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The Night Watchman
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Posted on 11/02/2013 2:20:41 PM PDT by oldbrowser

Night Watchman

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.

Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night."

So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?"

So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?"

So they created a Quality Control Department and hired two people. One was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?"

So they created two positions: a time keeper and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then

Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?"

So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back."

So they laid-off the night watchman.

NOW slowly........let it sink in.

Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter administration?

Anybody?
Anything?
No?

Didn't think so!

Bottom line is, we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency, the reason for which very few people who read this can remember!

Ready??

It was very simple... and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was

instituted on 8/04/1977, TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND NOW IT'S 2012 -- 35 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT$24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE!

(THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?")

34 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports. Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports.

Ah, yes --
good old Federal bureaucracy.

NOW, WE HAVE TURNED OVER THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?

Hello!! Anybody Home?

Signed....

The Night Watchman


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Humor
KEYWORDS: government; nightwatchman
This is an email making the rounds on the internet. I didn't see it posted. I thought it was rather illuminating.
1 posted on 11/02/2013 2:20:41 PM PDT by oldbrowser
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To: oldbrowser

OBG ...oldie but goodie


2 posted on 11/02/2013 2:26:06 PM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: oldbrowser
Government programs (that veer from the basic role of defense) almost NEVER accomplish the stated goals but almost ALWAYS make the problem worse as well as creating a whole host of new problems.

Milton Friedman articulates this as well as anyone I've heard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P9Y4H2GyS4

3 posted on 11/02/2013 2:57:28 PM PDT by PapaNew
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To: oldbrowser

Amongst the things that I wished I had clipped at the time. The HEW was established in the Eisenhower term for Health, Education and Welfare. In Jimmy Carter’s 4 years, he separated out Education into its own and renamed the remainder to HHS.

I recall reading that the Secretary of the newly renamed HHS reassured her remaining employees that their jobs were safe and that the budget would even be increasing! Nothing like government efficiency!

To date, there has only been one single government permanent agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that has been abolished as a result to that temporary “shrink government” insanity from the Gingrich Congress of 1996-97! WOW!


4 posted on 11/02/2013 3:10:27 PM PDT by SES1066 (To expect courteous government is insanity!)
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To: PapaNew

When the income tax was first introduced it was only for the top 1%. Of course they had to have enforcement, so the IRS was created.

Now look at the monster that has been created to rob us of our hard work and our freedom.

One of these days the bubble has to burst. And it aint gonna be pretty for them.


5 posted on 11/02/2013 3:18:01 PM PDT by unixfox (Abolish Slavery, Repeal the 16th Amendment)
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To: oldbrowser

Good story


6 posted on 11/02/2013 4:05:17 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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