Better government, not more or less government

Peter Diamond has hit the nail on the head.  The furor over more or less government is simply that, furor.  It does not solve any of our problems.  Another thing that seldom solves our problems are Congressional commissions, such as Simpson-Bowles.  Diamond advocates commissions made up of a variety of people (none of whom are sitting legislators) who focus on manageable tasks.  His example is the Base Closure and Realignment Commissions which worked on better use of our military bases in this country.  The fundamental problem with Congressional commissions is the emphasis on being re-elected, rather than solving problems.