Use the form at right to tell Congress to…
- End or reduce all subsidies
- End or reduce a specific subsidy
Your position will…
- Be counted by each Congressional office,
- Educate the Congressional staffer who reads it
It may also…
- Be passed up the chain of command,
- Receive a reply (many DC Downsizers get them). If you receive such a letter, please share it with us at Comments@DownsizeDC.org.
Talking points…
Subsidies are theft. Taxing everyone to profit a few is wrong, both morally and Constitutionally.
Many politicians claim that the so-called “general welfare clause” permits subsidies. This is false. The phrase “to promote the general welfare” clearly limits Congress to actions that benefit all citizens, otherwise it would be called the “special interest clause.”
Politicians also claim that the “necessary and proper clause” permits subsidies. This too is wrong. The wording of that provision clearly limits Congress to only those powers the Constitution names. Special interest subsidies are not among them.
Finally, the Constitution requires that all citizens receive equal protection under the law, but subsidies violate this requirement, by harming some citizens to benefit others.
Subsidies also drive-up prices. Prices will tend to increase to absorb both the subsidy and whatever the consumer is willing to pay. This explains why costs for things like housing, healthcare, and higher education have all risen faster than the rate of inflation, even though politicians have flooded these sectors with subsidies in a vain attempt to make them more affordable. The result has been the exact opposite of the stated goal.
No policy can enhance social welfare by negating the rule of law to harm the many for the sake of the few. Tell Congress to end all subsidies now. You might even want to ask them to start with the subsidies their supporters receive.
