July 26, 2010 11:12AM 

# Controversy? Or Confidence Game? 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

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While Washington, D.C. and the newstalk-osphere are gripped by the story of forced-out USDA bureaucrat Shirley Sherrod, six appropriations subcommittees have advanced FY 2011 spending bills that will collectively spend over $4,000 per U.S. family. (They’ll get to the big ones later.)

[Are you paying attention](http://www.washingtonwatch.com/blog/2010/07/25/reverse-racism-journalistic-ethics-are-you-missing-something/)? What are you paying attention to?

There are important social and political kernels within the Sherrod story (and “Journolist”), but in the context of Washington policymaking, they might just be [distraction](http://money.howstuffworks.com/pickpocket1.htm).

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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