Politicians always say they will cut government spending by rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

North Carolina is facing a big budget deficit, and an excellent place to start cutting would be a chunk of spending at North Carolina State, namely the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. My colleague Jenna Robinson writes about the NCCE in today’s Pope Center piece. She shows that this relic of the days when farmers supposedly needed government assistance has morphed into something different, a program pushing statist themes about “civic engagement” and “sustainability.”

I say ax the NCCE’s budget. Farmers can pay for any assistance they might need, and leftists can pony up their own money to spread their ideology.

I would also bet you’d find similar stuff going on in many other states.