Overall government spending during the past decade has increased from $2.9 trillion to an astounding $5.1 trillion in the year of 2008. President Bush submitted a $3.1 trillion federal budget for 2009; this is greater than the collective 1998 spending of the Federal Government, all 50 states and more than 87,000 governments across 50 states.

If America wants to maintain its competitive position in the global marketplace the government simply cannot afford to continue spending at the current rate. The number one job of the new administration will be reducing spending by restraining federal outlays to solely government’s rightful functions, according to the United States Constitution.

Basically, we should cut every area of federal spending. Additionally, we should reform entitlements and cut welfare, including subsidies for business occasionally referred to as corporate welfare. Furthermore, military outlays should be limited and pork barrel spending done away with. Moreover, unnecessary and useless programs, many of which are not constitutionally based, must be ended.

It is necessary to control government spending in order to put true tax reform into action, which will in turn reduce the burden on all American citizens allowing them to retain more of their well-deserved and hard-earned money.

We should do our best to separate the government from the economy once and for all. Government is obliged to perform many legitimate economic functions among which is to defend property rights, adjudicate disputes and supply a legal framework that will protect voluntary trade. But that’s about it.

Capitalism is the only economic system that protects individual liberty, rewards risk and maintains economic freedom. Only when government stops prying into individual economic decision-making will America be most prosperous and free.