Insights: Politics—Taboo Topics

Want to stop a presidential candidate in his tracks? Say "China," "drug abuse" or "government waste"

Bill O'Reilly
From the Print Edition:
Kevin Bacon, May/Jun 00

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The third issue that makes the candidates gag is government waste. Democrat Gore is happy with the way the government operates and even wants to add more mammoth programs to its already hefty roster. Republican Bush wants to reform the system but trembles when you ask him which programs have to go, because he knows that to name names would cost him precious votes. Remember: the Democrats are running on massive entitlement programs; they are literally buying votes. If the Republicans threaten to shut down some gravy trains, the passengers onboard those trains may cross the tracks to the other party.

But government waste is staggering and taxes continue to rise because of it. The Senate Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, said that $35 billion was "lost" by the federal government in 1998 alone. Thompson calls that a conservative estimate, because government agencies are not required to keep track of the money "lost" to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.

Here's a great example of what's going on. Last spring, Hillary Clinton, her daughter, Chelsea, and an entourage of 20 traveled to North Africa for 12 days. They visited all the ancient attractions, had some photo-ops with the locals, and Mrs. Clinton made a speech or two. Then they came home, laden with presents and expensive souvenirs. So how much did that cost the taxpayers exactly? Well, nobody knows.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) doesn't know because it does not oversee this kind of trip. The White House doesn't know and didn't like me asking about it. The Secret Service said that its expenses are secret and that it is not required to keep track of what the people it protects spend. I believe it was the most expensive spring break in history, but I can't put a figure to it. The fact is that nobody can.

This happens all the time. Outrageous spending without accountability is a hallmark of our government and has been for decades. There is no government agency in charge of making sure tax dollars are spent effectively. The GAO just counts up the spending and doesn't even insist that the various agencies itemize. Washington is awash in tax money these days, and it is party time in the District.

Yet Gore, like John McCain and Bill Bradley earlier in the primaries, tells us the government doesn't have enough money for entitlements and Social Security to allow any significant tax cuts. Hey, here's a bulletin: taxes could be cut by 20 percent across the board and you'd still be able to fund entitlements and pay down the debt, if somebody would just demand that our tax money be spent responsibly. Next time you see Gore or Bush, ask him if he'll make that demand. And then tell him about the 26,000 dead people who got their food stamps right on time.

Bill O'Reilly is the executive producer and anchor of "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel.

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