Proper Government Downsizing

Rightsizing Government – Lean, Efficient, and Truly Serving the People

Michigan First believes in aggressive, principled downsizing of state government – reducing bureaucracy, eliminating waste, and returning to our original, slim constitutional structure that maximizes free will, protects liberties, and restores power to its proper place: THE PEOPLE.

Our government has become bloated far beyond its founders’ intentions, with layers upon layers of agencies, commissions, mandates and regulations intruding into daily life, impeding freedom, and extracting resources from productive citizens.

Michigan First will restore a government that reflects Michigan’s original constitutional design: limited, focused on its core functions, fiercely protective of our rights, and subservient to the will of the people – not vice versa.

The Vision: Return to the Original Principles 

Michigan’s 1963 Constitution (and the original spirit of previous constitutions) was designed to create a limited government with a true separation of powers, strong local control, and maximum individual liberty. Activist courts, legislative overreach, and bureaucratic empire-building have distorted it into a bloated monstrosity. Michigan First will realign the state government to its proper role:

Core Functions Only: Public safety, justice system, basic infrastructure, education support (administered by local control), and protection of God-given rights. Every other government function must justify its existence or be eliminated.

Local Control Restored: Devolve power back to local government entities (counties, townships, and cities) closest to the people. Let people who live with the consequences of government decisions make the decisions.

Citizen Sovereignty: Government is the servant of the people, existing only to secure our rights and free will, not to manage, nudge, or control every aspect of our lives.

Our Plan: Massive Downsizing Aggressively Led by MI DOGE 

Michigan First will lead the most thorough government restructuring, consolidation, and downsizing in state history through the Michigan Department of Government Efficiency (MI DOGE):

50% Reduction Target: Reduce total state employment and the state budget by at least 50% within ten years through attrition, consolidation, and elimination of all non-essential positions and government functions.

Agency Sunset Review: Every state department, agency, board, and commission must rejustify its existence every 4–8 years. If it can’t clearly and directly benefit citizens without infringing on their liberty and free will – it’s gone.

Eliminate Redundant and Intrusive Entities: Abolish or merge overlapping and redundant state agencies and commissions (consolidate the alphabet soup of economic development bureaucracies, dissolve duplicative environmental review panels that overrule local input and decision-making).

End Corporate Welfare and Crony Programs: Cut all subsidies, grants, and tax credits that pick economic winners and losers. Let the free market decide, not government bureaucrats.

Privatize Non-Core Services: Outsource or privatize functions (certain permitting, vehicle services, facility maintenance) where the private sector can provide faster, cheaper, and higher-quality service.

Technology and Efficiency over Bloat: Leverage modern technology to automate routine processes, cut excessive paperwork, and end middle-management layers, making the leaner, more modern government super-effective and responsive.

Performance-Based Structure: Tie every position and program to specific, citizen-focused outcomes and metrics. No more lifetime sinecures without accountability. 

Benefits to People and Free Will 

This massive downsizing is not just about saving money. It’s about restoring freedom: 

Lower Taxes Forever: Massive savings from downsizing will pay for permanent elimination of income and property taxes without cutting essential services.

Fewer Mandates, More Choice: Scrap state rules that dictate how you live your life, parent your children, run your business, or manage your time. Trust Michiganders to make their own decisions. 

Faster, Friendlier Government: When you do interact with the state (driver’s license, business permit, etc. ), it will be quick, online, and respectful – not an endless Kafkaesque maze.

Protection of Rights: Smaller government can’t possibly have the resources to micromanage every aspect of your speech, guns, religion, property, or parental authority.

Local Empowerment: Counties and townships gain the authority to set education standards, land use, and community rules – reflecting the unique values and priorities of each community.

The original structure of government in Michigan was designed for a free people who govern themselves. We will return to that original design: a humble government that is so limited that its only role is to secure our liberty, and then get out of the way.

Big government is afraid of free people. Michigan First will make government small again so that the people can be free again.

Patriots united. Less bureaucracy. More liberty. Less control. More free will. 

Michigan First. Faith First. Family First. Freedom First.