What does an American government “taken back” by the tricorn hat-wearing right look like? According to tea party prophet Dick Armey, chair of FreedomWorks, the federal goverment the tea party is hoping to create would have a highway system, an NIH and CDC (probably), a big-ol’ (but also streamlined) Department of Defense — but no money for higher education, the arts, national service programs or public broadcasting.
In an interview with the hosts of CNN’s Crossfire remix Parker Spitzer last night, Armey laid out his vision for a tea-stained federal budget.
“How about we cut out a lot of nonsense like National Endowment for the Humanities and Arts? How about getting rid of Americorps, which is just obnoxious?” Armey said. “How about you get rid of the Corporation for [Public] Broadcasting?”
Here’s a rundown of other federal programs (as listed by show co-host and disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer) and Armey’s prediction of what would happen to them under a tea party regime.
Federally-funded interstate highway system? Yes.
Armey: “You can find that in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.”
Federal funding for higher education? No, but military academies don’t count
Armey: “I don’t think the federal government’s involvement in higher education has benefited the students of America.” Armey adds that “military academies are an important thing” and that the federal government “should continue to do that,” but when “the education of our young people should be under the jurisdiction and auspices of the state governments.”
Centers for Disease Control/National Institutes of Health: Yes, sort of
Armey on the CDC: “I would leave it in the hands of the scientists and tell the politicians to butt out.”
Armey on the NIH: “That is probably acceptable,” with the stipulation that the government “has the discipline to leave the agency to do its job on a professional basis rather than corrupting it.”
NASA: Yes
Armey: “Absolutely I would fund NASA and I’d sure as heck keep it focused on its original mission.”
Department of Defense: Hell freaking yes
Armey: “There are efficiencies to be made in defense,” but “it’s stipulated in the Constitution,” so it’s staying.
Spitizer, the nominal liberal side of the Parker Spitzer team, seemed more than a little skeptical of the tea party’s plans as suggested by Armey. Columnist Kathleen Parker (the conservative half of the show) said that Armey knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the right-wing economic vision thing.
“One thing we should point out is that [Armey] is also an economist,” she said. “This is not just a political stump speech here.”
Watch (the budget vision stuff starts at about 2:35):
