As the head of HHS, Secretary Thompson waxed eloquently about how pleased he is to control the biggest single budget in the United States government – way bigger than even the Department of Defense (which happens to perform a function the Constitution actually requires of the federal government.)
Secretary Thompson's budget is huge. HHS spent $500 billion last year – $120 billion more than defense – on programs we somehow did without for 150 years. His budget, he bragged, is bigger than the budgets of all but five countries.
He then proudly boasted about how much of our lives he controls. "I regulate the food you eat. I regulate the medicines you take," he gleefully exclaimed. I stared down at my Caesar salad and images of Tommy Thompson's hands on my Romaine lettuce filled the plate. Suddenly my appetite vanished.
Thompson went on to tell a stunned audience that he had recently met with the head of McDonald's to try and convince them to make healthier food. That's enough to make me want to go on a French-fry eating frenzy – salt, ketchup and mayo included (I love to dip my fries in mayo.)
Then Thompson told us he'd put his entire department on a diet. He even bought them pedometers – at $15-$20 each. My boss, Edwin J. Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, told me he'd bought one too – for $9. While Dr. Feulner bought his $9 pedometer with his own money, Thompson used your money to pay $15 to $20 each for the same item.
No wonder you (if you're an average working American) have to work every weekday from Jan. 1 until April 19 just to pay the various taxes and fees the government demands. Think about that the next time you awake at 6:00 a.m., while it's still dark; load your kids on the school bus; fight traffic; and work until 6:00 p.m. For the first three-and-a-half months of the year, you're doing it only to hand your entire paycheck over every single week to Uncle Sam and his siblings.
My mom taught me to be an optimist. And I truly believe that I am. But I’m also an American who is sick and tired of all the government waste and abuse. I plan to take the righteous indignation I feel and use it to work that much harder in my efforts to help fight government intrusion and over-taxation. I hope you’ll recommit to the battle, too.