February 25, 2011 4:26PM 

# This Week in Government Failure 

By [Tad DeHaven](https://www.cato.org/people/tad-dehaven) 

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Over at [Downsizing Government](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/), we focused on the following issues this week:

- On [getting out](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/getting-out-afghanistan) of Afghanistan.
- [$61 billion in spending cuts](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/61-billion-cuts-perspective) amounts to less than a third of what taxpayers will pay in interest on the debt alone this year.
- The political stakes in the latest [debt ceiling game](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/the-debt-ceiling-game) are high. The consequences of failing to use it as an opportunity to start reining in the federal government are even higher.
- The [IRS](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/irs-handing-out-free-candy) is handing out “free” candy.
- New data from the [Federal Aviation Administration](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/air-traffic-control-errors) shows that reported air traffic control errors have increased by 81 percent since 2007.

##### Related Tags 

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

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