It's All About Efficiency

The Center for American Progress has a new survey out purporting to show Americans are more concerned with government performance than it's actual size.  On the surface, I've gotta disagree somewhat with their conclusions.

I think people want more efficient government.  And they equate efficiency with smaller government, incorrectly I might add.  For the most part I don't think anyone cares if the government has 5 agencies or 5 million, as long as they aren't wastefully inefficient.

This is something I've been saying for a long time.  I'm not sure there is any way to shrink government but making it more efficient is very possible.  That's why I cringe when I hear so-called conservatives talk about shrinking government so much.  What are they going to eliminate?  I know, I know.  They talk about cutting this program and that program but in reality they have done no such thing-- and never will.

Since 1980 America has experienced 20 years of conservative rule (8 years of Reagan, 4 years of Bush followed by 8 years of Bush II).  During all 20 of those years government grew only bigger and more expensive.  So I'm not talking about the fake Republican trash talk.  I'm talking about actual, substantitve policy that has led to shrinking government.  And it's no where to be found.

Not to harp too much on the inability to shrink government, I personally don't think it's possible.  Like I said, what are we going to cut?  How are we going to make it smaller?  The only way is to reduce the waste, more specifically the wasteful spending and its various inabilities.  And really that equates to making government more efficient than it does to making government smaller or bigger.  Efficiency is the key.

Saying that you want smaller government is a fantasy pipe dream served on a platter daily by Rush Limbaugh.  Leave those wackos in the basement where they belong.  Saying you want government to be more efficient is a substantive goal that could or could not result in bigger or smaller government, and neither matter.  The point being, size is irrelevant as long at it works.  The motion in the ocean and whatnot.