No surprise: Problem with bureaucracy? Absolutely no control.

Is anyone really shocked to know that the government spent out more than $125 billion in improper payments?

While there were all kinds of places where money was misspent, some of the biggest problems were in the benefit programs the government oversees.

One of the most interesting is the SSI or disability insurance program, which was one with a multibillion-dollar problem.

What is so interesting about that? Officials are predicting that program will be bankrupt sooner rather than later.

The reason so many people are so determined to reduce the amount of government programs is not because they do not want to help those who are struggling. It is that they do not want to help those who are cheating -- and they do not trust the government to make sure it is not happening.

It is also why so many people are worried that the new Obamacare program will end up with the same problem. The first glimpse of that came this year when thousands of people found out they did not qualify for the discounts they claimed when they signed up for benefits.

The bottom line is that we do not have money to waste. There has to be a better way to make sure benefits get to the people who need them and who earn them.

Once we can solve that problem, we can talk about how to make sure the programs we have better serve the people -- and taxpayers.

Published in Editorials on March 17, 2015 10:30 AM