Smaller Government

In this years State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama stated the following:

In the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate, and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America.

Republicans have often called for a smaller government, so I’m curious to see on what common grounds they and the Democrats will meet on when the President presents his proposal. I can see the Republicans pushing for changes on the domestic front while Democrats aiming for changes in the military. Even I have been on record for reducing the size of the government. When discussing the Federal deficit last month, I proposed eliminating the majority of the Department of Education and move the functions of student grants and school subsidies into a new agency under the Department of the Treasury. While the amount of money spent on students and schools won’t change, the Federal Government would save millions from reduced employee and overhead expenses every year.

However, until I see moving pods delivered in front of any Federal building with workers bringing out packed boxes and furniture, any proposal to shrink the physical size of government is simply just talk.