I'm beginning to think some congress critters believe money grows on trees. Reminds me of my friends son when he was just 7 or 8 years old. My friend was trying to teach his son that money does not grow on trees.
His son begged to differ. Said money is made out of paper and paper is made from trees.
Who would have thought that some of our congress critters and 8 year olds have something in common.
There's a different lesson here.
Negative reinforcement can deter bad behaviors/decisions.
Positive reinforcement can encourage good behaviors/decisions.
Consistency is key in teaching good behaviors and stopping bad ones.
From what we've been witnessing, there are no negative consequences for any of the bad decisions made in government, particularly Congress.
As for money, the above applies to our budgeting process which includes revenue (taxes) and funding. As long as the gov't has the credit to keep borrowing, there will be no end in sight. Each time a party tries to rein them in, the other side starts in with the Washington Monument Syndrome.
"If you cut the budget, the things people need or want the most will be the first to go away."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument_syndrome