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December 5, 2022
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Proving that you can’t judge a bill by its title, the “Protect Our Children Act of 2022 spends $60 million over the next two years as grants to local and state law enforcement to “implement effective responses to internet-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children.” Although the cause is vitally important, as with most grant programs, there is no independent audit of its effectiveness. My observation is that much grant money disappears into the salaries of various groups and agencies who will write glowing reports of their work and apply for more grants next year.
Grants are taken from ALL taxpayers and given only to agencies in selected states. If this is a federal responsibility, it should be addressed federally, with all jurisdictions benefiting from the funds.
Grants have become the third biggest expenditure of the federal government, behind only Social Security and national defense. We give away a half-trillion dollars a year in this manner – roughly $4,000 from an average family’s taxes -- with little oversight, little accountability, little follow-up and little results.
Meanwhile, the problems they are supposed to solve seem to get worse.
This bill reauthorizes and increases funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program through FY 2027. Yes, home visits by social workers to at-risk families is a good thing to do, and I supported reauthorization in 2017. But given the dire financial condition of the federal government – and the absence of a federal nexus that justifies a grant program of this nature – I believe this is a decision that should be left to state and local governments to implement at their discretion and with their resources, as many did before the federal program began. Worse, according to the bill’s Committee Report, “we lack data about the impact of interventions funded by the federal program.” Translation: nobody knows if it even works.
The looming railroad strike would cause significant short-term damage to the economy: supply chain disruptions, price spikes, shortages, all in time for the Christmas holidays. But this measure would cause significant long-tern damage, by asserting government fiat into what should rightfully be terms freely negotiated between employers and employees. The terms of this agreement are certain to produce significant and permanent price increases on consumers by dramatically increasing the cost of shipping everything that travels by rail. Above all, this crisis argues for removing the compulsive nature of forced unionism and to restore the fundamental right of individuals to make their own decisions and negotiate terms that to them are most advantageous to their needs. Twenty-six states have right to work laws and they tend to be those with the most prosperous economies and standards of living. It’s time to implement the same reforms nationally.
I am highly skeptical of pilot programs that are automatically extended without proving their worth, and taxpayer grants to businesses where private investors are unwilling to risk their own capital. Finally, the increasing financial entanglement between businesses and government is unhealthy in a free society and is a breeding ground for corruption, political favoritism and misallocation of resources. For all these reasons, I am a no vote.
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