Open letter to RP - Increase the size of government in order to shrink it.

Dear Dr. Paul,

I'd like to make a very unusual request of you. I know your initial reaction is that I'm “nuts”, but please bear with me for a paragraph or three before you stop reading. This is going to go against your grain.

I'd like you to consider creating a new federal agency, like CBO and CRS tasked with reviewing the effects of policies, rules, regulations and legislation in effect that have been counter-productive, non-effective, had unintended consequences, drive up costs both for the government and those being regulated, and so on, with the intent of regularly going back and fixing dysfunctional laws and systems.

Yes, I'm asking you to increase the size of government in order to shrink it.

CBO and CRS operate at Congresses request and are forward looking. Used to enact laws. I'm thinking of an agency operating on it's own initiative and at the public's request (tip line) to follow Congress's and the regulatory agencies around with the equivalent of a legislative pooper-scooper. Tasked with identifying, documenting and submitting to Congress their messes for corrective action.

As examples, I'd written to you about the $12 lab test that became a $70 test due to a Medicare/aid regulation. Ditto for X-Rays. Hannity recently read on air some items Medicare pays to rent – oxygen concentrators, wheel chairs... the problem is they are paying in rent 10 times what it costs to buy the item new! There have also been laws passed that were solutions in search of a problem, that generally create other problems. Lets identify them and get rid of them.

Given regular reports and suggested corrections being given to Congress, perhaps some of these things could be fixed. The stick being giving them to the public at the same time and being constituent driven to pressure Congress to fix them. Ideally, Congress would take a day every 2-4 weeks for corrective actions on it's own initiative.

One key feature would be that Congress not be in charge of this agencies tasking, but rather the public and their own initiative as well as a complete moratorium on any contact with lobbyists.

Too often laws are created and unleashed on the rest of us, with no “off switch” (sunset provision) built in. We need an organization out their that can act as that “off switch” when these go out of control. It would benefit the Federal Budget / debt to no end, not to mention the entire economy.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter,

Mr. tangent