Posted on 03/01/2011 9:48:22 AM PST by dragnet2
The U.S. government has 15 different agencies overseeing food-safety laws, more than 20 separate programs to help the homeless and 80 programs for economic development.
The agency found 82 federal programs to improve teacher quality; 80 to help disadvantaged people with transportation; 47 for job training and employment; and 56 to help people understand finances....
The Food and Drug Administration makes sure that chicken eggs are "safe, wholesome, and properly labeled" while a division of the Department of Agriculture "is responsible for the safety of eggs processed into egg products."
The report says there are 18 federal programs that spent a combined $62.5 billion in 2008 on food and nutrition assistance, but little is known .....
The report said five divisions within the Department of Transportation account for 100 different programs....
Similarly, it chided the government over encouraging federal agencies to purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles while having policies that agencies reduce electricity consumption. It said government agencies have purchased numerous vehicles that run on alternative fuels only to find many gas stations don't sell alternative fuels.
On teacher quality, the report identified 82 programs that often have similar descriptions and goals and are spread across 10 federal agencies.....
The GAO highlighted 80 different economic development programs at the Department of Commerce, HUD, Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration, For example, the four agencies combined to have 52 different programs that fund "entrepreneurial efforts," 35 programs for infrastructure, and 26 programs for telecommunications.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
This is like the cops investigating themselves...
I believe the government GAO is lying and the redundancy, duplication, waste and endless layers upon layers of government programs are costing the tax payers multiple *trillions* in tax dollars. I believe this is all intentionally done for the specific purpose of growing government in order to have *complete* control of private sector America.
The tax hikes on the upper brackets possibly coming in 2012 would cost an estimated $700 billion over ten years. And there is an estimated half a trillion dollars in tax hikes over ten years in the health reform bill, to help pay for “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/01/gao-finds-massive-waste-duplication/
It is thousands of little kingdoms they all live to survive and they need programs to get funding.
Every kingdom wants to get bigger and get more of the pie.
We like to envision Government as a single organized entity but it is actually hopelessly fractured and disorganized. But as long as the monster is fueled with money it will only get worse and not better.
I truly wish the American people could see just how massive, wasteful and DANGEROUS these agencies are. Costly, accountable to NO ONE, redundant.
Time for them to GO...starting with the EPA and DOE.
“fractured and disorganized” is good. A seriously organized government is a scary thought given what Washington said about government. “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” A better approach would be to eliminate all of those positions not deemed “essential personnel” whenever a snow storm hits DC. Then, start chopping off everything that is duplicative.
The primary goal of the bureaucrat running any government program is to ensure that his program continues to grow, in head count and budget, on a steady basis. Upon finding himself with ‘extra’ money at the end of the fiscal year, he’ll p!$$ it away to ensure that the budgets for following years won’t get cut.
Maybe a proverbial "chain saw" when they are found..
"We" need some Congressional LOGGERS...... call it the LOGGERS CAUCUS...
Zero level budgeting at the federal level. We don’t (by default) start off by taking last year’s budget for Agency X, and figuring out if they got too little or need more.
We decide if the program is needed and either fund it or phase it out.
Actually, it turns out there is one agency that is totally organized and extremely efficient....
As imperfect as the GAO list may be, it would be good to use it as ANOTHER source of where to start making cuts.
CONSOLIDATION alone, DOES focus attention on the true totals for TYPES of expenditures, hidden by spreading the details out in separate authorities in separate agencies.
Some believe that separation is the achievement of blindness (can’t see the forest for the trees) or ignorance. Some of us believe part of it is intentional, and not accidental.
It doesn’t matter how any Congress critters allow it to happen, it amounts to willful negligence; always working on their next reelection and not what is best for the whole people.
A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon you're talking serious money.
Carter tried this when he was president. Congress shut his attempt down.
“Gee, consider this: 50% of all taxes collected by FedGov are wasted due to waste, fraud, and abuse. FIFTY percent!”
I won’t argue with your sentiment, but, in terms of facts, I don’t know from where your 50% figure is derived.
Please. No pictures of Mooshelle’s ballast.
Thank you.
Unless it's the one with the French chicks.
There is obviously something wrong with this picture when the masters starve and the servants get fat...
Millions of Americans have little left to tighten or lose for that matter...The government and Fox/CNN won’t tell ya the truth...
bttt
Times change, though. Just as the cost of drilling for previously unprofitable oil becomes cost-effective when the price per barrel reaches a certain level, so to might the willingness of the country to attempt this kind of thing if the economy gets bad enough. Heck, we may/will get to a point where we have no choice.
We like to envision Government as a single organized entity but it is actually hopelessly fractured and disorganized.
Thank goodness, when one considers that the despotism
and inefficiency of the Nazi government was what saved
as many jews as survived the holocaust.
Get a copy of “The Cunning of History” and learn about it.
http://www.amazon.com/Cunning-History-Richard-L-Rubenstein/dp/0061320684/ref=cm_cr_pr_orig_subj
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