Harvey Spending

I've often heard people lament the problem of why better people don't run for office. Why do the best and brightest people seem to go into the business world, or academia? That leaves us at the mercy of either the idle rich, or the egomaniacs to roam the corridors of power in Washington. Well, an obvious answer can be found in a recent example of what just happened to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

I should say at the outset that I am not a fan of Mr. Cruz. He seems to me to be a socially awkward, Dracula-Esk, smartest kid in the class know-it-all. In addition, he creeps me out for some reason. So, using him as an example is probably ill-advised. But, his example is just the closest at hand. What is happening to him happens to a lot of politicians in Washington, from both sides of the aisle. 

So, here's the deal...

In 2012, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Senator refused to vote for the giant disaster recovery appropriation bill that was rammed through Congress, on the basis that, according to Cruz, 60% of the money wasn't even going directly to the victims of Sandy, but were what amounted to a grab bag of spending that under normal conditions would not have been approved. Now, that his state is the one in need of disaster relief, he is pounding the drums the loudest for...federal spending! What a hypocrite!!...right?

Well, it's not that simple. In true Cruzian fashion, back in 2012, his 60% number was overblown. But, on the merits, he was absolutely right. Whenever some disaster befalls this country, the federal government is expected to step in with an emergency appropriation to help the people rebuild. This takes the form of flood insurance, low cost loans, etc.. But, it also is an occasion for often ridiculous overreach. You've been having a hard time getting the government to fund your pet project for the folks back home? Attach that baby to the disaster relief bill, then dare anyone to vote against it! In the case of Sandy, only a portion of the funds made available were actually spent to relieve the immediate suffering of its victims. In fact, the majority of the funds were not even meant to be spent until three years later, and much of it was earmarked for 47 other states not named New Jersey. So, yes...Ted Cruz is creepy. But, he was right about the Sandy disaster recovery bill being a wasteful mountain of pork masquerading as disaster relief. Sorry.

When trying to explain how a country as rich and prosperous as the United States finds itself 20 trillion dollars in debt, it's a bit like trying to explain why water is wet. It's not just one thing. Pointless, unending wars certainly don't help. A tax code that gives write offs to people who don't need them doesn't help. But, pork barrel rolling is the engine that drives the insolvency train. The path to debt is paved with big-hearted emergency spending that isn't. And nothing creates a greater opportunity for pork barrel spending than a crisis. The idea of only passing a relief bill with targeted spending for actual relief victims would seem like a wise move. The fact that anyone who suggests such a thing is a heartless, hypocritical ogre is the kind of thing I suspect keeps an awful lot of talented, wonderful people from entering politics.

Of course, if my government is going to start throwing money it doesn't  have around, I suppose throwing that money at those suffering in Texas is preferable to throwing it around in Afghanistan. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.