Here's something interesting. In 2006, the Federal government spent 58% of its money on social programs.

"In 2006, the federal government spent 58% of its finances on housing and community services, welfare and social services, recreation and culture, health, education, retirement benefits, disability benefits and unemployment benefits. Yet, the father of the Constitution and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence considered such expenditures to be outside the bounds of federal power."

http://justfacts.com/socialspending.basics.asp

So, as Dr. Phil might say, how's that working out for us?

Out of love and compassion, imagine how much better that one quarter of that money would have done for people if it were not filtered through a centralized, bureaucratic system? I think about Crazy Eddie, one of my best friends, dying in a V.A. hospital that we had to fight to get him in, and four years later still not getting the benefits he was due. He'd have gotten more action from a local V.F.W if one quarter of 1,500 BILLION dollars spent on social programs in 2006 was in local, compassionate, personal hands rather than filtering through the Washington money machine ("Heck of a job, Brownie.")

I'm not talking about farming the job out to private "for profit" businesses. I'd like to see it start with local oversight grant commissions, mandated to be operated in open scrutiny, to hand gov grants to non-profits as a way to "prime" them for the job. Grants with iron-clad timetables...a finite amount with a definite end...all doled out per capita.

Then, maybe use the public airwaves, we own them, the radio stations and tv stations don't own them, they lease them from us. Give some mandated free radio, tv ad time to the very biggest corporate donors. We own the air, how about 10% of the commercial time? One tenth of the Superbowl ads going free to the big underwriters of the local social private non-profits. Money these corporations and/or individuals have already written off their taxes! What does it cost us? It costs us the airwaves that we already own free and clear. What do the tv and radio stations get for the airtime? Tax breaks, that we pay for by not having to spend 1,500 BILLION dollars in a year for social programs.

And if elected, I promise every songwriter to get a guaranteed release with a major artist. You get to keep your publishing. What do I get out of this? King of the World for life. That and a nice Martin guitar.

You've got to know your limitations. I don't know what your limitations are. I found out what mine were when I was twelve. I found out that there weren't too many limitations, if I did it my way. -Johnny Cash

It's only music.
-niteshift

Mike Dunbar Music