Choice detail: Using Our Tax Dollars Wisely

Choice 3: Remove Temptation: Change The Incentives For How Our Leaders Spend Our Money

As things stand now, there are too many incentives to avoid making politically tough decisions or wasting the nation’s finances on pet projects. If we remove the most corrupting influences and incentives from the political system, and create new incentives for responsible behavior, we can expect politicians to exercise better judgment in how they manage the nation’s finances.

Since many Americans do not trust most politicians to use good judgment, we should create rules and procedures that require them to act responsibly.
 


Therefore, we should:

  • Reform campaign finances. Elections are so expensive that candidates can’t help but become dependent on big donors. We should reform campaigns so politicians are less beholden to big campaign donors and therefore less tempted to propose and back spending bills to keep donors happy.
  • Tighten ethics and lobbying rules. There should be severe penalties for politicians who abuse the system in regard to conflict of interest.
  • Create positive incentives. The public should reward politicians who manage the nation’s finances responsibly through their votes. Moreover, we should provide bonuses to government bureaucrats who improve efficiency and save the nation money by figuring out how to do more with less.
  • Reduce political partisanship.This affects the management of the nation’s finances.

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