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April 11, 2005
Gotta Nuke Somethin'
Fans of 'The Simpsons' doubtless recall Lisa's short-lived infatuation with Springfield bully Nelson Muntz. For reasons unknown, Lisa found herself attracted to the town bully and so she determined to seduce him and then change him to better reflect her values. Her first foray was to Nelson's home, where she was appalled to see a poster on his wall that proclaimed 'Nuke the whales.'
"You don't really believe that, do you," Lisa asked.
Nelson's response: "Gotta nuke somethin'," a rejoinder for which Lisa had no answer.
A post from John Cole is illustrative of the problems we will always face in attempts to cut the budget. Inspired by Amydala's Gary Farber, John notes that cutting the budget for the Voyager deep space probe is a bad place to start. I happen to agree with Gary and John that cutting Voyager isn't a great idea. On the cost-benefit scale, a few million dollars is a good exchange for the additional data we can garner from the probe. Given that the data is irreplaceable, it's hard to argue in favor of cutting the funding.
The same can be said of just about any government program. Any government program has at least a few people who think it's vital: those people it employs. Generally you can add to that the people who gain some benefit from the program, whether they be farmowners who collect subsidy checks, Social Security recipients, or space enthusiasts. The nature of government guarantees that costs are widely distributed while benefits are tightly focused. Which means that cutting any government spending pits a small number of people who stand to lose a lot against a diffuse number of people none of whom will gain much.
As I said above, I agree with John and Gary that Voyager is a terrible place to start cutting government spending. But when push comes to shove, wherever we start cutting government spending it will upset people. Therefore, if we're actually going to start cutting spending, we're going to have to be willing to start with programs that matter to us if we're to have any hope of success. The politics of budgeting guarantee that we have to demonstrate our own willingness to sacrifice before anyone else will get on board.
Posted at April 11, 2005 10:41 AM
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In the end, a kindler, gentler and more sophisticated Nelson and Lisa had to pragmatically accept their destinies and part ways (hence the title "Lisa's Date With D-e-n-sity").
Gov't and the leeches (made up of democrats and republicans) cannot change their stripes, any more than Nelson. Nobody is really talking about cutting spending. Cutting programs, maybe. But those are two different things.
Only the recipients of the welfare can really change the system. Walk away. Drop that phone, laptop or gun and stop taking the paycheck. I did. The single biggest limiting factor on Pax Americana is that the regulars, Reservists and Guard aren't going to play that game. One can only hope.
Posted by: Steve at April 11, 2005 10:25 PM
The problem with cutting voyager, isn't just that it's short sighted, it's that truely the science is irreplacable. If we wanted to send another probe into the outer solar system your talking 7-12 years at a minimum to replace the data we're getting now. There simply is better things to cut.
Posted by: Asteele at April 12, 2005 12:23 AM
There is a tonnage of war profiteering, and corporate pork that enriches a very few people, then there is all that propoganda, automated congressional salaries, the President's unlimited travel expenses and the perks and bennies that go along with the cabinet jobs...
Then there is the perverse redirection of our money called the Medicare drug plan, Lots of unnecessary wars... George Bush is also a very extravagant person when it comes to his own desires. Jimmy Breslin wrote a column about how much it cost to cover the ground with shredded bark so that Georgies shoes wouldn't touch the ground for the twenty minutes he was in Central Park.
What about the bridge that was built for a single photo op or the Governors conference where we forked out $43.00 a head for three glasses of wine
http://grannyinsanity.blogspot.com/2005/03/dinner-with-president.html
That is where the cutting should begin.
Posted by: grannyinsanity at April 13, 2005 07:19 AM
Why not start with the descretionary add-ons to the defense budget? What did McCain say we were doing in pork this year, over $20 billion? and they go for this small potatoes Voyager satellite.
Posted by: J. at April 14, 2005 09:01 AM
I know this has nothing to do with the price of eggs, but Lisa did have an answer; a sarcastic "Touche"
Posted by: bridgecross at April 14, 2005 09:04 AM
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