analysis

Where the money goes

Generally when I debate a statist over the size of government and why we should drastically limit it, I get this response: But how would we pay for roads and the courts? To which I answer: As if that's where 95% of the money is going!

Roads? Courts? Try this:

Control breakdowns over the centrally billed accounts resulted in DOD paying for airline tickets that were not used and not processed for refund. DOD was not aware of this problem before our audit and did not maintain data on unused tickets. We determined, based on airline data, that DOD had purchased—primarily in fiscal years 2001 and 2002—about 58,000 tickets with a residual (unused) value of more than $21 million that remained unused and not refunded as of October 2003. We also identified more than 81,000 partially unused airline tickets with a purchase price of about $62 million that will require additional analysis to determine the residual value. Based on further analysis of the limited data, it is possible that DOD purchased at least $100 million in airline tickets that it did not use and for which it did not claim refunds from fiscal years 1997 through 2003.

What happens when both sides are hypocritical

There are strange things afoot in Washington these days. Congressional Democrats are extolling the virtues of the rule of law, constitutional protections and procedures, and the role of the Senate as a "cooling saucer."

Republicans, on the other hand, are now quoting Stalin, advocating a judicial revolution, violating principles of federalism, and linking arms to protect a majority leader so corrupt, even the Wall Street Journal admits he has an "odor."

This would seem like a momentous turn of events if it wasn't the case that the minority waxes constitutional every time the other party raises its victory flag. In the 90s, the Republicans used the judicial filibuster, opposed foreign interventionism, and had at least a nominal respect for the rule of law and federalism. For God's sake they proposed abolishing the Department of Education! Our Democratic friends supported just about every Clinton-led foreign excursion, a plan to nationalize health care, and opposed the filibuster when it was used by Republicans.

So as we soak up the republican (emphasis on the small "r") talk from the Democrats, let's remember that in Washington, principles are ephemeral.