Okay, THIS one is special. EVERYONE — regardless of political persuasion or IQ — will agree that this is government madness at its best. Even ABC News figured it out!
Trust me — you’ll want to watch this 3 minute video. And then ask yourself this question — Why does ANYONE trust politicians to make economic decisions that control our lives?
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/coins-costing-taxpayers-14076274
Coins Costing Taxpayers?
Federal government mints coins that nobody uses.
NOTE: Perhaps I unwisely gave ABC News the benefit of a doubt, crediting them with recognizing the absurdity of this madness.
Above is the ABC headline for the piece. But why in the world is it a QUESTION??? Is ABC not sure of the answer?
Comments 9
Good point Richard. Maybe this could be one of the first cuts to make in the continuing budget debate. At a cost of approximately $600,000 a day, some major money could be saved. This is a no brainer.
So, do you think the Republican controlled House would support cutting this wasteful spending?
Author
Since this foolishness got national publicity, BOTH parties will be tripping over themselves to end this program — perhaps because there is no special interest constituency. Doubtless bills are now in the hopper, or being prepared.
Posturing with be the plan of the day. But neither will want to discuss why they let this madness go on for years.
Then with a near unanimous vote, all our D.C. geniuses can return to their districts to loudly proclaim their success in cutting “waste, fraud and abuse.”
Sure beats taking on the thorny issue of unsustainable entitlement spending, which is where the BIG money is going.
Got to start somewhere. LIttle steps could lead to bigger ones. And, beginning to have mutual agreement on eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse” is a good place to start for both sides.
So, has either side really looked at this closely as a starting point for agreement, is my question.
Richard,
You thought this waste of taxpayers’ money important enough to post, but you don’t think it would be any big deal if the government corrected the problem?
Author
Alger, in terms of the MAGNITUDE of our spending problem, it is insignificant. But anything that causes people to denigrate, deride and distrust their government is a good thing.
Gosh, don’t your remember the ’60’s mantra — “Question Authority” ? The more skepticism we develop towards government and our “leaders,” the better off we will be.
Of course, neither your side nor mine will tackle our unsustainable (I love that buzz word — thank you lefties!) entitlement spending until the crisis is full-blown — if then. We ain’t there yet. Yet.
Richard,
I have found that you often get a better response when you can mix in a little praise, even it is for something “insignificant.”
Alger,
I agree….a little praise can go a long way. And, waste, fraud and abuse in government is not a small thing. It’s like a tick on a dog. One tick maybe not so bad, but 100 ticks …. could bleed him dry.
Richard,
“But anything that causes people to denigrate, deride and distrust their government is a good thing.”
Would you still feel the same way if we had a conservative president and Congress? Would you trust a libertarian government over a conservative one?
Author
Yes, Gwendolyn, I think distrust of and skepticism towards government is ALWAYS good — especially compared to the alternative — trusting government and politicians to run our lives. One should be skeptical of whomever is in power — especially since power corrupts.
I realize this is a different concept than Big Government advocates from BOTH parties prefer. NO WAY I’m gonna be trustful of conservatives in power. Not worried about having to trust libertarians in power — not in my lifetime.
Author
NO ONE is in FAVOR of waste, fraud and abuse. It’s the boogeyman everyone runs against. Indeed, I thought it would be fun to run a gonzo campaign as a candidate in FAVOR of waste, fraud and abuse — just to ridicule the pompous posturing by everyone else.
It’s a wonderful “reform” as it has no constituency and everyone supports. It’s also largely meaningless in controlling runaway spending — which is mainly overcompensated employees and entitlement benefits no one wants to touch. Perhaps I’ve touched on this topic in previous posts.