Things governments do to tick me off

Governments everywhere seem to be getting out of hand, seemingly losing all common sense in the process. That six page document excluding amendments, the U.S. Constitution, seems to be rendered superfluous as a result.

It was found after the Boston Marathon bombing that President Obama had reduced Homeland Security’s Domestic Bomb Detection Unit budget from $20 million to $11 million. This occurred long before the reductions in spending increases brought about by sequestration. Did you see that in the mainsteam media?

I get tired of purely political ploys. The latest is the FAA, who deliberately furloughed air traffic controllers to play to the hilt supposed effects of sequestration. Never mind that FAA has known for more than nine months that they would be affected. Apparently, failure to plan ahead will result in getting your way, since Congress is now “fixing” the problem.

While we are on the topic of Congress, here is another item that really burns me. Remember when Nancy Pelosi rather smugly said of Obamacare “We need to pass the bill so we can find out what’s in it?”

Well, it turns out that Congress doesn’t care for what is in it. They are trying to exempt themselves and their staffers from the bill’s provisions. How is that for hypocrisy? It is good enough for the general populace, but not for them. At least Speaker John Boehner has taken a stand against this one.

Here is another congressional brain freeze. As you know, the post office is hemorrhaging money. In an effort to change that, they proposed to eliminate Saturday mail delivery. Congress, with all their business acumen, decided to negate that. Will Congress ever try to save any money?

It has just been revealed by Judicial Watch that the USDA does not check immigration status to get food stamps. How many other agencies don’t either? Why is USDA even involved with government aid?

Speaking of illegals, how is it that USDA can track the origin of one cow carrying Mad Cow Disease within a week (remember that a few years ago) but no one can tell us how many illegal aliens are in this country? Could there be a lack of motivation there? Also, USDA recently announced a more stringent tracking method for livestock used for food.

Why, doesn’t the present system work? If you are a conspiracy theorist, this is viewed as the next step in taking control of the food supply. I don’t know, so make your own decision.

You don’t need to travel to Washington, D.C. to see this idiocy. Carson City is only a short distance away. First is a tax on mines proposed by Republicans as an effort to stop a business services tax proposed by Democrats. I disagree with this strategy. First, a business services tax would have an unpopular broad-based impact on citizens. Why not blame Democrats for it?

Second, it is for education. It seems to me that education needs a total overhaul before they get more money. I wrote earlier this year on that subject. Education seems to have survived austerity of the last two years, why can’t it continue? F

inally, legislators are missing the main issue. The state has actually functioned quite well with the reduced spending of the last four years, why change it? It is a sad testament that many college graduates now want to work for governments rather than the private sector. Government now has it all- pay higher than private counterparts, great benefits, and absolute job security. Do you blame them? The only way to reverse that trend is with less money.

Here is some real hypocrisy for you. AB143, the bill that would allow concealed carry by properly permitted people on college campuses, was not even allowed a vote in the Assembly Judiciary Committee by Chairman Jason Frierson (D, Las Vegas). He held it from committee vote, assuring it would never reach the Assembly floor, by saying “It’s the purview of the chair.”

Regardless of your position or the outcome of a vote of the full Assembly, it is a perversion of the process to leave that consideration to the decision of only one lawmaker. What purpose is there in the current system of voting for representatives?

These are just a few things that tick me off. Space doesn’t allow them all. Did one touch a nerve with you? I hope so. If so, take the time to let your elected officials know. Your voice does count.

Tom Riggins’ column appears every other Friday.