Every little bit helps Seriously though, I agree with you that we must cut our entitlement programs, but disagree that this is as simple as cutting the amount of money directed to such programs. Increased efficiency and elimination of waste are paramount.

I’ll agree with you that many of those things seem like a waste of money. But like I said, they are a drop in the bucket when it comes to entitlement programs and eliminating discretionary like that will have little effect on our deficit.

The point I am trying to make is that people see pork barrel spending as bad if it goes to another state but a good thing if it comes to their district. We all must be willing to give up little but more importantly we need to get a hold on our growing entitlement programs. Saving $200K here or there, while it sounds nice, really has no meaningful effect on our budget.

When you say there there doesn’t need to be any cuts in services what you mean is that there doesn’t need to be any cuts in services that you think are a priority as long as we cut spending on things you consider wasteful. Unfortunately, those things you consider wasteful are important to other people. Why else would politicians fight to maintain spending in those areas. And let’s face it- true ‘wasteful’ spending makes up a small part of our budget. Entitlement programs are the greatest burden for our budget and will only grow more onerous. If we made meaningful reform in entitlement programs do you really think that people wouldn’t see that as reduction in government services.

We have the politicians we deserve because we elect them and we provide the incentives for them to act in the way they do. We say, “cut taxes and cut spending… but not this spending that I derive benefit from because it is actually an important thing to spend money on.”

I will grant you that defense spending is excessive but we must all be willing to shoulder the burden of reduced government benefits or increased taxes. Until we are willing to do that, no meaningful progress can be made in addressing our debt and deficit problem. Our gluttonous appetite for a free lunch must end.

That said, Jay Gatsby is very correct about the general attitude many people display about government: we want it all, but we don’t want to pay for it. One might argue that they only want necessary services, but who decides what is necessary? Clearly you think the library is a necessary service. What about someone who never uses the library? They might argue it is unnecessary and should be cut. Or someone who homeschools? Maybe they don’t feel the public educational system is necessary.

It is absolutely our responsibility to be politically active, and politics absolutely has an effect on our finances. That doesn’t mean it is always the right thing – politically, or financially – to fight for what is most obviously financially beneficial to you as an individual.

There do not need to be ANY cuts in services if we insist on two things: (1) cut wasteful spending, and (2) reallocate spending to support needed services. Unfortunately, our elected officials do not have the political willpower to make hard decisions. This is because they are, by their very nature, political animals whose decisions are swayed by opinion polls (or whoever can get more voters to the polls). For example, do we need to spend $500+ billion on defense? No, but there are tens of thousands of jobs dependent on weapons programs for enemies that no longer exist.

This is a personal finance blog. Imagine someone asking for advice about their personal finances but their preconditions are that: 1) they refuse to cut their spending in any way and, 2) they refuse to increase their income at all. Could you help them at all? Probably not. But that is what we are asking of our elected officials- no cuts in spending and no increase in revenue.

Expressing our dissent is our political right but with that right comes responsibilities. We must stop demanding so much in the way of services from our government or we must be willing to pay for them. We are acting like children, wanting things without any regard to how it will be paid for or who will have to pay it.