Most politicians want to cut the federal budget in theory. Few want to cut it in practice. So it is with corporate welfare, which is enthusiastically supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.
The federal budget is filled with outrageous, inappropriate, useless, counterproductive, and simply wasteful spending. Washington has become an endless soup kitchen for special interests, with a grant or loan seemingly available for every interest group with a letterhead and at least three members.
Yet Congress resists making even the smallest cut in federal outlays. Every program has a constituency which argues that its favorite expenditure is more important now than ever before. Never mind that the U.S. has been running trillion dollar deficits since 2009. Never mind that Social Security and Medicare have an unfunded liability in excess of $100 trillion. Never mind that America faces a fiscal crisis. Every program must be preserved, lest the world as we know it come to a disastrous end.
Legislators need to find some political courage and take a meat ax to the budget. It is a target-rich environment. Admittedly, there are some essential programs, such as the judicial system. But even where Washington is doing something useful, say national law enforcement, many of its activities are not justified. For instance, the FBI performs a useful role, but not the Drug Enforcement Agency, which tosses people in jail for hurting themselves. Kudos to the Justice Department for targeting child pornographers, but not for prosecuting gamblers, who should be left alone in a free society.
Unless Congress transforms middle class welfare programs, most notably Social Security and Medicare—which despite fake “contributions” and “trust funds” are not paid for by their recipients—Uncle Sam will need to declare bankruptcy. The “defense” budget has become another form of foreign aid, subsidizing the defense of everyone in the world except the American people. Why is Washington in effect subsidizing the European welfare state?
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