Burlington High School
Burlington, Kansas
Teacher: Mrs. Devra Parker
A Beautiful Sunset for all the People
By Aaron Krause
12th Grade
The rush of everyone’s lives today makes it extremely hard to keep track of where our tax dollars are being sent and spent. We all know that corruption of government can take place. There are so many agencies whose salaries are paid by the population’s tax dollars that if we were to trust that they will do their job, corruption would be likely to set in. A huge help to those of us who are not familiar enough with politics and every single government agency are blessed with the help of what Congress calls Sunset Legislation.
One of the biggest benefits of Sunset Legislation is that the main purpose is to eliminate government agencies, organizations, and other positions that have become worthless. Sunset tries to keep our hard-earned money headed in a direction that will better our country. Any agency that is no longer in session or never makes any sort of contribution should be thrown out the window. The 12 Legislators that make up Sunset are composed of four average Americans that work every day for a living. The remaining eight are elected Congressmen. By installing this system we have insured ourselves that our People are being represented as well as possible for ourselves.
Thomas Jefferson’s letter explaining the importance of trying to stay out our tremendous national debt should have been looked at more closely. His biggest concern was that future generations would not be able to pay off the debt that is acquired by them in their lifetime. Unfortunately for you and me, we acquired a debt greater than eight trillion dollars, and it’s growing in leaps and bounds.
The old saying, “If something is too good to be true, it probably is,” comes into play with this Sunset. If not used somewhat conservatively, it could become too powerful. We might do away with some sort of agency that should not have been destroyed, or if crooked people are heading Sunset, they could do away with something just because they do not agree with something having to do with that agency. In 1983 West Virginia, through Sunset, did away with all state government. Thankfully the governor vetoed that bill to maintain their state’s legislative body.
When starting from scratch on the topic of Sunset Legislation, I have made myself to side with the thought of ridding ourselves of all the useless government jobs. I would like to think that there is not a single taxpayer out there that loves the idea of wasting more of his or her salary away by paying someone to sit at a desk and laugh at those who continue to put cash in his pockets. It is not right that people have to go out and work hard jobs that most of them don’t like, and lose a large chunk of it on some loser sitting at an expensive desk in his nice executive’s chair watching television. The American working man wants the best for his money, and through Sunset Legislation, it makes it easier to try and give that to him.
The “what-if” factor of disposing of an agency and then needing it later on in the future is one that should not be of any concern. If there is an agency that is gone due to lack of production or importance, and, all of the sudden it is needed again, that same agency can be created again. Just because it is gone temporarily, if the need of the agency is there, it will remain. The same is true with trying to throw that same agency away in the first place; is the need is there, so will that specific agency. And since Sunset is manned by the best form of representation we know, the opinion of that agency should be shared and the result be a popular one.
Congress’ prided Sunset Legislation provides an astronomic amount of help to those who are not full-time politicians. The lifestyle shared by millions throughout this great country are too busy working and raising the leaders of tomorrow to worry about what some no-name government office is doing with their time. That is why the help provided by Sunset gives the general population as much bark for its bite as possible. The tax dollars poured into our government to make sure that America’s future generations live their lives as well and safe as ours should not be wasted but cherished. I am fully backing the ideas Jefferson developed that came to be known as Sunset Legislation. And, I hope that the knowledge and importance of such ideals will be spread throughout, to insure that future generations will not suffer from paying for a lost cause.
Answers To Questions Prompted By The Required Reading
Q1- What was the average life span in Jefferson’s age according to his letter?
A1-51
years
old
was
the
average
life
span
at
that
time
according
to
Jefferson’s
letter.
Q2- Do some research and find out the size of the national debt you are about to inherit as taxpayers. Don’t forget the benefits promised in your name to the older generations under the guise of Social Security and Medicare.
A2-$8,552,299,483,299.38
was
the
current
national
debt
at
8:26
p.m.
on
October
16,
2006.
Q3-What do you think of Jefferson’s assertion that “…no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of it's own existence.”
