When I ran for Vice President as a Libertarian in 2012, the issue that unfailingly gained the most traction among all of the people I spoke with was “Sunset Laws.” So I almost always began my presentations with that issue. Sunset laws would require that statutes, programs and even agencies be required to win a positive vote in Congress every five to seven years in order to continue to exist. That would result in each of these parts of government making a presentation about what it had accomplished in that past period, how much it had cost and what we could project it would cost and accomplish in the future to justify its existence.
This straightforward approach would allow Congress, and all of the rest of us, to see how much “bang for the buck” we were receiving, as well as to focus upon the many areas in government which are duplicated or even unnecessary. Thus maybe the agency would continue to be funded, but some of its efforts and funding would be reduced because they weren’t productive. And – what an amazing thought – some statutes, programs or even agencies could be discontinued! Are you aware that the federal government still employs and funds many of the New Deal’s programs – often under a different title? We can debate whether these approaches were appropriate back in the 1930s, but don’t you agree they should be re-evaluated and re-analyzed now after more than 80 years? Milton Friedman once said that “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” Sunset laws would change that reality.
Quote for the week: “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right. But a single experiment can prove me wrong.” Albert Einstein
Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)
2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with
Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President
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