I remember back-to-school shopping before I got my first job. When my mom purchased my clothing for me, I never blinked an eye at the price tags. If it was cute, I just pleaded with my mom to buy it for me. Then, when I got a job and had to begin kicking in money for my own clothing, I eyed price tags and "cute" suddenly correlated with price! Talk about sticker shock! "$35 for a shirt?" I'd say (back in 1980), and throw the item disgustedly back on the rack and move on.
I wish this is how our government had to shop for goods and services -- as if it were with their own money -- not with ours. Because, if it were with their own money, I don't think we'd see such ineptitude, carelessness, waste and excessive largess.
It seems like every week, I read article after article about government overpayments, fake make work contracts (instead of real job contracts), how some government agency is wasting money making line dance videos, making costly errors with taxpayer money, overpaying bureaucrats, or awarding contracts to undeserving cronies.
Instead of mea culpa, the government form of, "oopsie," why not make our government eat it when they cause these costly errors? Make it where setting it to rights has to come out of these bonuses, perks, and other "goodies" that our government "friends" get? It's still taxpayer money, but it hits a little closer to home, the offender's own wallet . . . and strikes at the heart of the matter: accountability.
In the latest kerfuffle -- the border crisis in Texas -- if these children are ever sent back to their countries of origin, why must it be at the taxpayer's expense? I would suggest that either the countries the children hail from be billed for their housing and transportation, or the lawmakers who are in favor of this surge have it deducted from their pension packages, etc. Perhaps then, like Teenage Marie, some of these higher ticket items will stay on the rack!
--MS