A few places the Feds can cut

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

In the so called "fiscal cliff" negotiations going on in Washington (and, Boehner caved, like I said he would), it appears the Left is having a difficult time trying to decide where to cut any expenses of the federal government.

Well, I have a couple of ideas, starting with President Obama's famous wealthy top 2 percent of Americans - the ones he wants to tax more, the ones who own the beachfront condos.

Let's eliminate the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

According to Climate Science Watch (www.climatesciencewatch.org), a climate change advocate, in referring to the National Flood Insurance Program, "…Storms are costing more, partly because they are stronger, and mostly because people are building in flood-prone areas and the economic value of at-risk properties has increased. What is clearer than ever is that this debt will never be paid back with the current premium levels alone. The NIFP is a fiscal time bomb in the making..."

So, I will agree with you climate-change folks, for once. We must do something about climate change (as well as 2%-ers). Stop subsidizing and encouraging the building of homes and businesses in flood-prone areas.

According to the New York Times, Nov. 12, 2012, another left-wing publication: "...Early estimates suggest that Hurricane Sandy will rank as the nation’s second-worst storm for claims paid out by the National Flood Insurance Program. With 115,000 new claims submitted and thousands more being filed each day, the cost could reach $7 billion at a time when the program is allowed, by law, to add only an additional $3 billion to its onerous debt..."

Why is the federal government in the flood insurance business instead of private companies?

Because you can't make any money at it. It is a loser out of the gate.

Why do people and companies build in flood-prone areas, either at the beach or on a lake or river?

Because the federal government will bail them out. Stop it. Stop it, now.

Finally, let's kill Amtrak.

Again, why is private enterprise not in the passenger rail business? Because it cannot make money, competing with private autos on interstates and cheap airplane seats.

Again, according to the New York Times, Aug. 2, 2012, "...Amtrak lost more than $800 million on its food and beverage services over the last 10 years...The railroad's food and beverage service has never broken even since it was required by Congress to do so in 1981..."

Have you ever ridden Amtrak and seen their food? I have. For the life of me, I can't figure out how they could lose that kind of money just on food – the stuff looks like it was salvaged from garbage cans.

According to the latest data on The Pew Charitable Trusts' Subsidy Scope (www.subsidyscope.org), Amtrak lost an average of $32 per passenger in 2008, for a total loss topping $1.1 billion.

The biggest losers were the Sunset Limited, which runs from New Orleans to Los Angeles and the California Zephyr, which runs from Chicago to San Francisco.

Take a clue from the airlines, and stop serving food. That will save $80 million per year. Better yet, just go out of business.

There are many other programs I am ready to cut, heck, let's kill NASA if they aren't going anywhere. Whirring around and around in a tin can is no fun. NASA: Either go somewhere or we will cut you off!

Seriously, behind every wasteful program there is a Congress member and likely 20 lobbyists making sure the waste continues. It is time to clean house in Washington, reform systems and get our government on a sound financial basis.

This is our children's inheritance, and it is not a pretty sight.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga., following decades of wandering the world, and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.