Reminder: much of what government does is either pointless or counterproductive.

These are the fiscal policy lessons we can learn from the current shutdown fight.

Among advocates of limited government, there is growing unease about the fiscal fight in Washington. This is not because anything bad has happened. Indeed, Democrats thus far have been acquiescing – at least on a temporary basis – to conservative demands for $61 billion of spending cuts over the rest of the current fiscal year. […]