Reagan: There is enough fat in the federal government that it could wash the world

Reagan perfectly explains the insane excesses of big government and how secrecy and people’s ignorance allowed such waste to occur: There's enough fat in the federal government that if you rendered it you could wash the world.

The Office of Management and Budget in Washington that's responsible for the budget putting up putting the budget together cannot even tell you how many boards commissions agencies bureaus and departments there are in the federal government.

“Well balancing the budget is like protecting your virtue, you have to learn to say no..In addition to a simplified income tax, why shouldn't we also have a law that says that anytime a legislator or a congressman introduces a spending program he has to introduce with it a tax program to pay for it then let the people find out? There was a woman that, from a financial firm that was back at the president's economic council…She says put a hundred dollar bill in each person's hand. And then show them the program and say now isn't that a nice program? Do you want it Give me the hundred dollars? And she says see what the poll says then and how many people hang on with a hundred dollars instead of the program. In other words, if it's rather hidden and someone doesn't know exactly where it's gonna come from They all start all the government programs start a dollar down and we'll catch you later.

The Office of Management and Budget in Washington that's responsible for the budget putting up putting the budget together cannot even tell you how many boards commissions agencies bureaus and departments there are in the federal government. But all of them can pass regulations, and those regulations have the force of law. And the difference is when you break the law you're innocent until proven guilty. When you break a regulation, fellow that charges you with a break in the regulation, you're guilty. If you want to take him to court and prove you're innocent that's up to you. And all of these are things that, Yes, we can trim the budget. There's enough fat in the federal government that if you rendered it you could wash the world.”