[BartSimpson]

Kind of a cool link...

http://www.dirtyspendingsecrets.com/

Ignore the spam spiel at the end. It's the amazingly unreal things the US is spending borrowed money on that just gall me.

I'll also note that while the site pokes at 'liberals' I'm sure I'd find no end of Republicans voting for some, if not all, of these things.

[andyt]

Every government, regardless of left or right does this. That's how you stay in power - greasing palms. Harper bloated the size of the civil service and increased govt spending even before the recession and the stimulus money. Bush was spending like a drunken sailor too.

I agree that there is all kinds of crap to be cut here (sanding the beaches might be a good idea for tourism). But that's not what gets cut, because it brings in middle class votes in important districts. What gets cut are social progams, which only cause more social problems down the road. The rich and middle class are entirely addicted to getting bribed with their own money. You can elect the meanest teabagger of them all, and this bullshit will continue, just directed at keeping him/her in power.

[bootlegga]

andyt wrote:

Every government, regardless of left or right does this. That's how you stay in power - greasing palms. Harper bloated the size of the civil service and increased govt spending even before the recession and the stimulus money. Bush was spending like a drunken sailor too.

I agree that there is all kinds of crap to be cut here (sanding the beaches might be a good idea for tourism). But that's not what gets cut, because it brings in middle class votes in important districts. What gets cut are social progams, which only cause more social problems down the road. The rich and middle class are entirely addicted to getting bribed with their own money. You can elect the meanest teabagger of them all, and this bullshit will continue, just directed at keeping him/her in power.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Freakinoldguy]

I got em all right, what did I win?