Republicans’ fret over spending is misplaced

The Republicans in Congress are hell bent on cutting spending.  And with federal expenditures approaching $3.6 trillion, they have good reason to be concerned.  However, by focusing solely on spending, they are eschewing the real problem: federal encroachment.

Currently, we have fifteen executive cabinets.  They are (in no particular order):

Dept. of State

Dept. of Treasury

Dept. of Defense

Dept. of Justice

Dept. of Interior

Dept. of Agriculture

Dept. of Commerce

Dept. of Labor

Dept. of Health and Human Services

Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

Dept. of Transportation

Dept. of Energy

Dept. of Education

Dept. of Veterans Affairs

Dept. of Homeland Security

Whew.  That’s a lot of departments.  Many have argued for the elimination, or at least the combining of several departments.  Do we really need a cabinet-level department of Interior, Commerce, and Energy?  I would argue that the cost/benefit of most departments don’t justify their existence.  Factor in the regulatory burden and any benefit derived from correcting market failures evaporates rather quickly.

The number, size, and scope of departments are only the beginning, though.  Nestled within each of these cabinet-level department lie several other, often obscure, federal agencies.  

For example, the Commerce Department has over 20 “key” agencies.  They are:

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

Bureau of Industry and Security

Bureau of the Census

Economic Development Administration

Economics & Statistics Administration

Export Enforcement

Import Administration

International Trade Administration (ITA)

Manufacturing and Services

Marine and Aviation Operations

Market Access and Compliance

Minority Business Development Agency

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)

National Marine Fisheries Service

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

National Ocean Service

National Technical Information Service

National Telecommunications & Information Administration

National Weather Service (NOAA)

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

Patent & Trademark Office

Trade Promotion and U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service

 *source: USA.gov

It would take several pages to list the entire federal bureaucracy, and I’m not sure the exact number is known to any one group or person.  

While the Republicans are right to go after spending, what’s really needed is the elimination of federal agencies that have outlived their original purpose.  Reducing federal spending protects the few (and decreasing) number of taxpayers, but reducing the size and scope of the leviathan state protects every American’s liberties.