Seeks Specifics

"Date: 09/20/2010 12:46 PM
"US--APNewsAlert/22
"Obama: Tea party supporters should 'identify specifically, what would you do?' to cut spending."

Why, because they're short of material for their next $10 million round of attack ads?

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle months ago identified the federal Department of Education -- created in 1977, since which date student test scores have done nothing but plummet, nationwide -- as worthy of the scrap heap. (It's hardly a new idea. Running on that platform, Ronald Reagan in 1980 defeated Jimmy Carter -- founder of said DOE -- by 479 votes to 49.)

Did Mr. Obama's party respond: "Oh, OK. Thanks for your thoughful input. Let us review that and we'll get back to you?"

Um ... no. Since then, not a day has gone by without top Senate Democrat Harry Reid & Company branding Ms. Angle "too extreme," implying that if we closed said captive beltway fortress of the teacher unions we'd be condemning America's children to illiteracy.

Here's a hint: Education is not one of the state, local, or private parental functions in which the Constitution grants the federal government even a hint of authorization to interfere.

I've long said we could start by bringing American troops home from more than 100 nations overseas (though I would retain the Navy and Marines to patrol our sea lanes), followed by shutting down every federal agency, department and program created since 1912 (starting with the IRS, DEA and BATF), a date when I can find no record Americans were widely complaining we "didn't have enough government."

Would Mr. Obama's party like to join us in analyzing how we'd do by closing down such agencies, with the possible exception of retaining excise taxes on booze and tobacco to fund the minimal legitimate functions of the fedguv? Or are they just looking for some new pretexts to shriek, run around in circles, shout "Extreme! Extreme!" -- not to mention "Racist! When they say 'Cut government' they mean 'Kill black children!' " before pretending to faint dead away in horror?