The mechanism technically exists but we haven't had a budget vote in years. We get "continuing resolutions" and periodic government shutdown brinksmanship games.

“People” aren’t really involved. Thanks to the gerrymander (which has now been full-throatedly embraced by the party that used to rightly call it out), the people’s votes don’t really matter. The congresspeople’s votes theoretically do, but they’re mainly just bought by the lobbyists who fund their primary campaigns.

What’s missing is the incentive. The budget and deficit increase regardless of who is in office because all the incentives are for it to increase.

> The budget is voted on by Congress literally every single year.

A formal budget hasn't been voted on and passed by Congress in decades.

You're likely thinking of "continuing resolutions" and omnibus bills, neither of which are "budgets" by Congress's own defintions but function similarly:

The first - a continuing resolution - just continues spending as is, no chance to change or cut.

The second - an omnibus bill - is a big conglomoration of requests and projects with minimal chances to change things.

You are 100% correct on the lack of political will to be able to change things. Frankly, I believe that a) too many people have their hands in the pot or b) they fundraise off the real/perceived problems, so the motivation to fix anything is minimal.

Ref: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/01/congress-...

Could it be ... gut the federal government like it was a leveraged buyout and then steal everyone's money?

Certainly seems to be.

That's it. That is the goal. You found it.

Hear me out: there is no goal. Half your income is spent on supporting an elaborate jobs program of self-licking ice cream cones.

It’s bad when the government does those things. That doesn’t change the fact that no such feedback mechanism exists for the government, which comprises almost 40% of GDP (in the U.S. including state and local).

The government should NEVER bail out a private business of any kind. There should also be no limited liability for companies... that would prevent issues where an owner abuses the environment then walks away with the fortune he made while the company goes bankrupt from lawsuits.