the size of the federal government

[krill]

I have a gut feeling the size of government and deficit is growing, and I trust my gut because it survived Taco Bell tonight.

[zoogs]

Hmmm...interesting.

 

How much of that is an affect from Austerity measures?

 

I don't know, but I kinda feel austerity is a load. Nobody wants to see wasteful spending (although in any endeavor a % of waste is just the cost of doing business; it doesn't make sense to pour more resources to lowering waste than the cost of waste to begin with!) but, I think everyone would agree that we're in it for the long game, too. A government needs to spend in order to invest in its future, and tightening the belt doesn't accomplish that. Especially when the problems that need addressing lie in entitlement spending...so allowing that to continue while tightening the belt on our national investment seems like double-whammy of stupid.

[rawhide]

Is it right to say that waste is the cost of doing business and that's ok???

 

Why is is ok for the government whether fed, state, county or local or corporations to have waste and say that's ok; just the cost of doing business. But if a farmer or small business owner does that; see ya. I'm assuming that fairness or reciprocity went the way of the dodo.

[zoogs]

If a farmer or business owner does this, who says see ya?

 

There is waste everywhere and it is the cost of business. Nothing is totally optimized. Of course you try for it, but it's an impossible standard, and it makes no sense to break your back getting there.

[rawhide]

The banks or whom ever they owe. How many 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th chances do they get, whereas the biggies.....oh well, it's just money.

 

I spent 10 years working for 2 different gov't agencies and saw lots of waste. It's like you say, just the cost of doing business; I say BS.

 

Now I'm a nurse even wiping someone's butt I still feel cleaner than doing those jobs with the government.

[zoogs]

How much attention do you really want the government to devote to trimming waste when that attention could be used on more productive things?

 

Isn't the bottom line what matters?

 

There is zero business that doesn't have waste. Nobody is 100% optimized. Nonetheless they still operate.

[strigori]

The banks or whom ever they owe. How many 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th chances do they get, whereas the biggies.....oh well, it's just money.

 

I spent 10 years working for 2 different gov't agencies and saw lots of waste. It's like you say, just the cost of doing business; I say BS.

 

Now I'm a nurse even wiping someone's butt I still feel cleaner than doing those jobs with the government.

Sometimes the costs of cutting 'shrink' is more expensive and intrusive than the shrink itself.

[rawhide]

Every government agency should be held accountable for waste.

 

What's the bottom line then? 200billion, 200million, How much waste is acceptable?

 

Maybe that's what this discussion is all about. Maybe the government is too big. Bottom Line. The monthly Fed payroll is at 16b+ as of 03/2011; just rolls off the tip of your tongue. Approx. 190billion annual payroll not including the military.

 

http://www2.census.g...es/11fedfun.pdf

 

Not trying to start more conspiracy theories but seem to be doing a pretty good job

 

Look in the pdf file for which agencies eat up the most money.

[zoogs]

What do you propose to do exactly? What sort of national resources do we devote to auditing and holding them accountable?

[rawhide]

How about, hmmmm, re-tasking the USPS. Change their job from delivering junk mail, to auditing agencies for waste. Eventually, the scales will start tipping the other way. Maybe!

[JJ Husker]

I don't care about the "size" of the government. The number it employs or the payroll means little in the big picture. However, I am concerned about what the gvmt is involved in and how efficient it is. Near as I can tell it tries to do and control way too many things and waste and inefficiency is a huge problem. You've heard the saying "there's an app for that" well, with our gvmt, there's an agency for that. We let them get their fingers in things they don't belong in and they aren't held accountable for the things they should be involved with. Thus the feeling that it is too big.

[VectorVictor]

I don't care about the "size" of the government. The number it employs or the payroll means little in the big picture. However, I am concerned about what the gvmt is involved in and how efficient it is. Near as I can tell it tries to do and control way too many things and waste and inefficiency is a huge problem. You've heard the saying "there's an app for that" well, with our gvmt, there's an agency for that. We let them get their fingers in things they don't belong in and they aren't held accountable for the things they should be involved with. Thus the feeling that it is too big.

 

So, to summarize, you completely reject factual data, numbers, mathematics, and logic, and instead believe your 'feelings' instead?

 

I thought people that did this were pot-smoking California liberals, but then again, Fox News is my echo-chamber of choice...

[carlfense]

His figures don't jive with the OPM. Call it nitpickin' but at least be accurate. The figures are easy enough to obtain even a RN can do it.

They're using a different source. They specifically say that they're using figures from the jobs reports.

[carlfense]

The banks or whom ever they owe. How many 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th chances do they get, whereas the biggies.....oh well, it's just money.

 

I spent 10 years working for 2 different gov't agencies and saw lots of waste. It's like you say, just the cost of doing business; I say BS.

 

Now I'm a nurse even wiping someone's butt I still feel cleaner than doing those jobs with the government.

Sometimes the costs of cutting 'shrink' is more expensive and intrusive than the shrink itself.

Drug testing for welfare recipients, for example.

[BigRedBuster]

Have any of you ever managed an organization? Both bottom line and efficiency are important. Let's say the Federal Government brings in $1,000,000 and they want to get XYand Z done. Sure, they can get it done. BUT....there is a group that also wants AB and C done. It is easier to get AB and C done if the people doing XY and Z are efficient and don't use up the entire $1,000,000.

 

I don't like Austerity either. I think it is a horrible way to control spending. But, it's like a teenager with a credit card, if they can't control spending, then outside controls will be put on them. Figure out how to do what you are doing now the most efficient way possible and that helps do other things.

 

Now....like I have said about the employment of the federal government. Obviously that is a good trend and we are getting more done with that number of people. That is efficiency. There are ALWAYS room to improve though and they should constantly be working on that like any other organization.