Fourth Branch

This petition is not an attack on the current or past administration; rather, it is an observation of the inefficiencies produced by our current political structure. The United States Government was organized to exist under checks and balances so that no political group would have too much power. However, there is no current structure to motivate politicians to weigh long term interests with short term interests. Fortunately, our Constitution was set up to allow for changes.

No matter how you feel about health care, the war in Iraq, Social Security, or any other government organization or expenditure, you should agree that a country cannot consistently run a deficit without consequence. A business would not be able to do this for long, a household could not run long like this, and third-world countries cannot run like this. So why can the United States Government? The deficit is not the fault of either political party or any particular group of politicians. The flaw is with our system. There is no reason for politicians to tackle long term problems when they can just put them off until the next term or just blame these problems on previous administrations. Unfortunately, with this short-sided attitude the problem of the deficit will not be dealt with until it is too late and we have little or no options.

I believe spending has been out of control for a long while. Even before our country began to consistently run a deficit, more resources should have been allocated for social security and other long term projects. In recent years we have already seen how our deficit can affect our interaction with other countries. When we are indebted to other countries or financial institutions, it is impossible to believe that our government can truly act without influence from outside sources. I believe something needs to be done immediately--addressing government spending should become the top priority of the government.

Fortunately, I have an idea that, with some development, could become a solution to our country's problem. This idea is not without fault and is not perfect, but it is a step in addressing the problem and conjecturing plausible ways of shrinking the deficit. I propose the creation of a fourth branch of the government that is solely in charge of the budget. This fourth branch will be appointed similarly to the manner by which Supreme Court Justices are appointed. Members of this branch will serve for life or until they resign. The fourth branch will only review line items requested by Congress; they will not be able to make recommendations to Congress.

If you like my idea of the fourth branch or if you believe something should be done about elected officials short-sightedness in relation to the deficit, please sign this petition. I know this is a very simplified plan and this will not address all of the problems, but I believe it is a start to addressing an immediate problem.