“If you can find a good or service on the Internet, then the federal government probably doesn’t need to be doing it.”
That’s what Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty said when he announced his candidacy. He calls it “The Google Test.”
The former Minnesota Governor was making a case for cutting federal programs in order to help reduce the national deficit. Among the programs Pawlenty thinks the U.S. could do without – the U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The candidate believes such programs were developed because there was a time when it wasn’t always easy to find similar services in the private sector.
It’s an interesting idea. Using the internet to search for stuff is something almost everyone can relate to – but would Pawlenty’s Google Goggles really work?
Washington Post blogger Alexandra Petri thinks the former governor is smoking something. She asks…
“Do you realize what services are on the Internet? Every service. Want someone to dress up as a cat and come clean all the surfaces of your home? The Internet has that. I saw an ad once on Craigslist…Do you know what is on Google? EVERYTHING ON THIS PLANET! Do you want someone to paint a mural of your family dressed as unicorns? With the Internet, this can happen. Do you want someone to call your house pretending to be a Crab Person and whisper sweet nothings in your ear? The Internet can make it so.”
As far as I know – the government is not subsidizing unicorn family murals. But Petri’s point is clear. Craig Jennings of the government watchdog group OMB Watch put it in more practical terms for CNNMoney.com.
“You could probably find private investigators, so let’s get rid of the FBI, and there are labs that do food inspections, so let’s eliminate federal food inspectors.”
Even the most hard-core Republican would probably be hesitant to replace the FBI with the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown (I think he got a job with the CIA when he grew up anyway).
In reality – Pawlenty was most likely trying to make a broad statement that the government is doing things that could very well be unnecessary. It can be tough for the private sector to compete when there’s a cheaper government option.
Take government-owned Amtrak as an example. There’s a reason it’s the only intercity passenger railway in the nation.
None of the former passenger rail services could survive. When the interstate highway system started taking off – the railroads started going down. Not only was it easier to get between major cities – semi trucks could transport goods.
Sure there are commuter trains in about a dozen U.S. cities – and they’re pretty popular – but if you want to take a train from New York to D.C., Detroit to Chicago, or L.A. to Seattle – you’ve got to use Amtrak.
So should we keep Amtrak because there’s no private service similar to it? Would eliminating Amtrak result in the formation of private passenger railways again? If it did, would those private rail services be as affordable as Amtrack – which gets government money to stay afloat?
Tough questions – and they only get tougher when it comes to other government services like Medicare.
Pawlenty’s basic economic plan is to cut government spend while reducing taxes and banking on economic growth of 5% per year for two years.
You can read about what Pawlenty is suggesting as a new tax structure at Bargaineering.com. Blogger Jim Wang says The Google Test is “too simplistic,” but he thinks taking a good hard look at which government programs are really needed is a smart move.
“Do we need Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to gobble up home loans? Perhaps, but it should be up for debate.”
What are your thoughts on The Google Test? Leave a comment and let us know. Plus – watch the video below and check out what happened when Stephen Colbert tried it out himself! (Jump to about 5 minutes in to get to the good stuff)
+Kasey Steinbrinck honed his writing skills as a TV producer and newspaper reporter. He now blogs on personal finance and the economy for Check Advantage. Visit the site today to find cheap personal and business checks including Quicken Checks and cool personal checks. Contact Kasey to request free content for your blog or website.
Related posts:
