Over at Downsizing Government, we focused on the following issues this week:

• Taxpayers received a rare, albeit small and temporary, victory when a pork-laden omnibus bill died in the Senate. We’re now about to find out how serious Republicans are about cutting spending.
• Chris Edwards looks at breastfeeding and argues that bigger isn’t better when it comes to subsidies.
• “The nearest earthly approach to immortality is a bureau of the federal government.”
• Former President George W. Bush defends his abysmal spending record in his book Decision Points. Upon further review, perhaps the book should be retitled Deception Points.
• A new Cato essay discusses the problems of the U.S. Postal Service and concludes that taxpayers, consumers, and the broader economy would stand to gain with reforms to privatize the USPS and open mail delivery up to competition.