A. Barton Hinkle on Fictitious Spending Cuts

Would you like to save $20,000 this year? Of course you would. Here's how: Plan a month-long vacation to Disneyland, and budget $20,000 for the trip. Then don't go. Presto! You just "cut" your family budget by 20 grand.

This sounds absurd—because it is. Yet that is precisely how Washington operates, writes A. Barton Hinkle.