Many Americans rightfully wonder, "Why does the federal bureaucracy never stop expanding and why do they continue to waste taxpayer money?"
With the country $27 trillion in debt, it seems like our federal agencies could tighten their belts for the good of the country: cut employees, eliminate useless or duplicative programs, and stop overpaying for goods and services.
Unfortunately, under the current system, that will never happen. That's because, as Thomas W. Smith explains for the Daily Signal, bureaucracies have no incentives or oversights to push them to act responsibly:
Whenever human beings gather to accomplish a task, any task, without strong and effective oversight, a natural evolution takes place. Whether it be in business, academia, philanthropy, or government, every activity morphs from the original goal to self-aggrandizement.
In government, this process is particularly toxic. There are no profits, let alone a profit motive. No concern with productivity. No incentive to turn off the proverbial lights. No measure of success. No motivation to end counterproductive activities.
Add to this mix the influence of public employee unions. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman were opposed to them for reasons that long ago became apparent. The goal of all unions is self-preservation—just as management’s is to maximize profits.
But public employee unions add two other noxious elements to the mix: (1) defending job incompetence and (2) heavy-handed involvement in the electoral process in a search for pliant politicians who can help them achieve their objectives by spending ever more of the public’s money.
Unlike a business, federal bureaucracies don't spend their own money, so they don't care about wasting it. They also aren't beholden to the people they supposedly "serve" (i.e., the taxpayers). They're beholden to politicians, who they work with to grow their influence and line their pocketbooks.
These kinds of systems require serious, significant, effective oversight. Congress has shown no willingness to provide that oversight, which is why the people and the states must step in and take charge.
An Article V Convention of States is called and controlled by the states and has the power to propose constitutional amendments. These amendments can force Congress to provide real oversight by mandating a balanced budget without raising taxes.
Amendments can also shrink the size and power of the federal bureaucracy by shrinking federal jurisdiction. By writing amendments that get the feds out of healthcare, education, and the environment (among other things), a Convention of States can effectively eliminate large swaths of the Deep State that do little but serve their own interests at the expense of the American taxpayer.
The Founders never could have imagined the size and scope of The Swamp in D.C. But they knew that their constitutional system would need some tweaking to keep it aligned with our nation's founding principles. They empowered the states and the people with an Article V Convention of States, and it's time we used it.
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