Is it feasible to undue the social contracts in your children or grandchildren’s life times? Would you want to even if you could? Why or why not.
A3-In my opinion Jefferson’s quote is true; the youngest generation should not get stuck with a greater debt than can be paid off in their lifetime.
If
the
contracts
were
holding
back
their
lives,
and
getting
rid
of
them
would
allow
future
Americans
to
live
better
lives,
I
would
undo
the
social
contracts
in
a
heartbeat.
I
think
that
whatever
is
needed
to
make
our
lives
better
has
to
be
feasible.
Q4- Do you agree, as Jefferson maintained, that “[debt] between society and society, or generation and generation, there is no municipal obligation, no umpire but the law of nature. We seem not to have perceived that, by the law of nature, one generation is to another as one independent nation to another.”
A4-I
agree
that
if
new
generations
are
in
so
much
debt
that
they
are
unable
to
pay
it
off
in
their
lifetime
that
our
country
will
suffer
as
a
whole.
Things
that
they
would
normally
be
doing
to
improve
the
country
will
be
neglected
because
they
will
be
busy
trying
to
figure
out
ways
to
get
out
of
debt.
Q5- In view of Jefferson’s words that follow, why do you think a sunset provision on generational debt wasn’t included in the U.S. Constitution?
“But with respect to future debts, would it not be wise and just for that nation to declare, in the constitution they are forming, that neither the legislature, nor the nation itself, can validly contract more debt than they may pay within their own age, or within the term of 19. years? And that all future contracts will be deemed void as to what shall remain unpaid at the end of 19. years from their date? This would put the lenders, and the borrowers also, on their guard.”
A5-If
our
Founding
Fathers
would
have
tried
to
put
guidelines
on
debt
for
generations
that
did
not
even
exists
yet,
it
may
have
been
disastrous. It
would
have
been
impossible
for
them
to
predict
what
our
country
was
to
encounter
and
the
debt
that
would
come
with
the
catastrophes.
Q6- What do you say to Jefferson’s assertion that “a law of limited duration is much more manageable than one which needs a repeal.” ?
A6-He
is
saying
that
it
is
within
his
knowledge
that
the
laws
that
governed
the
people
in
the
late
1700's
would
not
be
fit
for
the
people
300
years
later.
The
needs
of
people
and
the
country
change
with
time,
and
laws
have
to
be
adjusted
accordingly.
Q7- “We have already given in example one effectual check to the Dog of war by transferring the power of letting him loose from the Executive to the Legislative body, from those who are to spend to those who are to pay.”
A7-This
is
saying
that
through
our
system
of
checks
and
balances
we
have
given
the
power
to
declare
war
to
our
Legislative
body.
The
President,
who
is
head
of
the
Executive
branch,
is
the
one
that
spends
the
money,
so
we
do
not
want
him
to
be
the
one
in
charge
of
spending
all
of
the
war
funds.
Q8- In light of the excerpt from his letter above, what do you think Thomas Jefferson would make of our nation’s recent history of fighting undeclared wars?
A8-Jefferson
would
very
strongly
disagree
with
the
wars
and
interventions
we
get
into.
Especially
if
he
found
out
that
maybe
the
reason
for
some
of
the
wars
were
for
the
benefit
of
a
few
high
ranking
officials
in
our
government.
Q9- Name ten of the twenty-six states that have enacted sunset legislation.
A9-California,
Arizona,
Colorado,
Delaware,
Hawaii,
Indiana,
Louisiana,
Maine,
and
Maryland
Q10- What state abolished all state government? What do you think the voters got for their trouble?
A10-West
Virginia
got
rid
of
all
state
legislatures
and
programs.
Their
governor
soon
vetoed
the
bill,
but
only
to
be
overturned
when
their
voters
passed
the
bill.
Q11- What good do attempts at enacting Sunset legislation achieve even when the laws are not enacted?
A11-In some cases, if you threaten the importance of a certain agency, the production of the specific agency can increase in order to benefit the general population.