The federal government is running large budget deficits, spending too much, and heading toward a financial crisis. Federal spending has soared under President George W. Bush, and the costs of programs for the elderly are set to balloon in coming years.   In Downsizing the Federal Government, Chris Edwards provides a comprehensive plan to avert a crisis by cutting the budget. His detailed research identifies more than 100 federal programs that should be terminated, transferred to the states, or privatized in order to balance the budget and save hundreds of billions of dollars.   The book discusses the systematic causes of wasteful spending, and it overflows with examples of programs that are obsolete and mismanaged. It examines how policymakers act contrary to the interests of average Americans by favoring special interests in budget policy. Edwards leaves the “bedtime stories” of how government is supposed to work to the politicians—he focuses on how it actually works in the real world.   The good news is that well-crafted budget cuts would be beneficial from many perspectives. Downsizing the federal government would expand the economy, enlarge personal freedom, and leave a positive fiscal legacy to the next generation. So read this book and ask federal policymakers to begin downsizing!   1. Introduction The Temptation to Tax A Plan to Cut Spending and Balance the Budget Public and Private Interests What’s Ahead  2. Size and Scope of the Federal Government Growth of the Government Scope of the Government Republicans and the Culture of Spending  3. Why Downsize? Respecting the Constitution Less is More The Elderly Spending Explosion The Cost of Government  4. A Plan to Cut Spending and Balance the Budget Discretionary Spending Cuts Entitlement Spending Cuts 10-Year Budget Projections  5. Wasteful Programs Causes of Waste Fraud and Abuse Duplicative Programs Obsolete Programs Mismanaged Programs Ineffective Programs Reforming the Bureaucracy  6. Special Interest Spending Concentrated Benefits and Diffuse Costs Logrolling Federal Spending and the Poor Corporate Welfare  7. Actively Damaging Programs Economic Damage Loss of Freedom Social Damage Environmental Damage  8. Fiscal Federalism Size and Scope of Federal Grants Do Grants Help the Poor? Five Pathologies of Grants Grant Pathologies in Homeland Security New Federalism  9. Privatization Hurdles and Opportunities Stand-Alone Businesses Infrastructure Loans and Other Financial Schemes Federal Assets  10. Structural Reforms and Outlook Congressional Term Limits Tax Reforms Budget Process Reforms The Republicans Need Reform Leadership A Reform Role for Democrats Voters Need to be Skeptical Reform Can Happen Downsizing and Our Dynamic Society Appendix 1: The Government and the Great Depression   Appendix 2: Discussion of Selected Budget Cuts