One of the frustrations among small government types has always been that the big government types always have a new crop of young voters. It’s hard to argue with it. Free stuff sounds great to a recent college grad, especially one with a mountain of school debt. Some conservatives might even argue that Republicans should offer their own goodies. But the likelihood is that would come across as insincere. We know the media would portray it as such, and big government voters are unlikely to go with goodies from a party that will run afoul of the rest of its constituents. After all, why go with a fake Democrat when you can have a real one?

There is one area of reliable Democrat voters that just might be turned without coming across as fake: the agencies. Ah yes, the agencies. Those wonderful entities that exist to grow themselves at the expense of the rest of us. They pass regulations, not to make life better, but to entrench their jobs. Forget the fact that redundancy is rampant in D.C. Never mind that funding is available for such important research as shrimp on treadmills, or Swedish massages for bunnies. Every dime in the government’s budget is absolutely necessary, or so the Democrat saying goes.

But, what if it was only necessary for a while?

What if a Republican president were to offer early retirement to non-critical personnel, who we all know are legion? I’m not just talking about the people who are nearing retirement age. I’m talking about every age group right down to people who joined out of college last year. Just tell them, “You’re free to go and you’ll get paid forever.” It may seem radical, but who wouldn’t leap at that opportunity? The likelihood is that there would be a veritable orgy of people clamoring to get out.

Allow me address some of the concerns that have come from people with whom I have recently shared this idea. Peoples’ first response seems to be, “Wouldn’t that cost a lot?” To which I respond, “No more than it is already costing us, and there would at least be an end in sight.” Then people say, “I think it would be challenged in court.” Of course it would, but the president could just do what Obama does and continue the program while it drags itself through endless appeals. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And, who will be the most pissed off when Democrats fight it? Yes, the very people they’re trying to force out of a comfortable retirement. Voila – some of the most reliable Democrat voters just became conservatives.

There is one additional benefit. We can be sure that Democrats will want to grow the agencies back to the absurd levels we have today. But, all that would accomplish would be to serve up a new line of potential early retirees for the next Republican. The Democrats might be forced into a corner where they have to choose between keeping the agencies small or starting the entire self-destructive process again.

If it worked, and I admit that I do not know the specifics of what is required, hopefully the states would take notice and find a way to follow suit. At this point, nothing really sounds all that crazy.

Marco Milaneci is an IT compliance program manager in the semiconductor industry. He lives in Austin, Texas and can be reached at mmblog [at] austin.rr.com.