The federal government needs counseling.

When one has an addiction and they recognize it, he or she generally will go for counseling.  The federal government, however, has an addiction, recognizes it, doesn't have a desire to overcome it, has many enablers, and refuses to use the services of a qualified counselor.

The addiction is debt.  The enablers are non-elected governmental employes and many elected representatives of equally addicted people.  Here are some observations I've made over the years.

Education:  The government has made addicts of our youth by guarantees of "Student Loans".  The loans are vast sums of money given to so-called institutions of higher education.  The loans incurred over a 4-6 year period are so much money that it takes many graduates dozens of years to repay them causing interest to accumulate on interest.  Some of these loans are never repaid, so they are paid with tax dollars.  I remember my father telling me that he worked two full time jobs and went to school to get his education.  He paid as he went.  I guess the students of today are not as capable as the students of yesteryear. 

Because of federal and state and union intervention in our education system we now have 1:1 ratios of educators actually working in the classroom to administrators and "staff".  And we are concerned with student-teacher ratios?  I'd rather have more teachers and drastically reduce administrators and staff. 

Health:  Government intrusion into individual lives has cost the taxpayers untold billions of dollars.  The result is that many treatments for chronic cases go unused because the FDA has yet to give its blessing.  Many traditional treatments, which are effective, are condemned by the Department of Health because they haven't been developed using its own funded researchers.  Medical usage of natural substances are illegal only because the feds cannot tax them.

Transportation:  How much money is wasted by government in regulating that which it doesn't understand?  How long will we put up with wasteful regulations, costly procedures, expensive and ineffective tracking devices, and invasive and unneeded investigations.

Energy:   I might be very uninformed, but it seems to me that the Department of Energy produces nothing but regulations.

EPA:  What a waste of human intelligence!  The conclusions reached in the name of environmental protection are ludicrous.  And then when they are proven to be incorrect, the answer is, "but it ought to be right."   

Homeland Security:  Divisive, invasive, overbearing, quasi-nazi, and racist.  I can think of nothing good to say about this Department of Insecurity. 

Foreign Aid:  Why do we continue to support nations that don't like us, abuse our people, and support terrorists that want to kill us.

I say defund them all.  Budget is balanced without any additional taxes.