How Trump Happened - a response from a Baby Boomer
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Cronyism is not just a problem at the state and local level. It is a major problem on the Federal level, too. Just look at the F35 combined use fighter. There are numerous articles ([^][^][^] to highlight a few) of all political stripes showing how the cost per plane has ballooned and why this white elephant is politically "impossible to cancel." And it is not just the Department of Defense. Every Federal office that lets contracts has been shown to have this problem.
The standard answer for this problem is investigative journalism and a public that wants to hear about these stories. Unfortunately, these stories seldom fit the current mode of "sound bite" journalism. The media, with all its concentration on national politics, is ignoring the cronyism and corruption behind much of the Federal government's spending. My guess is that news organization management is either afraid of the political heat they may receive or, because they are owned by the same corporate overlords as the contractors, have been ordered to stay away from those stories.
State and local corruption also manages to hide in plain sight from the media.
The big stories on the local news are often nasty auto accidents, violent crime and sports, especially when a fight breaks out on the field or in the stands. A person who steals $50 from a local convenience store gets more air time and more prison time than the person who steals millions of dollars from some level of government. Most people who steal big from governments are so politically protected that they will never even be accused, arrested or charged.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock
It's really simple welfare. In someone's state those unwanted planes were being built and jobs were there. One of the problems is that long-ago compromise that gave every state the same number of senators. And, if I recall correctly, the count of electors is number Senators + number congressmen. This crappy arrangement give way too much voice to way too few people in the sparsely populated states. Depending upon where you live, your vote could count 10 times as much as another citizen's vote. The federal waste will be greatly mitigated when the individual states stop getting too much say in where the money's to be spent (on themselves) instead of where it's needed.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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It's really simple welfare. In someone's state those unwanted planes were being built and jobs were there. One of the problems is that long-ago compromise that gave every state the same number of senators. And, if I recall correctly, the count of electors is number Senators + number congressmen. This crappy arrangement give way too much voice to way too few people in the sparsely populated states. Depending upon where you live, your vote could count 10 times as much as another citizen's vote. The federal waste will be greatly mitigated when the individual states stop getting too much say in where the money's to be spent (on themselves) instead of where it's needed.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
The F35 project is just one example. I could easily have given an example from any Cabinet-level executive department. The problem is similar, and not just confined to the Federal government – it affects all fifty states, their counties and cities.
The problem of Flint's or Philadelphia's (and probably hundreds of other) water systems are not a Federal one. The problem of Detroit's or Camden's or Los Angeles' or some other city's failing schools is not a Federal problem. The Federal government is ill-equipped to solve these because what works in one place may not work in another, yet the Federal response must be one-size-fits-all.
Too many people seem to believe that government is a herd of cash cows that they can milk with impunity. We-the-People need to become more active in keeping a watchful eye on those who would squander or even outright steal our tax money.
__________________ Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now. © 2009, Rex Hammock