Bobert,
My idea is ga-ron-teed to piss off everyone on some level. Therefore, it is a *good* idea.

It is "free market" since people will get exactly the government they want. No more, and no less. Probably, a lot less, actually. And being "free market," it should appeal to people who think that process is just this side of FSM.

John,

The "election" (in my idea, but subject to adjustment) would be every year, as paying taxes and the presentation of the national budget are done now.

Tabulating the results should not be any more difficult than any other election-type process, tax collection, or census. For people filing jointly, they would separately allocate their resources.

With regard to mingling, Paul, and Mary, things would be no worse or better than they are now. Perhaps, people could vote to allocate more money to handle the process and prosecute the nasties.

Personally, less government? Then you allocate for the tanks, and I'll allocate for the clean water supply and new hospital wings.

The whole point of this is that most people talk, talk, *scream* about "excessive government spending," (or at least the parts of it THEY don't like) and even attacking it with their "second ammendment options." But when they are polled, time after time by reliable poling organizations they indicate that they want far more from the government than they indicate they are willing to pay for.

With this program, they would have direct control over the government they get, and they would only have themselves to blame for what they got. If it was not to their liking, they could change their choices for the next round.

They would have to be more engaged in government, and understand what it is, what it is not, and what the cost is for what they want out of it. And along the way, they'd learn a few facts and arithmetic, too, which can only be a *good thing.*

Yes, the more I think about it the more brilliant this idea becomes.

Saul