The Third Option

Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

The Three Government Branches

the three branches of government

Executive Branch

[Old Budget = $587 Million]

Leadership needs to set the example, and the example being set is that ‘it’s not about making a buck, it’s about making a difference’. It’s no longer okay to waste taxpayer money, so executives would receive salaries comparable to others in charge of their departments.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (EOP)

Presidential Team (President makes $200,000)

  • White House Chief of Staff heads this TEAM

Vice Presidential Team (Vice President makes $150,000)

  • Deputy Chief of Staff heads this Team

Office of Management and Budget Team 

  • (Oversees Executive Departments, works with Treasury Department)

We will leave room for two other Teams. Possibilities include:

  • Office of Trade Ambassador / Representative Team (reports on our Global business dealings)
  • National Security Advisor Team
  • Economic Advisor Team

New Budget = $10 Million

three branches of government

Legislative Branch

(Old Budget = $4.96 Billion / FTE’s) 

PLAN:

Ben Franklin said that public servants should not be paid a salary, for in paying the civil service, our government would not be made of “the wise and the moderate … the men fittest for the trust” but instead by “the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions … in their selfish pursuits.” Public Servants need to eat, too, but should no longer make more than any other well-paid servant.

STRUCTURE:

  • 100 Senators + 435 members of the House of Representatives = 535 “TEAMS” needing $2 Million each for their budget. TOTAL COST = $1.07 Billion
  • U.S. Capitol Police [Old Budget = $426.5 Million / 2,200 officers and civilian employees] New Budget = $220 Million
  • Architect of the Capitol [Old Budget = $618 Million] 5 million people visit just the Capitol Building each year, not to mention the Library of Congress, the Visitor Center, etc – no reason this should not pay for itself – Going to charge all visitors. New Budget = $150 Million (plus whatever creative financing they can arrange)
  • Government Publishing Office (GPO) $117.1 Million – Going Digital – Will need a Tech Department 100 Techs X $80k = $8 Million, add $4 Million in expenses = $12 Million
  • Library of Congress (LOC) – $670 Million – Salaries for Library = $477 Million – Budget Includes CRS – $119.3 Million non-partisan Congressional “think tank” – Congress can think for itself, or perhaps go visit their own library and read a book. $670 M – $119.3 M – 30% = $385.5 M New Budget = $385.5 Million
  • Copyright Office [Old Budget = $28.4 Million / 400 FTE’s] – We don’t charge for copyrights? This needs to pay for itself: $28.4 Million – 30% reduction = $19.9 Million. New Budget = $19.9 Million
  • Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped [Old Budget = $50.2 Million] – 30% reduction in budget = $35.2 Million
  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO) [Old Budget = $31.4 million] This Office produces nonpartisan “independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process”, then releases reports and cost estimates for proposed legislation, without issuing any policy recommendations. 100 high-level accountants cost $90k X 100 = $9 Million + $7 Million in calculators = $16 Million
  • Government Accountability Office (GAO) [Old Budget = $545 Million / 3100 FTE’s] – This is “the investigative arm of Congress” and “the congressional watchdog.” The head of the GAO is the Comptroller General of the United States, who is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a list of candidates proposed by Congress. (3100 FTE’s making $180k each?) There are 535 members of Congress, if we got one person to watch each representative [and their staff] X $100k apiece = $53.5 Million [tempted to eliminate the entire office] – Will give them one Team (Comptroller + Staff), then have our 100 accountants in the CBO pull double duty and run numbers for new legislative ideas, while running the numbers on our current activities, too. The Comptroller will take that data and make recommendations on the latter. New Budget = $4 Million
  • Open World Leadership Center [Old Budget = $5.8 Million] There have been requests to shut this down already = $0
  • John C. Stennis Center – $430,000 (apparently only 10 employees) Tribute to the senator who died in 1995 – Public Donations can fund this = $0
  • ‘Office of Compliance (Congressional Accountability Act) ($4 Million) This is a five-member, non-partisan Board of Directors and four executive staff, appointed by the Board, who carry out the day-to-day functions of the Agency. Not sure what of value they bring, but at least they are cheaper than most offices. We will give them a 30% pay cut and fold them into the GAO. They can all watch Congress together.  New Budget = $2.8 Million

New LEGISLATIVE Budget = $1.92 Billion

The Legislative Branch is supposed to work for the people; it is hired to represent our interests. Their job from now on is to take the good ideas floating about, figure out the feasibility and logistics of implementing these ideas, and if any of them seem viable (meaning there is more benefit than cost, a perceived win / win for everybody, and little or no perceived negative externalities), then present a possible plan forward, draw up the necessary legislation, and get busy with it. Any conflicts of interest with big business or private sector finance would no longer be tolerated.

supreme court judicial branch

Judicial Branch

(OLD BUDGET = $7.82 Billion / FTE’s) 

In the Summary of FTE, there are truly only 1,843 “mandatory” employees (Judges, mostly) that cost us $625,913,000. Through time, we have included the “discretionary” employees, who number 30,980 and cost us the rest of the “Salary” bill: $7,184,927,000.

