Doing the People's Work .... But Which People?

We know that politicians are elected to do the people's work, as they often remind us. My questions are simply, "Which people? All the people or a special interest subset thereof?"

The answer has been special interest subsets, of course, and we've allowed our elected officials to overspend for way too long now. When we add up all the subset spending for the public schools, the elderly, medical care, agriculture and so forth, we find ourselves in debt up to our eyeballs with no resolution in sight. It's time for a gut check, my fellow Americans

As a society we have reached, or are rapidly reaching, the point where we can't keep spending money we don't have. But our politicians spend OPM (other people's money) all the time. That's their job. So let's change their job description to limit OPM spending to what we can afford as a society, regardless of which particular subset of people they're serving.

The same old game simply doesn't work any longer, if it ever did. We've run out of OPM, including that from other countries, for them to spend. But I'm optimistic about the choices that the people will make and the political class will then follow. My guess and hope is that this new fiscal sanity will mark the beginning of a long term trend whereby we become serious about living within our means, both as citizens and as a nation. Time will tell, but that's my bet.

Now let's look briefly at one of the games long played for the benefit of a select few as opposed to the interests of we the people. I'm referring to agricultural subsidies where doing the people's work has for far too long meant taking care of the farm lobby. It's been a bipartisan game, in large part a result of the outsized influence of the farm states in the entirety of Congress, and especially in the equally weighted Senate.

Agriculture has long been a protected industry in the hallowed halls of Congress. Both Depublicans and Remocrats in a real spirit of bipartisanship have joined over the years to grant trillions of dollars to our nation's farmers, and especially the big ones. And the game is still very much being played. It's a demonstration of public choice theory and politics at its worst, or close thereto.

Soon there may or may not be a new day on the horizon. But whether it comes now or later, it must come, so it will. Any evidence of the arrival of this bright new day versus business as usual will become visible when the nation's debt ceiling negotiations have concluded. We the people will at some point be given the details of the deal reached by the ruling, er, governing class at the conclusion of the debt ceiling negotiations. I have no hope for any substantive change in either medicare or social security at this time, but doing something about the farm subsidies would at least indicate that business as usual is becoming out of favor. Let's hope that's what we discover when our public "servants" emerge from their discussions in the next several weeks.

In the real public servant corner are apparently genuine public servants like Mike Pompeo, a first year congressman from Kansas, and Jeff Flake of Arizona. In the business as usual corner are dedicated pork barrel spenders like Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, the powerful head of the House Agriculture Committee. All three of the aforementioned are Republican House members. Two are trying to do what's right, and the most influential is playing the same old game.

If Congress is to be brought under control, we first have to get their attention. Hopefully, that's now occurring. Historically our own short sighted rationally irrational ignorance approach to citizenship has combined with the politicians' help the farmers with OPM to further weaken our country's financial condition.

And as a result of the law of unintended consequences, we've also made life more difficult for farmers in poor countries who can't compete because we pass out "free" foreign aid in the form of subsidized food. And that "free food" is possible since we've given our farmers a much higher than market price for what they've produced. What a sad result. Except for the politicians and the lucky farmers and their lobbyists, of course.

All free market enthusiasts who are concerned about America's fiscal condition should take the time to read and reflect on the contents of both Notable & Quotable and The GOP's Debt Ceiling Divide.

Here's hoping that when the debt ceiling negotiations have been concluded, at least some of the much needed change will have begun with respect to how things are done in Washington. If those members aligned with the positions on agricultural subsidies taken by freshman Pompeo and veteran Flake emerge victorious over people like Lucas, "We the People" will record a "W" as well.

Thanks. Bob.