Among the many prime priorities for newly elected Home Speaker Mike Johnson (RL A) was his introduced intention to kind a bipartisan panel to chop large spending that has led to an unsustainable $33 trillion nationwide debt. The pragmatist in me rejoices, however the cynic in me says asking Congress to chop spending is like asking Dracula to chop again on his blood consumption. Bills assist hold members in workplace. As an alternative of fixing issues and slicing the debt, staying in workplace appears to be all that issues to lots of them.
Past the nugatory slogan that members solely “deliver house the bacon” (extra like pork in lots of instances) and get a “fair proportion” for his or her districts and states, bills contribute to their careers, which the founders envisioned as restricted service in Washington earlier than returning to actual jobs.
I’ve longed to see cupboard members and members of Congress come earlier than committees and defend their proposals for brand spanking new spending. They need to be requested how present and previous spending has or has not met the targets set out of their laws and businesses. Typically there aren’t any targets within the laws. It’s consumption for the sake of consumption. Wall Avenue Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel presents start line.
Strassel writes in a current column: “The White Home says it’s ‘important’ that Senate Democrats get an extra $16 billion in funding for little one care facilities, for the reason that supposed $24 billion one-time pandemic appropriation is gone.”
Extra “important” spending requests embrace the Federal Communications Fee getting an extra $6 billion for the Inexpensive Connectivity Program, “a fraud-ridden Covid-era boondoggle that was meant to shut the ‘digital divide’ however has actually blown $17 billion {dollars} by subsidizing Netflix habits. individuals who already had high-speed broadband.”
There’s way more you will discover in her column and elsewhere that unnecessarily contributes to the debt and ensuing larger costs all of us must pay for mortgages, fuel, meals and different requirements.
In the course of the Reagan administration, there have been inaccurate press stories claiming that the Pentagon spent greater than $600 on bathroom seats and $435 for hammers that may very well be bought at any ironmongery shop for a lot much less. What turned out to be errors in the way in which the accounting was dealt with helped focus many Individuals’ minds on authorities overspending and stopped ridiculing those that spent cash as if it wasn’t their very own, which it wasn’t . Reagan referred to as what grew to become often known as the “Packard Fee” to reform protection procurement procedures. Later, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was created and executed over a number of administrations to close down unused and out of date navy housing. Some members of Congress protested as a result of it price them cash of their districts, nevertheless it was achieved. As I recall, some members who had screamed the loudest concerning the closures later tried to have it each methods and took credit score for saving taxpayers’ cash. It’s a must to admire politicians who can say one factor sooner or later and the alternative the subsequent. Hardly anybody notices or appears to care, and that is a giant a part of the debt downside.
Members who suggest such pointless spending ought to be introduced earlier than Home committees, now led by Republicans. Democrats will not try this, so it is as much as Republicans to demand accountability and get advocates to justify their spending proposals. Ridiculing them publicly and in entrance of TV cameras could be a great way to go, however Republicans should be cautious as a result of too lots of them are co-conspirators in the case of spending.
Let’s hope that Speaker Johnson will get his bipartisan fee and that it offers protection for all members to chop spending, reform Social Safety and Medicare, which everybody is aware of should be achieved to safe the nation’s financial future for generations to return.
Readers can e mail Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Search for Cal Thomas’ newest ebook “A Watchman within the Evening: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).