Two Failed Budget Cuts

Two news items today about attempts at cutting spending in areas I believe a broad majority of Americans support. Capping farm subsidies to large corporations, and cleansing corruption and uncompetitive contracts in the Air Force. Obviously the deficit is a problem, but neither of the two dominant political ideology is eager to reduce their programs – so cutting clear waste like this is incredibly important.

In the first case, the President proposed caps and has been thwarted by southerners who chair committees in the Senate. Executive stymied by Legislative branch, sad. In the second case, an aggressive committee chair is trying to investigate the military and push for cuts, but is running into >too much bureaucratic inertia and a winking executive. Alas.

So in today alone, we see cases where checks and balances, in both ways prevent something from getting done. That sentence may cause euphoria in some libertarians until I add the modifier: that “something” is cutting the size and waste of the government. Instead, we will just continue spending more money.

A simpler system, be it an all powerful executive or a dominant legislature, would cut at least one of those forms of waste, and be more responsive to the people.