Talk:Washington Monument Syndrome
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John Gardner's NRO article using the term is a good example and definition: I give you the lead paragraph:
- There is an old Washington game locally known as "Washington Monument Syndrome." Suppose Congress decides to "cut" (i.e., reduce the rate of planned increase) funding for the National Park Service. The classic bureaucratic response is not to put a new program on hold or look for more efficient ways of doing things but rather to target the cut where it would be most visible, for instance by closing the Washington Monument. The result? Congress cancels the planned "cut" and spending is increased.
This term has been used in politics, especially on the center-right in the US since at least the Reagan administration.
It appeared in the Washington Times on 28 June 2002.
LAWeekly mentions it on 30 April 2008.
The tactic itself spans national, state, county, and municipal politics. I'm surprised there isn't an article on it already. Oh well, once more into the breach! TMLutas (talk) 04:46, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
