H O W A R D S B E N D

Do you want to support farm subsidies? – $24 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support corn to ethanol subsidies? – $6 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support oil company exploration subsidies? – $40 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support the production of the new F35 fighter plane? – $30 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support the Program for Arts and Humanities? – $1 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support cancer research through the Department of Health? – $2 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to maintain the corporate jet tax deduction? – $2 billion       Y___       N___

Do you want to support our space program through NASA? – $3 billion     Y___    N___

Do you want to continue our foreign aid and assistance program? – $10 billion     Y___    N___

Our representative form of democracy is failing in many ways, but most dramatically in establishing the federal budget.  Over the past number of years, Congressional members are serving more and more their corporate sponsors which results in either specific spending programs for these sponsors or very favorable tax breaks for these same companies.  Both result in a drain on our federal coffers. Today, all Congressional spending decisions are held hostage by a group of approximately 60 House Tea Party members, representing 15-18% of our population, who want to indiscriminately cut hundreds of billions, mostly in social programs and our traditional social support networks, form the federal budget.

There has to be a better way that will get people more directly involved in federal decision and not rely on their elected representatives that are at the “mercy” of their corporate sponsors.  I am proposing that each year we include with your tax form a menu 8 to 10 discretionary spending items.  We ask the people to chose if they would like to support the various programs.  For instance, we ask the public if they want to support farm subsidies for $20 billion per year.  If you select “No”, your tax payment for the year will be reduced by a pre-determined amount, say $1,000.  If you chose “No” for the ethanol subsidy, your tax payment is reduced say another $250.  The federal budget for this payment or tax subsidy is then adjusted for the percentage of people voting for the specific item.  If only 25% of the people support the farm subsidy, then the federal spending in this area has to be reduced from $24 billion to $6 billion.  If only half the people support the ethanol subsidy, then the federal budget is cut in half.

Congress would have to establish guidelines for this program.  For instance, our new “Super Congress” could pick the 10 items which will appear on the tax form.  Of course, these items will have to be chosen from the “discretionary” items of the federal budget.  Once an item appears on the tax form, it cannot appear again for 5 years so that if farms subsidies is reduced to $6 billion then that item cannot appear on the tax form  for the next 5 years.

This program does not really address the revenue side of the federal budget.  However, this program can be the first step in making our democracy more  “democratic” and less dependent on representative who are not really representing their constituents.   This program does not help reduce the federal deficit as all spending cuts are linked dollar-for-dollar  with tax-cuts.  This program begins the process in which the population of America begins to feel more tied in to the budget process and therefore in the long-run will work to get involved in reducing the federal deficit.