The Judiciary, like most of the Government, is being charged rent by the GSA for the buildings and grounds it occupies. There is some contention over this, with the Judiciary claiming they pay nearly $1 Billion in Rent (Our calculation is at least $637 Million).

When the Judiciary asks for money, they are refreshingly frugal and transparent about it: hire one person to do building maintenance, or one person to get the kinks out of some new software program; they only spend $123,000 to pay two people to do two jobs. This sounds like Government we can trust.

PLAN:

  • We will not touch the “mandatory” salaries of our Judiciary. Total = $626 Million
  • Discretionary salaries and expenses are getting a 30% pay cut:
  • $78.7 Million (Supreme Court discretionary salaries) + $31.3 Million (Federal Circuit Court of Appeals) + $5.14 Billion (all other Courts’ salaries) + $90.4 Million (Administrative Office) + $29.3 Million (Federal Judicial Center) + $18.7 Million (United States Sentencing Commission) = $5.3884 Billion – 30% pay cut = $3.772 Billion
  • We will also allow $8.23 Million (Vaccine Injury Trust Fund) + $1.78 Billion in other Discretionary Funding.

New JUDICIAL Budget = $6.2 Billion

We will support the Judicial Branch, as long as it continues to support us. Their stellar track record so far earns them some leeway. In the Founder’s vision of a government that upholds the highest human standards available at any given moment in our moral journey, however, The Judicial Branch must continue to keep up with the evolving definitions of Democratic Equality, Liberty, and Fairness that the people demand.  We cannot allow politics, religion, money, or any other truth-distorting human constructs to poison the judicial thinking of our most Supreme Court.

NOTES: 

  • U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) staffing has increased the number of officers by 346
  • Salaries and Expenses account (infrastructure / cybersecurity) – $5.15 billion
  • United States Supreme Court (9 Judges) ($97.5 Million, includes building and grounds [$16.2 million]
  • United States Court of International Trade ($20.7 Million) [9 Article III judges]
  • United States Federal Court of Appeals ($34.3 Million)
  • All Other Courts = $5.6 Billion
  • United States Courts of Appeals (12 courts, 179 Judgeships)
  • United States District Courts (94 different courts, 677 authorized Article III district court judgeships nationwide)
  • United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims [There are 12 authorized Article III circuit judgeships nationwide]
  • United States Court of Federal Claims [16 appointed judges, authorized under Article I of the Constitution and therefore do not have the tenure and salary protections of Article III judges]
  • United States Bankruptcy Courts [also Article I judges] – Probation and Pretrial Services Officers
  • Defender Services [$1.12 billion] – $6 per hour above-COLA increase to non-capital panel attorney hourly rate (from $135 per hour to $141 per hour) – $7.4 million for IT and cybersecurity requirements  
  • $587.6 million for Court Security [to protect judges, court staff, and the public at court facilities, plus additional security-related IT maintenance and enhancements]
  • $50.9 million for Fees of Jurors account [includes a $10 increase to the daily juror attendance fee (from $40 to $50)]
  • Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts ($90.4 Million)
  • Federal Judicial Center ($29.3 Million) [the judiciary’s research and education agency]
  • Payment to Judicial Retirement Funds ($195 Million) [finances annuity payments to retired bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges, U.S. Court of Federal Claims judges, and spouses and dependent children of deceased judicial officers]
  • United States Sentencing Commission ($18.7 Million) [determines guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. One Chair, three Vice Chairs, and three other voting commissioners are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate]

About the GSA: 

  • The Judiciary’s courthouse construction and capital security projects are funded from the GSA’s budget. [$20.0 million]
  • The Judiciary PAYS RENT TO THE GSA. If figures are correct, the Judiciary is currently attempting to save $19.7 Million in rent by reducing 3% of its usable square feet (706,000 sq. ft. Is 3% of the space they occupy, which costs them $19.7 Million in rent to the GSA. IMPLICATION: The Judiciary is still paying $637 Million in Rent to the GSA for 22.83 million square feet of space they still occupy (a lot of space). Why is that?
  • Meanwhile, Judiciary contends GSA charges them $1 Billion in rent

[In FY 2016, Congress provided $948 million to GSA for the construction of courthouses – 8 projects: Nashville, TN; Toledo, OH; Charlotte, NC; Des Moines, IA; Greenville, SC; Anniston, AL; Savannah, GA; and San Antonio, TX (which cost $117 Million.]