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Very few people (including members of Congress) actually grasp the numbers involved in the federal budget.

The total net "economy" of the United States is about $9.25 trillion. That represents the total production, sales, purchase and consumption in the United States in 2003, according to estimates provided by the CIA.

Government is the single biggest industry in the United States, both federal and the combined state governments.

The business of the United States isn't business - it is legislation. And quite frankly, they do a terrible job at it.

There is more money wasted each year by our federal government alone to fund a second Defense Department or to cut personal taxes by 25 percent across the board.

In addition, hundreds of billions of dollars are given to corporations by way of contracts, which could be reclaimed by forcing our government institutions to implement fair contracting practices.

The Congressional Budget Office has issued warnings about the dangers that lie ahead if our politicians continue to spend in this manner. Unfortunately, nobody is listening.

Who are we hurting by this outrageous spending? We are hurting our children, our grandchildren and who knows how many future generations of Americans. And for what? So our politicians can go home in an election year and brag about how they have been able to bring home the bacon. Or so we can be sure the special interests are happy.

If the federal government was truly and completely reorganized, and operated at roughly the same levels of efficiency as private enterprise (scaled up to accommodate the size of the federal government), it likely would be some $200 billion a year more efficient.

Coupled with the addition of fair contracting practices, and we easily could recoup a half a trillion dollars annually in efficiencies. This effort can easily afford the revamping of our 16th Amendment tax policies without jeopardizing the integrity of our nation's infrastructure.

It is our greatest hope that someday soon, a nation of American citizens will rise up to stop this injustice and eliminate the crime that our modern-day politicians are heaping on the ordinary American.

We do not want to deny our government funds to run our nation. Nor do we wish to starve the beast. But it is time for the beast to go on a strict diet.