Editor,

Have you ever noticed the similarities of all the so-called “war on (fill in the blank)” programs the federal government is waging? War on poverty, war on drugs, war on guns, war on homelessness, war on illiteracy, war on global warming, the list goes on and on.

Oh no, you say, they are all different. Well, not really, because:

They are all hideously expensive. The leaders of each have no interest or intent to actually solve anything (Eliminate my cushy job? Are you kidding?) They all punish law-abiding taxpayers. The benefits mostly evaporate before reaching the “clients.”

They are all illegal under the Constitution – see Bill of Rights, Amendment 10. The states can do it if they want, the feds are prohibited. There are no consequences for failure. The reason for not accomplishing their “goals” is always, “We need more money.”

Last, but definitely not least, all these programs are mostly failures. If anything, the problems they are “working hard to fix” have gotten worse

People have been poor, people have been homeless, people have used drugs since the beginning of time and no amount of social engineering will change any of these conditions. Any progress that has been made is frequently due to a more efficient, more cost-effective non-government organization.

Also, there is always a part of the population in flux that no amount of meddling will influence.

The Founding Fathers knew human nature was a constant, and government intervention would never work to change it, something that has been proven repeatedly usually at great expense.

That’s why the Constitution was written the way it is. Unfortunately, paraphrasing Ronald Reagan, there is nothing as permanent as a government program, and as long as politicians can buy votes with handouts, any changes or results are unlikely.

Rick Kiser

Oak Harbor