OPINION - It's Appropriations Stupid

This post is about the distraction foisted on the American public by politicians and abetted by news media.

The distraction is the emphasis on our National Budget.

Budgets (home or government) do NOT spend one single penny, not one.  Our federal tax dollars are spent by Appropriation Bills (laws) passed by Congress.

There the total focus on our National Budget is, at least, misleading.  'We the people' and the news media should be paying much more attention to what is happening in the debates and passage of Appropriation Bills.

There are laws on the books that are not funded at all, or are under-funded.  Making these laws ineffectual at best.

The difference between budgets and appropriations are taken advantage by disingenuous politicians.  They vote for a bill, go home and 'brag' that they voted for it (because their constituent's like it), THEN go back and vote AGAINST the appropriation for the same law.

Also note that Appropriation Bills are laws that state what dollars are to be sent on what.  Emphasis, laws.  And our National Debt Limit (aka Debt Ceiling) is about paying today's bills as passed by law, not anything to do with our National Budget.

It's appropriations stupid.