>Government spending has been considered good governance for several decades now.
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>Mike, the problem is that government fraud and government waste/abuse is at record highs. USDA just acknowledged that food stamp fraud has skyrocketed the last few years. Take a look at the billions given away (with political pretenses) to the dozens of failed green energy companies under the federal stimulus (it wasn't just Solyndra, there were about 25 others). There are many, many examples of this, far more than can be referenced in one post.
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>I'm not against stimulus plans - they helped certain states to balance budgets, pay for roads, pay for upgrading police computer systems, etc. Those were good uses of money. It's at the federal level where the culture is far different.
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>And in fairness, the Bush administration spent a ton of money on P.R. campaigns to get people to approve of the Iraqi wars.
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>It is not a Democrat/Republican thing - it is a mindset of the federal model where they believe they can piss away our money on unsound ventures.
>
>While I had many concerns about Mitt Romney, there's no question that he could have brought a level of fiscal responsibility.

>>the problem is that government fraud and government waste/abuse is at record highs

I'd like to see some numbers on the waste.
When you're old enough to retire, Kevin, you'll find that the Social Security people will fight you tooth and nail to avoid having to send a check to your house. They want only direct deposit.
Ditto with the VA.
Think of the savings there ... tens of millions of letters per month.
Ditto with the IRS.
More and more tax returns are filed electronically.
Almost all employer withholdings and contributions are now paid electronically.
My son runs a business and I do his accounting. The IRS and the states want everything to be done electronically.
I rarely put a stamp on an envelope for this company.
If you think that government employees are goof-offs, go to a VA hospital sometime and watch the MD's and nurses. They run their butts off.

Of course there's fraud, but let's look at the private sector too.
Do you remember a big 8 accounting firm named Arthur Andersen?
Enron?
Show me some government frauds in their league.