[chiefalchemist]

That's a different issue. This is both parties "conspiring" on an excessive DoD budget and then both actively partaking in the adding on frivolity. And then the POTUS gladly signs off.

This is the Politics Industrial Complex at its finest.

[favorited]

There is no conspiring, there is no conspiracy. There is, however, a must-pass bill which can bypass some political roadblocks, so common-sense riders get attached to those bills.

If we had a functional government, this could have been passed with the regular Senate rules. We don’t, so it gets attached to something that’s going to pass anyway, because no one is gonna fight on behalf of sharkers.

[chiefalchemist]

You'll find the bits about The Politics Industrial Complex interesting. Perhaps not a "conspiracy" per se, but the game tilts itself in favor of itself. That being normalized doesn't make it right.

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/im-your-biggest-fan/