Obama asks for ideas on curbing federal spending

AP Yahoo News ^ | 04/25/2009 | PHILIP ELLIOTT

[Radio Free American?]

WASHINGTON – Think you can do better than your federal boss? President Barack Obama wants to know how.

Obama on Saturday announced a plan for federal workers to propose ways to improve their agencies' and departments' budgets. The president said employees' ideas would be key as his Cabinet officials cut millions from the federal budget and trim the deficit.

[Radio Free American?]

"After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers, not just management,"

The same applies for We the people not just in Fed employees! Its time for them to start listening to us for a change.

[70th Division]

Obama fire your self.

[Tarpon]

He’s kidding right?

How about he rescind porkulus ...

[johniegrad]

Does he expect anyone to take this farce seriously?

[Joe Boucher]

Declare Martial law and round up the entire senate and congress and place them all in stocks in front of the capital
for all to throw garbage at. As a bonus they couldn’t spend more of MY money.

[Ezekiel]

"After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from workers, not just management," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "That's why we'll establish a process through which every government worker can submit their ideas for how their agency can save money and perform better. We'll put the suggestions that work into practice."

And the "workers" will not know whose ideas get implemented, assuming only that their suggestions must not have been the majority view.

Delphi Technique.

[kabar]

There are already federal programs in place to solicit cost cutting ideas. They have been used for decades, certainly for the 36 years I worked for the Federal government.

[Tarpon]

Our ACTING president is just acting for the ignorants. He thinks he is Hugo Chavez and the ignorants are his key to power. Same reason he beat up on the credit card companies yesterday. to impress the ignorants.

The ignorants love him, don't you know. A really good reason to have IQ tests and property ownership requirements before voting. Notice the Constitution is silent on voter requirements.

USA of Zimbabwe awaits.

[MuttTheHoople]

Eliminate the Departments of Education, Energy, Agriculture, HHS, and a few others I can't remember right now. Eliminate Social security and Medicare benefits to baby-boomers, because they're the most pampered generation of Americans in history and should have to have it tough for once in their lives (exceptions being military vets, policemen, firemen, and nurses...they earned it). Eliminate income tax withholding and make individuals pay the same way businesses do (when that happens, politicians who "do it for the children" will be pelted with rocks and garbage). Finally, change the voting requirements to male property owners over the age of 26 (race, religion, even sexual preference no barrier).

Stuttering Barry won't do it, but if you want America to be great, all this is what you do.

[MuttTheHoople]

Another thing-eliminate all secretarial postions in both State and Federal government. Computers have replaced them, and most people can now write their own memos.

[Paladin2]

Sell AF1 to Hugo.

[bert]

I wanted to call Rush on Friday to discuss the cost cutting concept. The Brown clown is now asking for ideas. In his obviously staged cabinet meeting propaganda video, he presented cost saving measures developed in that brief gathering.

There was one glaring omission. There was one very obvious unmentioned savings tool. It would be especially applicable to the Department of Defense and other such that operate large numbers of vehicles. The cost savings could be huge and ongoing, for ever, not just one time.

The vehicle fleets must be subject to across the board tire inflation. The tires on all vehicles must have increased pressure to decrease rolling resistance and save energy. The energy savings is great but the decrease in carbon emissions can only be described as huge.

Wonder why this escaped the President himself? Wonder why he did not initiate an executives order.

[Paladin2]

Convince Congress to go into recess for the next 18 months.

[Cvengr]

That’s OK.

California has proposed rulemaking to mandate new tire pressure gages be used which cost $25 ea instead of the present $2 pencil gage and every time the tire pressure is checked, it must be recorded and reported to the state, just to make sure nobody is driving around with tires underpressurized by 10psi.

[newfreep]

This guy defines “Peter Principle”.

[Moonman62]

The president said employees' ideas would be key as his Cabinet officials cut millions

Millions versus trillions. What a tragic joke.

[Cvengr]

eliminate all secretarial postions in both State and Federal government. Computers have replaced them, and most people can now write their own memos.

I beg to differ. In respect for secretarial work, I'm not too sure which is more insulting, assuming computers have replaced secretarial functions, or that the bulk of secretarial work was writing memos.

[spikeytx86]

It’s actually quite simple Mr. President.

1. Look and see how much tax revenue you have coming in
2. Cut all spending until the money coming in equals the money going out.
3. If you need ideas on what to cut you can whip out a copy of the constitution, look and see what the constitution specifically allows the Federal Government to operate or involve itself in, and then cut everything that does not fall into those categories until the budget is balanced.

Voila! A balanced budget!

[MuttTheHoople]

Where I work in State gubmint, the majority of Secretaries sit around reading US magazine and catching up on gossip. Used to be, the secretaries would write my reports, but since the mid-1990's I've been able to write my reports by myself.

There are some Office Managers who do a lot of grunt work, but it's only a few. I stand by my assertion about Secretaries.

[spikeytx86]

That is true in some cases. But from my experience it's secretaries who basically run offices while their boss is out on the links.

But I do think in Government their should only be 1 secretary for say a group of 8-12 people. There should not be 1 secretary for every muckity muck from middle management up.