Big Government Fails at the Basics [OPINION]

Government is too big. Period. Because the government is too big, it fails miserably at the basic thing it needs to do well: protecting the people.

We see daily the failure of big government as politicians and government agencies are unable to do the simplest of tasks, which is protecting the border. As a result, we have a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions. A bloated government becomes too inept to resolve even the most common sense issues, almost always making matters worse.

When that happens, we are left with the current situation that includes detention centers, catch-and-release, Angel Moms, sanctuary cities, and a swelling human services burden. None of this would have happened with a smaller more sensible government.

Here in Massachusetts, a too-big government system spends $2 billion annually on benefits for illegal aliens but can't adequately fund public education. We take on global warming with new tax initiatives, yet we are unable to properly maintain public transportation systems.

In recent years, we've seen the DCF lose kids, literally and figuratively. We've watched state police and politicians fleece the system for unearned overtime and pay raises. Pension scandals rocked the MBTA. Taxpayer-funded welfare benefits were used in brothels, casinos, bars and strip clubs all over the globe. All of this and more, the result of bloated government that can no longer function in the best interest of its citizens.

The deaths last month of seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire have uncovered perhaps one of the more recent government breakdowns here in Massachusetts. The Registry of Motor Vehicles failed to review tens of thousands of out-of-state violation notices against Massachusetts drivers. Thousands of unreviewed notices from other states were discovered in 53 mail bins in a Quincy storage room. That means hundreds of potentially dangerous drivers have gone unpunished.

This is an example of a government too big and too bloated to be effective. Big government is unable to police itself in an efficient and effective manner.

RMV Registrar Erin Deveney was asked to resign and Governor Charlie Baker needs to, at the very least, suspend Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. Baker must do more to assure the people that the government is functioning in a manner that allows it to be effective. It currently is not.

The Baker Administration and the Massachusetts Legislature should learn from this latest mess. Government is too big, too expensive and too ineffective. It must be made smaller in order to work for the people. We need a government that puts the immediate needs of the people first.

A leaner, smaller, more efficient government that respects the taxpayers over lofty political ambitions would go a long way towards fixing what ails the Massachusetts and federal governments.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.