Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rosemarie Jackowski, an advocacy journalist and peace activist who is the author of “Banned in Vermont.” She lives in Bennington.
[N]ew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is receiving a lot of criticism right now because he went to the beach. (A good choice, by the way. I have been there. Island Beach State Park is one of the most beautiful state parks in the country.) There are many reasons to dislike Gov. Christie, but he finally did one thing right. He shut down non-essential services. That is exactly what should happen nationwide. We need to prioritize.
All over the U.S., taxpayer money is being directed to special interest groups such as the ski and tourism industries in Vermont. Meanwhile, people are homeless and hungry. One of the leading causes of malnutrition of the elderly is the lack of ability to chew because of a lack of access to dental care. Health care, including dental care, should be at the top of the list of important services. Let the skiers and vacationers take care of themselves. Prioritize.
In Bennington, we need to stop hiring “experts,” commissions and committees. There are too many meetings about having meetings to schedule the next meeting to find the new “expert” who will make our economy bloom again. The 1950s are gone. Happy Days are not coming back. We need a new approach. Is there a facility in Bennington that uses a 3D printing process to fabricate dental crowns, bridges and dentures – an environmentally friendly business that is manufacturing an important product? No. Why not?
We should cut the budget of any agency that does not fulfill its mission.
We must shrink the bureaucracy statewide. Cut it by 90 percent. Do we really need so many paper pushers and bean counters? Why does the state need so many layers of bureaucrats? Do we really need a State Board of Education? Why? Maybe it is better to rely on local elected boards instead of a politically appointed board. Maybe we should get rid of all politically appointed boards – a small step toward democracy.
On a national level, we should cut the budget of any agency that does not fulfill its mission. Why did it take a private citizen in Hoosick Falls, New York, to discover the PFOA water contamination in Vermont and New York? Why did government agencies refuse to test the water? Cut the EPA budget. Give the money to the private citizen who did the job that the EPA refused to do.
The most unnecessary, redundant and useless waste of money goes to the military. Even the Air Force did not want the F-35. Its only advantage was political. It got a lot of money to Lockheed Martin and a lot of votes for Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Gov. Peter Shumlin, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Rep. Peter Welch, etc. And while we are at it, it is time to deauthorize the black budget, which is a violation of Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.
Cut the Pentagon budget by 99 percent. Prioritize.
