Social programs 'historical failures'

History has taught us that Government Social Programs are almost always unsuccessful. Most of the past social programs have been started by Democrats. They have always had good intentions, but their results have almost always been a failure. Politicians always want to be judged on their good intentions rather than the results of their efforts. Do you need proof? Then let's examine the following historical facts;

The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. The service has had 234 years to improve the program and make it self sustaining. The USPS is broke, heavily subsidized by taxpayers, and comes back to the taxpayers year after year for postage rate increases. They can't compete with private sector mail delivery services i.e. FedEx and UPS services and now the USPS is proposing to close hundreds of offices nationwide to reduce costs. A good example of how the US Government cannot compete with free market capitalist ingenuity.

Social Security was established in 1935 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat) as part of his huge "New Deal" social program package. The Government has had 74 years to improve the program and make it self sustaining. The Social Security system is broke. Contrary to popular belief, there is NO LONGER a Social Security Trust Fund. In 1965 President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat), as part of his sweeping "Great Society" social program, changed the law so that Social Security funds were removed from the independent "Trust Fund." Social Security funds were placed into the General Fund for additional congressional revenue to be used as Congress wishes. Again, the program is broke.

Fannie Mae (The Federal National Mortgage Association) was established in 1938 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Democrat) as a mechanism to make home mortgages available to low income families. The Government has had 71 years to improve the program and make it self sustaining. Fannie Mae is in serious financial trouble as evidenced by the mortgage crisis earlier this year.

Freddie Mac (The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.) was established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon (Republican) to expand the secondary market for home mortgages in the U.S. The Government has had 39 years to improve the program and make it self sustaining. Together with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac has now led the entire world into the worst economic collapse in 80 years.

The War on Poverty was started in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) as part of his massive "Great Society" social program package. It was the Governments attempt to reduce poverty from the then 19 percent rate. The Government has had 45 years to improve the program and make it self sustaining. $1 trillion of our tax dollars are collected each year and transferred to "the poor" and yet the national poverty level still stands at 12.8% as of 2007. The program hasn't worked as intended.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat), as another part of his sweeping "Great Society" Social Program. The government has had 44 years to improve the programs and make them self sustaining. Both programs are in serious financial trouble and our government dares to mention them as models for all US health care reforms.

AMTRAK was established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon (Republican) to provide inter-city train service in the U.S. The Government has had 39 years to make AMTRAK profitable but the program has failed miserably. Last year the government bailed out AMTRAK again, as it continues to operate at a loss!

Stimulus Bill of 2009 — This year, over a trillion dollars was committed in a massive political payoff to Democratic supporters. The bill shows NO signs of working as advertised. It's been used to increase the size of state and local governments across America, and raise government salaries. It has yet to create a single new private sector permanent job. Our national debt projections (approaching $10 trillion) have increased 400 percent in the last six months. The Government continues to print money, spending money that we don't have and running America further and further into debt for our great grandchildren and their children. So far, the Stimulus Bill of 2009 is a failure when compared to how it was presented to us. AND, the President is considering another Stimulus Bill to bail out the first one.

"Cash for Clunkers' was established in 2009 and went broke in 2009 — after 80 percent of the cars purchased turned out to be produced by FOREIGN companies, not GM, Chrysler or Ford. Dealers nationwide are buried under a mountain of bureaucratic paperwork demanded by a government that is not yet paying them what was promised.

So with a perfect 100 percent failure rate and a record that proves that each and every 'social service program" started by an over-reaching government turns into disaster, how could any informed American trust our government to run or even set policies for an American health care reform system that will equal 17 percent of our entire economy?

Each of us has a personal responsibility to inform our friends and neighbors of this dismal record of Government social program failures before 2010. Then we must vote to remove from office those who are trying to destroy capitalism, our freedoms, liberties, and our grandchildren's financial future. We need to elect congressmen and senators that will recognize and appreciate American exceptionalism, entrepreneurship and free market capitalism and vote to preserve our freedoms, liberties and way of life rather than trying to take it all away from us.

Tom Jeffers is a Bigfork resident.