Mississippi politics: The fantasy of "waste, fraud and abuse" savings

Lloyd Gray has the following very worthwhile observations in a column specifically on current budget debates in Mississippi: State budget battle raises basic questions Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal 10/03/04.  But the general thought applies in other states, as well, including California:

Ask most Mississippians and they'll tell you they want high quality public schools, universities and community colleges and are willing to pay for them. Most will tell you they want a good system of well-maintained highways. They support health care for the elderly, disabled and the mentally ill. And they want strong law enforcement and sufficient prisons to incarcerate dangerous criminals.

These are the things that make up the overwhelming share of the state budget. And when folks who think eliminating "waste, fraud and abuse" is all it takes to shape up a budget start looking at the numbers, they find such savings don't come in clumps of hundreds of millions of dollars.

We are at a time when this political warfare within state government must engage the larger population. What is it that we expect from state government? What is it that we're willing to do without? Are we willing to pay - perhaps a little more - for the things that make a difference in the economy and in people's lives? Do we want to pass the burden to local governments or tuition-paying students and parents? Or do we want to say to heck with it and just cut things to the bone - and deeper?

Mississippi's governor is Haley Barbour, elected in 2003 with the support of the White Citizens Council, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and an aspiring war profiteer. 

He's very concerned about reducing the abilities of patients in Mississippi to sue their doctors for malpractice.  He's not so concerned about preserving basic state services for Mississippi's people