City of DC Will Spend Your Money So It Doesn’t Have To Spend Its Own

Who didn’t guess this would happen?

D.C. officials say any federal stimulus funds provided for schools and bridges in the District will enable them to drop their own funding plans for such projects and divert the money to help plug other gaps in their 2010 budget.

I’m a little disappointed, though. I expected more from a place with license plates that read “No Taxation without Representation”.

Really, though, D.C. isn’t unique. It’s just the first jurisdiction to let slip what should have been painfully obvious to everyone: If given the chance to use your tax money to quietly paper over their incompetence and corruption with your money, government officials will take it without a moment’s hesitation. They do it because it means they never have to make a difficult choice or tell the voters that they can’t have everything they want.

The government of Washington DC, though it has gotten orders of magnitude more competent in recent years, is only now learning how to open its schools on time, plow its own roads, and field an effective police force. Letting them avoid the consequences of their foolish spending habits isn’t going to make them any more competent. In fact, it’ll do just the opposite.

Other Posts of Interest:

• Two Tales of 50 Million Dollars.
• Harry Reid Embarrases Himself Again
• No More Money for Highways.

Tags: Big Government, Democrats, Government Bailouts, Washington DC

Category: Our New Democratic Overlords, The Economy and Your Money