Former Reason colleagues Bill Eggers and John O’Leary have a typically excellent (for them) column in Governing magazine–Serious Cost Cutters Only, Please.
This fall, a number of new mayors and governors will be coming into office facing high unemployment and a big blotch of red ink on their budgets. Some may be tempted to find ever more creative ways to “kick the can” down the road by avoiding pension contributions, or by translating a long-term revenue stream into a one-time windfall.
This column is not for them.
This column is for those public leaders who are looking to make structural changes that will bend the cost curve of government down. The key is to find ways to deliver essential public services, to work within the boundaries of the politically possible and to execute a serious initiative to streamline public spending.