First, get rid of the minimum wage.

First, purge the current food stamp rolls and cut the program waaaaaay back. A mom with 3 kids who is employed that I know gets over $800 a month. I have 4 kids and a hubby and I don't spend that.

Then, we need to talk about overall welfare reform. It is not the government's job to make sure you don't have to sell your house or any of your assets when you hit hard times. You should have to sell almost everything you own. Then, to get any benefits, you should have to live in dorm style gov't housing, eating their provided soup 3 times a day. There should be phones there for job-seekers to have a number to give out. Want the rest of us to support you? You don't get to live like you want. Deal with it. Good incentive to change your priorities to get some independence. Most poor people are poor because of decisions they make, and I see no reason to subsidize that.

And, for the people who are going to say conservatives are heartless and selfish, read Who Really Cares-it's a great book. Conservatives give their own money generously, just not to the government. Liberals give other people's money generously through the government. Which means more?

Food stamps are in a category of programs referred to as "automatic stabilizers". They are by design out of phase with the economic cycle. That is, as the economy goes down, spending on these programs is supposed to increase temporarily.

The reason the administration has looked into relaxing work requirements is that we are in the middle of the worst unemployment crisis since the great depression. There is a valid argument that the policy approach since 2008 has done far too little to encourage job growth, but requiring people to find jobs doesn't work when the jobs don't exist.

They don't need paying jobs. Almost everyone is capable of picking up trash on the side of the highway. The point is, they need to DO something to earn their keep.

The reason the administration has looked into relaxing work requirements is that we are in the middle of the worst unemployment crisis since the great depression. There is a valid argument that the policy approach since 2008 has done far too little to encourage job growth, but requiring people to find jobs doesn't work when the jobs don't exist. -- Factual Interjection at August 3, 2012 9:50 AM

• Get rid of the minimum wage. Or set it $0.50 more per hour than the state's average unemployment payment per hour.
• Set the unemployment compensation to decrease on a quarterly basis per claim. So the first three months you get the full rate. After that you get 80%, then 60%, etc.
• The maximum unemployment is fifty-two weeks.
• The maximum dependent payment for food stamps is three. If you have more children -- it is your fault, not the government's.
• Your claim for food stamps is dependent on citizen ship. If your children are legal citizens by birth, we will help support them. You're illegal -- you don't get a food stamp for you.
• If you are under 45 -- you no longer have to pay Social Security taxes. The Federal government is no longer responsible for your retirement. You get a 40% credit on all future tax filing for the amount you have contributed up to the the total amount you contributed.
• If you are under 45 -- you no longer have to pay Medicare taxes. The Federal government is no longer responsible for your post 62.5 health insurance. You get a 40% credit on all future tax filing for the amount you have contributed up to the the total amount you contributed.
• The government can no longer spend more than expected in income unless there is a declared war per the constitution.
• Any government regulation, rule or act is subject to litigation if it affects more than 25,000 people. If it affects less than 25,000 people it is automatically unconstitutional.
Any law has to be attributable in the enumerated powers in the U.S. Constitution.

I know there are a few I missed, but that should be the general guideline.

We are broke. We are spending the great-grand kid's money.

I'm screwed under the rules I propose, but I'd rather struggle and die broke with my liberty than begging some bureaucrat to approve my claim.

A mom with 3 kids who is employed that I know gets over $800 a month. I have 4 kids and a hubby and I don't spend that. - momof4

Other people's money spends so much easier. -Amy Alkon

Especially when you spend it at a gas station or Chili's rather than a grocery store

Awhile back, maybe 7-8 years ago, Missouri amended the state constitution so that tax money collected for highways, roads, etc could ONLY be spent on highways, roads, etc. The exceptions were some small portion to the treasury to cover costs of maintaining a separate pot and a small amount could go to highway patrol.

There was a fierce outcry from Education (unions, schools, not sure who was doing the crying) that this would hurt the children, etc. I believe it passed with over 80% support.

Maybe, just maybe, we could try this in Washington somehow. The tax is for TSA? OK, then TSA gets no other money. The tax is for the strategic oil reserve? It can't go to name a bridge or build signs or anything else.

Wouldn't that be refreshing?