Norquist's Bathtub

“I don't want to abolish government, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Grover Norquist, President “Americans For Tax Reform”.

What exactly did Mr. Norquist mean when he said this? Privately, and as an advocate for large corporations, he wants to get rid of a lot of things, not just the pesky, annoying things that government does, the things that occasionally bother us, the bothersome tax forms and speed limits. He wants to eliminate the agencies that protect us from his clients. Most of his clients and sponsors are very big indeed.

“I don't want to abolish food safety, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish environmental agencies, I simply want to reduce them to the size where I can drag them into the bathroom and drown them in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish anti-poverty programs, I simply want to reduce them to the size where I can drag them into the bathroom and drown them in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish free public education, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish Social Security, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish public parks, I simply want to reduce them to the size where I can drag them into the bathroom and drown them in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish child welfare agencies, I simply want to reduce them to the size where I can drag them into the bathroom and drown them in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish the FDA , I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish The Small Business Administration, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish The Consumer Products Safety Commission, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish the Securities and Exchange Commission, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish law enforcement, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish the city of New Orleans, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish open, representative government, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

“I don't want to abolish bridge inspectors and other infrastructure busybodies, I simply want them reduce it to the size where I can drag them into the bathroom and drown them in the bathtub.”

Or the Mississippi River.

Before we withdraw our support for representative government (including bridge inspectors and other busybodies) we ought to consider what government does. When we participate in it as citizens, the government is us. When we leave government to the large corporate entities to buy and sell, they buy and sell us, our rights, our safety and security, our access to education and a better future, our right to drive across a bridge with a reasonable expectation we will survive to see our children again. The government founded two hundred years ago was created for us, we shouldn't let anyone take it away from us. They might just want to drown it in the bathtub.