Can Governments Cut Wasteful Spending?
Editor’s note: Dr. Mike Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics of N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His “You Decide” commentary is regularly published in LTW. RALEIGH, N.C. — I like presidential campaigns. Obviously, from my professional point of view, interesting policy proposals are discussed. But the excitement, drama and unexpected twists and turns in these big-time contests also spark my interest, and this year’s presidential election will be the 10th in which I will vote. While the tactics, technology and styles of presidential campaigns may have changed over the decades, some elements remain the same. One is the recommendation to reduce or eliminate wasteful government spending. Calls by candidates to clamp down on waste always receive big rounds of applause. And for good reason. If wasteful government spending is identified and removed
