This week the Austin American-Statesman published a report on the City of Austin's plan to eliminate all garbage sent to landfills by the year 2040. In essence, nothing will be wasted: everything will be somehow reused, recycled or composted. Now that's a fresh idea for any government!

But is reduction of waste, especially in spending, a priority for our elected leaders? I wish it were so! Our governments at all levels are notorious for their waste and lack of accountability to the public for their decisions and for the taxes and fees we pay.

Consider these examples:

• A couple of weeks ago, the cost of state removal of over 400 children from the Eldorado, TX FLDS compound was estimated at $7.5 million. In Schlechter County, the epicenter of this event and where the annual budget is only $3.5 million, current expense is estimated at $2.25 million, not including court costs. What will the citizens there do if the state does not pitch in dollars from its funds? And what if this week's appeals court ruling (the state did not have legal authority to do what it did) stands? This money will largely have been wasted.
• Friday's (5/23) Austin American-Statesman reported that some $8.2 billion (!!) in taxpayer money the Army spent on contractors in Iraq could not be properly accounted for. Where did this huge amount of money go? The article surely implies that some of the money was likely wasted.
• Our Congressmen include in bills, often at the last minute, monies for special projects in their home districts. These projects used to be called "pork." "Earmark" sounds better, doesn't it? Since 1991, the group Citizens Against Government Waste says that since 1991 national legislation has included more than $100 billion spent on "pork." The Taxpayers for Common Sense website says that bills passed in the fiscal year 2008 included over 11,000 "earmarks" that cost taxpayers $18.3 billion. It seems that reducing waste takes a back seat to getting reelected!

My issue is this: when will the people we elect to represent us actually do so? When will they understand that they are elected to be good stewards of the money that flows into government coffers? The Bible principle on stewardship is applicable to elected officials: "It is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2)

Wouldn't it be refreshing if our leaders at all levels would aim at eliminating waste?

Jim Gilbert, http://HeartofAustinHomes.com