The Cowboy Poetry Festival
The world makes sense to me now. Well maybe not the entire world, but at least the government budgetary process. This week, we learned why it is become next to impossible, if not completely impossible, to cut back on any of the federal budget. We will have to keep borrowing $.40 of every dollar spent. Any further tax reductions will become a thing of the past. Senate majority leader Harry Reid brought it home for America-the Cowboy Poetry Festival.
Oh give me a poem, about the buffalo home. Where deer and the antelope stay. Where seldom I hear, a complaint about beer. And the Marlboros are fresh every day. How's that for an entry?
No amount of discretionary spending can be cut because of a program like the cowboy poetry festival. This somehow enhances the arts and humanities to such a degree that it brings tens of thousands of people to northern Nevada. Actual numbers may vary.
But when you hear of such a program like the cowboy poetry Festival, someone with common sense would begin to think that this is a program that can easily be cut in today's era of overspending. So why does the Senate majority leader come out in defense of this? Of course, it's pork. On the other hand, a leader in today's crises would stand up and make the tough decision to end the cowboy poetry Festival. Is it really that tough? This shows the complete absence of leadership when it comes to reigning in spending and taking control of government programs. So let's ask ourselves, did we really expect more from Democrats?
With the absurdity of how this program is being handled, it is clear and easy to conclude that we will not be getting our federal spending under control anytime soon. If a program like this festival cannot be cut, what can be? Certainly not entitlements.
We are at least one more election cycle away to a shift in which we can have serious discussions about ending frivolous programs like the Cowboy Poetry Festival. If this program is federally subsidized, why wouldn't Summerfest be subsidized? That could knock a buck off the admission price of tickets and bring home some pork for Wisconsin. That would assume that we had senators from Wisconsin who are interested in bringing home some federal money for their state. We would have to take that step first.
One thing we can conclude is that wasteful spending is here to stay. Even if we cut subsidies for home heating oil for the poor, like President Obama proposes, we would have to refund that program also because it's going to hurt the children. A recent report tells us that a record number of children, 41%, is now eligible for meal assistance. Are we still unclear that the country is going in the wrong direction?
We are completely confused about our national priorities. But in case were not, I will conclude with another entry: a horse is a horse, of course, of course. But no one can talk to a horse, of course. Unless, of course, the horse, the horse, is the famous Mister Ed.(As you can see, a beautiful poem can be written with words that have few rhymes.) Next January I bring home the trophy.
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