&gt; Why wouldn&#x27;t they do this? There are no consequences for failure and lots to gain. It&#x27;s not like a company where middle management wants to keep costs down; in the government your importance has to do with the size of your budget and number of reports and there&#x27;s no negative feedback. In fact, because of how budgeting works in America, every dollar must be spent, and any savings will end up with a smaller budget next year. If anything, middle management is aligned with these demands.<p>If state budgets are badly managed we have only ourselves to blame - we elect the legislators who control them.