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Background on Government Reform
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‘Reinvention’ has been the official policy of the federal government since 1993. The basic concepts are:
Government should steer rather than row (provide a framework for non-government action rather than operate institutions).
Government should focus on outcomes (desired results) and needs of customers (service recipients), rather than inputs (dollars and jobs) and needs of bureaucracies (rules).
Government should decentralize and address problems from the lowest level of government possible;
Public agencies should compete with private agencies, and should adopt a market orientation;
Government which work betters also costs less.
In March 1998, the Supreme Court let stand term limits for state lawmakers, but previously ruled that establishing such restrictions nationally would require amending the Constitution. Efforts to limit federal Congressional terms died out in early 1997.
18 states have laws limiting politicians' terms, and in 1998, more than 200 state legislators were forced to retire.
The latest push is for term limits for judges. The purpose would be to limit ‘Judicial activism,’ which means establishing new laws from the bench rather than from Congress.
Balanced Budget Amendment
In 1998, the Senate defeated by one vote a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the Constitution. It would have mandated an end to deficit spending unless 60% of Congress voted to override.
State budget balancing requirements typically only apply to the operating budget (ongoing expenses), but not to capital expenditures (one-time investments). The proposed BBA restricts both.
The ‘Line Item Veto’ would be another Constitutional Amendment intended to reduce budget growth, by allowing the President to selectively veto particular spending items.
‘Corporate welfare’ restrictions are often addressed in the context of a BBA or Line Item Veto. However, most federal corporate subsidies are embedded in the tax code rather than in the spending side of the budget.
‘Soft money’ means donations to the national party rather than to a particular candidate ($193 million in the 1998 election; $55 million so far in 1999).
‘Hard money’ is subject to less reform proposals -- it means cash donations to a particular candidate, which must be fully reported to the FEC.
‘PAC money’ means donations to political action committees, which is used for issue ads which typically favor one candidate, but do not count in federal spending limits.
Individuals may donate a maximum of $1000 to one candidate, but may donate any amount of soft money.
Candidates who volutarily limit their campaign spending qualify for federal matching funds of about $100 million.
‘Unfunded Mandates’ mean that the federal government requires states to undertake activities without providing funding for them.
‘Block Grants’ mean that the federal government gives states funds to spend as each state sees fit.
‘Devolution’ means the federal government should close departments and agencies, transfer functions to the states, or otherwise yield control over policy which is now federally controlled.
The philosophy behind devolving power to the states is based in the 10th Amendment. It is currently appiled primarily to welfare reform.
The GOP proposed a plan in May 2000, that small states would have primaries first, progressing to larger states over a four-month primary season.
An older proposal is a system of regional primaries with a rotating right to go first.
Amendment X to the US Constitution
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. (1791)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE:
Campaign Finance info
Granny D, for Reform.
Against Soft Money
TERM LIMITS:
Term Limit info
BALANCED BUDGET:
BBA info
Amendment text
Against the BBA
REINVENTION:
original 1992 book
Original 1993 Report
Current ReGo Report
Implementation
Critique: Con
Critique: Pro
(click a book cover for a review or
click for other books on
Reinvention,
Campaign Finance,
or Budget
from Amazon.com)