ASU isn’t the only institution intent on making cuts to its salary budget — the ax is working its way up all the way to Washington.
A New York-based national newspaper reported this week that in order to shore up the ever-growing financial deficit, the federal government is considering the elimination of one of its legislative chambers.
In a budget review this week, officials determined that shutting down the senator program would save more than $300 billion per year, funds that are currently being used to support only 100 government workers from all 50 states.
The national debt is currently at more than $12.5 trillion, a number that grows with each passing day. Getting rid of one of the most prominent areas of government is a radical move — but look at the financial mess we are currently in. Something needs to be done, and desperate times call for desperate measures.
And though this is likely to be unpopular, particularly among senators, there are a lot of benefits that would come along with eliminating this body. Not only would this move decrease the deficit, it would decrease partisan bickering in Congress and allow important bills to be heard and voted on more quickly.
According to the article, $450 billion was directed to the senator program last year — that’s nearly half a trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Reports have shown that the actual impact senators have on their constituents is negligible when compared to the amount of taxpayer money spent to continue the program, so why is it that the federal government continues to pour money into a process that at best slows down the legislative process, and at worst negatively impacts Americans?
“I’m sure when it was first introduced the U.S. Senate seemed like a worthwhile public service that would aid vast segments of the population and play an important role in the years to come,” said Sheila McKenzie, president of the watchdog group the American Center for Responsible Government, according to the article. “But in reality, this program has been a complete and utter failure.”
The House of Representatives is already a more statistically accurate representation of the U.S. population. There have been calls from grassroots organizations across the country and prominent people like Sarah Palin to end “politics as usual” in Washington. This cut would be the first step. Eliminating the Senate would reduce the size of government, get rid of entitled incumbents and put more power in the hands of the people. Isn’t that what America is all about?
In fact, we would even suggest that Arizona adopt a similar policy. Which would be better for the state: cutting education, or cutting the people who want to cut education? If Arizonans didn’t have to support career politicians with Arizona tax dollars, the money could be better funneled toward programs that support citizens instead.
This move is something that members of both parties could get behind: for conservatives it limits the government, and for liberals it frees up more money to go toward taxpayer-funded social services. All in all, it’s a win-win.
We would like to end this editorial with a laugh and an “April Fools!” but The Onion just may have gotten it right with this “story.” And when joke articles start making sense, it might be time to start worrying.
