Outside the Beltway: Missouri’s Mission Impossible – Downsizing Government
Mike Brownfield /
Economic realities are slapping states in the face as they come to terms with the fact that they can’t afford costly government programs amid declining revenues. Though many states are on a path toward economic ruin, some legislators in Missouri are taking heed and cutting spending.
The Associated Press reports that a Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee voted last week to eliminate state funding for several government programs, reducing state expenditures by $506 million.
The committee’s actions are incredibly significant, given the difficulty that comes with eliminating government programs, once enacted. The AP notes that some of the Republican Missouri senators “have resorted to quoting an observation made nearly a half-century ago by Ronald Reagan”:
“Government programs, once launched, never disappear,” the future president said in a 1964 speech in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. “Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”