Ten years after the Great COVID debacle and the attempted WHO power-grab, the entire world went dark. International trade completely stopped, and roving bands of marauders ruled the day.
But in 2033, after the demise of big nations like the United States of America, a group of freedom-lovers from all over the world met in North America and initiated a rebirth of the American Dream: Ameriland.
Instead of governments being able to form “public-private partnerships” with defense, energy, tech, media, and medical firms, a wall of separation between the public and the private sector was erected. Government would no longer be allowed to even regulate the private sector.
Total pages of allowable federal law were capped at 10,000 — like it was in 1950.
Central banking was no longer allowed.
Because no such thing as an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would be allowed under the new rules, the government was financed with a national sales tax. Under the new rules, it was the only tax scheme allowed.
Federal government activity was split into 18 tasks, each with preliminary allocation of funds being 0.5% of GDP. While individual tasks could get funded with more than 0.5% of GDP — they could only do so if funding for one of the other 17 tasks was cut.
This set a hard cap, or a ceiling, on federal government spending of 9% of GDP, like it had been for the 127 years from 1789 up to 1916. In fact, in 1927, federal spending was only 3% of GNP:
Here are the 18 tasks, along with the initial allocation of federal funds:
Power to tax and spend for the general welfare and the common defense. (0.5% of GDP)
Power to borrow money. (0.5% of GDP)
To regulate commerce with states, other nations, and Native American tribes. (0.5% of GDP)
Establish citizenship naturalization laws and bankruptcy laws (0.5% of GDP)
Coin money (0.5% of GDP)
Power to punish counterfeiters of money and stocks (0.5% of GDP)
Power to establish post offices and roads (0.5% of GDP)
Power to regulate patents and copyrights (0.5% of GDP)
Power to establish lower courts from the Supreme Court (0.5% of GDP)
Power to establish piracy laws of the sea (0.5% of GDP)
To declare war (0.5% of GDP)
Power to raise and support Army (0.5% of GDP)
Provide and maintain the Navy (0.5% of GDP)
Make rules for the Government and regulation of naval forces (0.5% of GDP)
Power to call a militia (National Guard today) (0.5% of GDP)
Power of regulating a militia (0.5% of GDP)
Power to govern the District of Columbia and properties for federal government purposes (0.5% of GDP)
Authority to create laws that are necessary and proper to carry out the laws of the land (Necessary and Proper Clause) (0.5% of GDP)
Total: 9% of GDP
Reference
[national sales tax set to 9% for everyone] — Example of Fair Tax. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FairTaxThumbnailSketch.pdf
[the 18 powers of federal government] — https://ekuonline.eku.edu/blog/political-science/the-powers-of-congress/