Our Founders supported four departments to run our fledgling country, explains Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College. These four departments were necessary to the federal government “in a way that the functions of other departments are not.”
- Secretary of State “to handle the relations of the American people with other countries.”
- Secretary of War (now Defense) “to manage the defense of our nation from enemies.”
- Secretary of Treasury “to manage the budget and the money of the federal government.”
- Attorney General “to enforce the laws of the federal government.”
The Department of Education was founded in 1979, whereas Hillsdale College was founded in 1844. Education was a thing to behold in the United States long before there was a Department. Likewise people had houses before we had a Department of Housing and Urban Development; they traveled before we had a Department of Transportation; they traded before we had a Department of Commerce. You can see the line of thought. A federal government with four cabinet officers would be a federal government doing what it has to do. That is why it is breathtaking that Trump would call for the elimination of departments, and breathtaking that he would appoint some and interview others who at least want to restrict the activities of those departments so people can be free.
We do not know what this election means. That is in the future. If it means that we will return to constitutional government, it means the most important thing that it can mean. . . .
The polls tell us that the American people today live in fear of the government. Now they have elected someone new, and we will soon know if he is good.
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