>[!abstract] >In political jargon, a self-licking ice cream cone is a self-perpetuating system that has no purpose other than to sustain itself. The term has been used to describe the purported habit of government-funded organizations and programs spending taxpayer money to lobby for more funding from the taxpayer. ("Self-licking ice cream cone", 2025). ## References - Self-licking ice cream cone. (2025, January 3). In *Wikipedia*. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Self-licking_ice_cream_cone&oldid=1258542906 ## Related - [[Iron law of oligarchy]] - [[Pournelle's iron law of bureaucracy]] - [[Shirky Principle]]