Despite promises of fiscal conservatism, a balanced budget, and a reduced federal deficit, the Trump administration has given in to a “use it or lose it” spending frenzy spurred by the end of the 2017 fiscal year.
Why does government waste so much money? With such reckless abandon? Simply put, government programs are a magnet for scammers. Worse, penalties for fraud are trivial or nonexistent.
Australia's Treasury Department commissioned a study on the efficacy of the so-called stimulus spending that took place at the end of last decade. The results were negative. Unfortunately, there are strong parallels between what happened in Australia and the US.
Taxes and spending already are too high, and huge unfunded liabilities point to an even darker future. If there is to be any hope for the future of this state, the Governor needs to hold firm.
Politicians who exist to spend. If the money's there, they'll spend it. What ultimately powers spending and borrowing is the wealth of the citizenry that sadly gifts politicians with surging revenue streams that enable endless spending and borrowing. Rich countries can borrow, and they do. The fix is constitutionally limited government. Always.
CBO does not disclose its methods for scoring bills to the public, leaving policy makers and legislators at the mercy of their timing and expertise.
President Trump’s fiscal 2018 budget proposal would completely eliminate 66 federal programs, for a savings of $26.7 billion.
As The Hill reports, some of the programs would receive funding for 2018 as part of a phasing-out plan.
Here are the programs the administration wants on the chopping block.
Everyone is talking about the recent auction of this piece of artwork that sold for an astonishing $110.5 million. True, we can't all afford to drop that kind of dough on wall-hangings but, now more than ever, people have the time and money to indulge in the arts.
Recent reports show that the United States is one of the most obese nations in the world. A 2015 report commission by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that the US “has the fattest kids by a wide margin and is tops in poor health for teenagers.” But one wonders if public spending is what is partly fueling the obesity epidemic.
The federal budget has expanded and so have the number of people with taxpayer-financed jobs.
