The IRS is taking in more money than ever, the headlines tell us. Yet we are also still running a deficit, and expect to run a deficit, apparently, for as long as the sun rises in the East.  

It seems that there is no limit to how much politicians and the bureaucracy think they should collect and control.   Jaw-dropping example of government waste – from the military paying the paupers at the National Football League millions to publicly salute our troops to the scandalous misuse of money that was supposed to build ObamaCare exchanges in Oregon, Hawaii, and elsewhere – are so commonplace that jaws hardly drop any more. 

Ho hum, just another story of grotesque abuse of the public trust and the mismanagement of government resources.

Americans need to get back to expecting more from our political system.  When a family or a small business or organization faces a budget squeeze, we know that there are two ways to balance the budget.  It’s great, of course, if you can figure out ways to increase income.  But most often we have to focus on the other side of the ledger and figure out where we can cut back and do more with less. 

Does anyone in government even know there is another side to the ledger?

Apparently not in Pennsylvania, where policymakers are pushing through a 65% increase of the wireless fees that fund the emergency call system.  Never mind that Pennsylvania already collects the second most wireless fees of any state.  Why should anyone bother trying to figure out how to do a better job with the nearly $200 million they are already collecting each year when it’s so easy to ask taxpayers to fork over more?

Taxpayers need to say enough is enough.  No more tax increases until policymakers demonstrate that they are at least a little serious about using that money wisely.  That’s really not too much to ask.