Timber Subsidy Becomes Vast Entitlement (here in New Mexico)

My friend Steve Ellis at Taxpayers for Common Sense blew the whistle on an ever-expanding timber subsidy program. It is a case-study of how political log-rolling in Congress makes it difficult for fiscal conservatives to win the day in Washington. The best we can ask for in reforming Washington is for citizen outrage to strip all powers not outlined in the US Constitution from Congress and demand that if spending is to happen, we need to pay for it and do so locally.

Here are a few choice facts from the article: Catron County, NM receives $1,883 per person per year under this program, the highest in the nation. Of course, New Mexico’s two senators (at the time they were Domenici and Bingaman) served as chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate committee that rewrote the timber payments formula.

New Mexico’s increase under the new formula was 692 percent.