Editor’s Note: Salt Lake City attorney and writer Mark Alvarez, familiar to Selective Echo readers for his occasional columns, offers a terse yet highly instructive commentary on government. In particular, readers should pay close attention to the last several paragraphs. Absolutely. This game must be changed. As Andrew Sullivan occasionally notes, in the halls of legislating, one wonders who stands out as the adult in a roomful of kindergarten children.

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”—Dwight D. Eisenhower

The “tea party” movement indicates growing frustration and anger over an important point: government increasingly serves interests, not people. Change is necessary. The core “tea party” principle of excessive spending serves as a start.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government will spend $3.5 trillion in 2010.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid account for $1.5 trillion. Defense totals $684 billion. Outlays for interest amount to $207 billion. Smaller items including transportation, education, social services, income security and government departments make up the rest of spending.

With a projected deficit of $1.3 trillion in 2010 and deficits over the next decade averaging $671 billion, Congress and the President must implement fiscal discipline so hard decisions must be made.

Government should thoroughly review programs for costs and benefits.

Health care comprises one-sixth of the economy. Absent changes in federal law, health care will make up one-fourth of the economy by 2025. Taxpayer dollars fuel this industry. In 2005, 45 percent of health care expenditures were public. This is not a free market.

Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and others who profit from health care spending have opposed measures that could cut into their income. Among these are the single-payer system and a public option for coverage.

Wise health care reform should streamline bureaucracy, require greater transparency concerning treatment and cost, and encourage personal responsibility. Insurers and health care providers are happy about more money that could come from broad coverage mandates but unhappy about stricter controls. This is hypocrisy and political power run wild. Good policy must serve the people.

Defense spending amounts to $1.88 billion per day and should not be exempt from review. The U.S. faces security challenges but these should not be bandied about for partisan politics and profits. The firm Blackwater stands out for raking in taxpayer money, much of it from no-bid contracts. Numerous elected officials are in jail or have faced or are facing investigation for improper ties to defense firms.

Reducing spending will be difficult. Recently, several Utah Congressmen complained about defense cuts affecting F-22 aircraft. They worried about jobs at Hill Air Force Base. This is understandable; nevertheless, honest review of defense spending must evaluate programs for cost, effectiveness and need. Local and regional concerns are important, but they should not be controlling.

Fiscal challenges facing the U.S. are great. While deficit spending makes sense in rough times, current spending is not sustainable. While the deficit commission concept is useful for political cover, politicians of both parties should start talking the specifics of balancing expenditures and revenues.

According to 2010 budget reports, the State of Utah will spend approximately $4.5 billion in discretionary funds. Some spending areas and their respective percentages are: public education, 50.1 percent; higher education, 15.8 percent; corrections, 7.1 percent; health, 7.0 percent, and human services, 5.9 percent. This year, the legislature has concentrated on economic issues. Interests that receive state money have lobbied ferociously to defend their shares. Ordinary people have quieter voices.

Utah politics largely is disgusting. Last week after a standing committee hearing, Utah representative Ryan Wilcox told Tony Yapias and me that he was with our community but that he could not vote that way because he was only a freshman. Nice example of political courage. Not long afterwards, someone suggested I could not write that because it could jeopardize future votes. I struggled with this for a day. Okay, politics is dirty, but bad rules must change. Let’s start with honesty.

Representatives of both parties should be able to stand on their own, speak honestly and vote their conscience. The legislature should employ what most of us are taught in grade school: public policy is about doing the right thing for the public. The process should not be a backroom one of vote counting, vote trading and special interest calculation. Leadership and caucuses that impose themselves beyond organizing for vigorous debate should be damned.

Policymakers at all levels must formulate wiser strategies and counter misplaced power that has practically embedded itself in government.

We must demand more responsible government, but we must do so substantively. We also must prepare for sacrifice.