Upon hearing that Dr. Ron Paul will reduce federal government spending and programs, a frequent concern is who will take care of things.
FEMA didn't take care of the people in New Orleans, so the federal government doesn't do a great job taking care of things.
Some alternatives to the federal government doing everything are:
Department of Education - already funded by state and local and local control could be restored
weather emergency response - FEMA showed incompetence in New Orleans. State, local, private charity (Red Cross) can do these tasks.
highway maintenance - already funded by per-gallon gas tax which could be given to the State
electrical appliance safety - Underwriters Laboratories already does voluntary safety testing (look for a "UL" sticker on your lamps)
toy safety - the federal consumer safety program is weak. Lead monitoring and safety testing could be voluntarily certified by a non-government program. Consumers could choose toys that are voluntarily certified.
