise of a smaller government went unfulfilled, and today Congress passes budgets even larger that those of the Clinton years.
Of course the Homeland Security bill did receive some opposition from the President’s critics. Yet did they attack the legislation because it threatens to debase the 4th amendment and create an Orwellian surveillance society? Did they attack it because it will chill political dissent or expand the drug war? No, they attacked it on the grounds that it failed to secure enough high-paying federal union jobs, thus angering one of Washington’s most powerful special interest groups. Ultimately, however, even the most prominent critics voted for the bill.
The lesson learned from the rush to create a Homeland Security department is that the size and scope of government grows regardless of which party is in power. The federal government now devours a whopping 40% of the nation’s GDP, the highest level since World War II- and a massive new department can only make things worse. The Homeland Security bill provides a vivid example of the uncontrolled spending culture in Washington, a culture that views the true source of political power- your tax dollars- as unlimited.
The State is Your Enemy
C'mon, Ron, that was the Patriot Act, not HSA. Another voice on the right succumbs to Safire-itis.
People are going to actually have to work for a living instead of showing up and doing nothing all day the way they do now. I have worked with Federal workers, and I have never seen such a lazy group of people WITH jobs, in my life.
I have read most of HSA, at least the intitial version of HR 5710, and am starting to re-read the entire bill as signed by the President. What parts of it do you find objectionable? That is a question, not a flame.
There was actually some good news in HSA - national ID cards were banned, TIPS was killed off, and the position of Privacy Officer was created. Why aren't the critics mentioning the positives?
I also intend to read the Patriot Act once I am done with HSA. After seeing all the B.S. that has been tossed about regarding the HSA, I simply do not trust much of the commentary I saw about the Patriot Act last year, and will therefore read up on it myself and decide what sections should be subject to revision or elimination.
I'm in the process of doing just that. I was up to about page 320 of the version that initially passed the House, and then realized I should wait for the final bill. I'm gonna start re-reading the entire mess tonight.
Sounds good. In about two weeks, I'm gonna start an interim thread, where I'll post my analysis and invite others to do the same, and then we can clean that up and post a final thread, the link for which can be e-mailed to people who want a deeper discussion of the HSA than what is happening in the media (or the think tanks, for that matter, Cato had this one wrong). I'll be sure to ping you into that thread when I start it as well.
Excellent! I'll be looking forward to the discussion.
The GOP is on its way to becomming more Democrat big government than the Democrats. "Patriot Act" LOL guess it's the sizzle that sells the steak. "Big Government Act" would not work as well but might be more accurate. Bend over sheeple, here it comes again. "A little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down - in a most delightful way". Enjoy.
Truth Bump!
Well, Homeland Security did manage to kill the dreaded INS which is probably the most noble act of legislation of our lifetime. I am eternally grateful.
Good TIPs scared me more than anything.
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