Are politicians able to effect any real change in the size of government and its spending .?

Answer 1

Yes. If they cared more about doing the right and constitutinoal thing instead of worrying about getting re-elected, the gov't wouldn't be the corrupt and all-instrusive behemoth that it has now become.

Answer 2

The size of the government and the run away spending are a juggernaut... a massive leviathan that has gathered momentum and is vrtually unstoppable.

Most politicains won't face the necessity of cutting the government down because they will be seen as "reducing services". Even though the government is involved in many endeavors it should not be in. Unburdening the government from those self-assigned duties would reduce the tax payers burden.

Answer 3

Not since the 1960s when we changed the budget process from "Zero Base Budgeting" to "Current Services Budgeting". Under ZBB, Congress had to start every agency at $0 and decide how much they should spend on it and its services for that bugetary cycle. Under CSB, it is automatically assumed that we want every agency to work at least at what is was the previous buget cycle. That encourages agencies to find Congressmen who will make them a "sacred cow". They end up jockeying to expand the size of their pet agencies which already get modest budget increases to maintain "Current Services" (hence the name) based on the rate of inflation. Unless you can get enough Congressmen together to actually de-fund and eliminate an agency, get it through the Senate and have the President sign it, they will simply grow larger every year and consume more of our tax dollars.

Answer 4

I feel the key is term limits. Lets eliminate the career politicians and things will get better.

Answer 5

No Way

Answer 6

YES, they make it bigger and spend more every year.