Andy et al:
 
As we all "should know", a poltician's (bureaucrat's) primary goal
is to keep himself / herself in office (or in the bureaucratic
position). Any benefit that comes to the general public is solely
an accidental byproduct of that person's activity.
 
Having spent most of my life as a "bureaucrat", I can assure you
that the system is definitely not designed with accountability
to the taxpayer and/or awards/incentives to be cost-efficient.
On the contrary, the awards/incentives go to those who
solidify/expand their empire of employees and sweep
of power.
 
My general theory on voting is  - if they are in office, throw
them out. I figure it will take the newly installed official
a bit of time to learn how to defraud all of us to the extent
that his/her predecessor had been doing. So, for a short
bit, we will be saving ourselves some $$$.
 
You are correct Andy, in the view that every time the
politician gets involved in regulating a consumer product,
you can bet your bippy the cost of that product will go up!
 
Market forces, on the other hand, are very efficient if left
to their own devices.
 
On that cheery note ... Happy New Year to all of us taxpayers!
 
Al,
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