By Gary Kayye, CTS

Have you given up?  Not me!  The spending here in North Carolina on education and the government has already started (thank you, EPA).

For months, I’ve been writing about how we need to take advantage of what’s been presented to us (bigger government, more federal spending, more public projects and a re-focus on education spending).  Well, on February 27, 2009, it all became clear to me – crystal clear.  I picked up my daily edition of the Wall Street Journal from the sidewalk that morning and as I walked back to the house, on page A6, there it was – a huge full-page graphic telling me exactly where every cent of the government’s — ‘er, hmm — our money’s being spent.  The 2010 budget is 167 percent larger than the 2009 US fiscal budget.  So, where’s that extra $400 billion or so going?

Well, the WSJ, by printing this, provided us a blueprint on how to do business with the new government.  Or better yet, it articulated how to make money selling to the new, giant federal government (and state government, too, as it turns out – read on).

So, here it goes (I’m not going to go through each and every department, but here are the highlights – and the ones you should focus on because these represent the BIG new expenditures):

1.    Housing and Urban Development: 2010 fiscal budget is $47.5 billion. (Up 18.5 percent): Billions will be spent on finding a way to add “affordable housing” to the American landscape.  Now, that doesn’t mean the money will actually be spent ON the actual houses – just on figuring out how to force builders, and the like, to add affordable housing into each of their projects.

 

2.    Commerce Department: 2010 fiscal budget is $13.8 billion (Up 48.4 percent): The entire lot is earmarked for “funding research into climate change.”  So, this will be an entirely new group within the Commerce Department – new offices, new chairs, new cubicles, new meeting rooms and new AV.

3.    State Department:  2010 fiscal budget is $51.7 billion (Up 40.9 percent):  According to the WSJ, the government would double the spending on foreign aid – but didn’t specify on what.  They did say, however, they would increase budget for the Foreign Service positions.

4.    Energy:  2010 fiscal budget is $26.3 billion (Down 0.4 percent):  Huh? Both Presidential candidates said this would be one of their top 3 focuses if they got there. Oh well…

5.    Education: 2010 fiscal budget is $46.7 billion (Up 12.8 percent):  Just about ever dime here goes into infrastructure.  Not higher paid teachers.  So, sell, sell, sell!

6.    Veterans Affairs:  2010 fiscal budget is $52.5 billion (Up 10.3 percent):  The VA hospitals and offices have needed an upgrade for decades.  With all the servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, this has been made a priority.

7.    Environmental Protection Agency:  2010 fiscal budget is $10 billion (Up 35 percent):  Got an EPA office near you?  If so, RUN to their front door. The EPA here in the Research Triangle Park in NC just purchased every employee a new wireless laptop.  And, they were told more spending is on the way!

8.    The New National Bank:  2010 fiscal budget is $5 billion (Up from nothing):  This is totally new.  A department created from the ground up!
As I said, these are only the highlights.  And, this doesn’t take in to account the additional $800 billion stimulus package passed back in February.

So, if you don’t target the government or schools in your everyday contacts, you should.  This literally represents hundreds of Billions of dollars the US Government didn’t have last year.

This is, of course, assuming you all pay your taxes…

To see a full size version of the graphic from the Wall Street Journal, click here [PDF].