…seems to me like a jolly good idea, and I wish all speed to Senator Frist and S.2590.

Whenever one of these things comes up, though–I mean, some Congressional measure to control, limit, or (as in this case) illuminate gummint spending–I find myself thinking: “Why is this necessary? If these public-spirited ladies & gents in our national legislature want to limit spending, why don’t they just… limit spending? If they want spending numbers to be brought into the open, why don’t they just… bring them into the open?

Why do we need laws for this sort of thing? Isn’t it a bit like the basketball authorities promulgating a new rule that players shall not dunk the ball in their own side’s basket?

Yes, yes, I’ve had the game-theoretic aspect explained to me, and I understand all the pressures of constituencies, lobbies, and campaign funding. Still it seems to me that there is something ludicrous and unsettling about Congress passing laws to oblige Congress not to grossly violate the public interest.