List of proposed changes

nj.com ^ | 6/6/02

[knak]

Mineta was consulted in advance, said spokesman Chet Lunner. There are 36,000 people in the Coast Guard, which rescues boaters in addition to patrolling ports and offshore platforms and tracking smugglers and drugs.

[RightWhale]

Bump for later. Thanks.

[goldstategop]

Sounds logical to me. All of our homeland security responsibilities should be folded into a single department so all the people who have the responsibility, work together to protect this country from future attacks. 911 NEVER AGAIN.

[spokeshave]

Transportation Department: Secretary Norman Mineta's agency would lose the Coast Guard and the fledgling Transportation Security Administration.

Can we also loose the clinton holdout Minetta?

Also time to ARM THE PILOTS

[KevinDavis]

What it looks like that he is combining some functions of many agency into one big agency.

[VRWC_minion]

While congress is sitting around doing Abbot and Costello impersonations of Who's on first, Bush puts a action plan on table.

[newgeezer]

Okay, the self-righteous cry from the all-caring Liberals in response to tax cuts (for the rich) was, "How are we going to PAY for this?!?!"

So -- assuming they're going to say the same thing again </sarcasm> -- let's pay for this by eliminating the cabinet-level Departments of Education and Energy (at least).

How 'bout it, Dubya (and Bushies)? Are you game? Either you're with us, or you're against us.

[Wphile]

While congress is sitting around doing Abbot and Costello impersonations of Who's on first, Bush puts a action plan on table.

Perfectly said.

[A Navy Vet]

Wow! This really is a shakeup. They should just call it the Security Department.

[caltrop]

Does BATF stay in Treasury?

[dts32041]

Damn this is scarier than the structure of the KGB and the NKVD.

[goldstategop]

Agreed. Btw, the Homeland Security Department would be as big as the Defense Department. Considering the nature of its job, its quite an undertaking unprecedented in American history. We've got to secure our airspace, thousands of miles of land borders, coasts, and territorial waters against the threat of future terrorist attacks. Not to mention critical communications, transportation, and public services infrastructure like utilities and hazardous waste management. Add it all up and you can see why it makes sense to bring all of our homeland security functions under the roof of one department. And there's a single person to answer for any failure in the event something does go amiss and besides it aids the President more effectively in discharging his responsibility to make sure the nation is safe.

[goldstategop]

Its not a federal police agency. The FBI remains in the Justice Department.

[brewcrew]

Also time to ARM THE PILOTS

I have enacted my own personal boycott. I now drive to business meetings up to 8 hours away. Further than that, I pick up the phone. I have not flown since before 9/11, and I refuse to do so until the man or woman piloting my vessel has the ability to kill pirates on the spot.

And I work for an airline.

[goldstategop]

Yup, BATF remains under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department. It should be stressed the proposed reorganization will affect only agencies that are responsible for assuring homeland security in the broadest sense of the word and integrating and rationalizing their responsibilities.

[AGreatPer]

My opinion: Bush just blew it. While what he is doing is sound, he should have immediately announced a 5,000 personnel cut because of duplicate jobs.

This would have shown that he is running the country like a business. NO merger in business has ever gone over without an announcement in workforce reduction and an immediate positive tick on the stock market.

Bush blew a great opportunity. Still like what he did though.

[umgud]

Bush sure has put the onus on congress (in an election year no less too). I am going to watch this develop before I decide I like it or not. I am waiting to hear how an office of homeland security can protect the citizenry without a major plan to address illegal immigration. I look forward to hearing such a plan.

[Huck]

Looks good. Lucky to have a real CEO type in the big chair, instead of a micromanager like the last guy. GWB looks at the big picture, thinks strategically, has vision. When he decides to act, BOOM! He does.

[SBeck]

Knowing a little about the federal bureaucracy, I wonder were all these "new" employees are going to be housed and who is going to sign their checks?

Better go put your re-org boots on kids, this is going to be a rough one.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

It should be interesting for the Coast Guard.
Hopefully they will finally get the funding they need.
It always amazed me that Coast Guard personnell, which IS one of the 5 branches of the military,
get paid less than the other 4 branches.
They are under the same law, UCMJ, as the other 4 branches wheter it is peace time or war time.