Washington is once again facing a potential shutdown. Funding for the federal government will run out in early March unless the House and Senate can bridge their differences and pass spending legislation.
At the same time, the city of San Francisco seems to have few problems doling out huge amounts to well-connected activist groups and hard-left ideologues.
While those two realities might seem disconnected, there are important links between them.
Disagreements over federal spending focus on how to divide taxpayer dollars between national defense, veterans benefits, and the bureaucracies that operate a nearly endless array of social and economic programs.
While spending bills crafted by House Republicans would impose commonsense cuts to many wasteful and unnecessary programs, the Senate’s bills are loaded with budget gimmicks and pork-barrel projects.
The…
