BUSH PROPOSES LARGEST EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT SINCE TRUMAN

CNN ^ | 6/6/2002 | President

[UnBlinkingEye]

I am watching President Bush giving a speech on CNN telling us he is expanding federal government more than any Democrat since Truman.

[PoppingSmoke]

"I really don't know what to think, is this good or bad? If it's good, why is it good? If it's bad, why is it bad?"

Look at it this way. When you dig yousrlf into a hole. Do you stop digging or do you use explosives? President Bush is getting some very bad advise. You want to solve problem by keeping the solution simple. Not by adding to the problem.

[jwalsh07]

I rad the speech, there is no expansion of government, there is a consolidation and in my experience with consolidating, the old crap gets tossed.

[AlGone2001]

Tell me why this is dishonest and God Bless the moderator.

Where did he say that he was expanding the government?

How is it expansion if he is only reorganizing agencies that exist?

If it costs money to fix the problems, what's the problem with that?

How much do you think freedom costs? Is it free?

[discostu]

Because you have yet to define "expansion" or show how moving a bunch of already existing agencies around creates "expansion". Much less how this is on a scale to Truman's "expansion" (which was also mostly a re-org) or how either exceeds Carter's creation of Education (which involved no reorganization and unlike both Tuman's and Bush's "expansions" was 100% outside the boundaries the constitution puts on the federal government).

Answer any of those burning questions and you might begin to approach honesty.

[Ben Ficklin]

It makes Free Republic no better than Democratic Underground. If you wanted to post it, call it a vanity and leave CNN out of it.

[jwalsh07]

I am so sick of this SOB, He lied when he claimed to be a conservative, he lied when he said he was for smaller government, screw him.

OK we'll put you down for a maybe Mr Pit.

[Texasforever]

I am so sick of this SOB, He lied when he claimed to be a conservative, he lied when he said he was for smaller government, screw him.

I feel your pain, here, put some ice on that.

[PoppingSmoke]

"This is wonderful. There will be a hand-picked staff to be built by Bush's hand-picked man. It is a good way for President Bush to leave behind both the old management and staff who have made career history as being paper pushers at the DOD,FBI,CIA - leave them sitting with their coffee and newspapers and waiting for pensions. The old turf wars between the alphabets is all torn up. I'll trust Tom Ridge to build the new model for government pay grade attainment. The added bonus is that Bush will get credit for at least a decade - or until the Dems succeed in getting some of 'their team' to be on the inside of PC decision making."

Total nonsense!

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Why did the Secret Service wind up under Treasury?

Because their major function was to stop the counterfeiting of money. Protecting the President was a much smaller part of their job. I guess fighting counterfeiting is a part of national security too, since it was a weapon we used against the Nazis.

[AlGone2001]

Look at it this way. When you dig yousrlf into a hole. Do you stop digging or do you use explosives?

What place does that analogy have here?

What do explosives have to do to do with reorganizing government agencies?

Exactly what is explosive about giving different agencies a more central mode of government?

[UnBlinkingEye]

I rad the speech, there is no expansion of government, there is a consolidation and in my experience with consolidating, the old crap gets tossed.

In my experience with federal government creating a new bureaucracy means the government will grow.

[Texasforever]

OK we'll put you down for a maybe Mr Pit.

Pit does seem to be on the fence doesn't he? I think maybe if he is given a lot of love and attention he could be brought back into the fold since I am CERTAIN that he marched, protested, gave money, and voted for Bush.

[PoppingSmoke]

"Look at it this way -- some of the Senior Executive Service folks in INS, Customs, etc. are going the way of the dinosaur as you won't need so many and a lot of these were appointed by clinton! This is one way to get rid of clintonites in supervisory positions. These will be new jobs, their old ones will go away and now the clintonites will be able to "spend more time with their family!" Pretty neat way to get rid of them while making the Government work better if you ask me!"

I can tell you don't know Washington....

[AlGone2001]

He lied when he claimed to be a conservative

How much does your safety cost?

[sinkspur]

Maybe 911 was Gods wake up call! Maybe you should wake up too.

I've been awake. I don't believe in a god who kills innocent people just to get our "attention."

[Lower55]

I would rather have My Guy trimming my garden rather than a Scum Bag low-life doing it all wrong.

[Jorge]

If traveling with a large amount of cash, stopped and searched, your car can also be confiscated. Knowing what a mess up Washington D.C. is, that no agency in that hell hole works as it should, how can you dare accuse someone of being paranoid for questioning the end effect of Home Land Security?

Easy. Anytime the Govt is given some new power in the war on terrorism we get a few people sounding the alarm about how we're turning into a police state.

The FBI is actually allowed to observe people in public places, or on public web sites like any other human being is allowed to...and we got people shrieking that it's the end of the world for God's sake.

As for your examples about the excesses of the DEA confisgating cars of people going on vacation because they are carrying money etc. etc. I don't know of a single person this has happened to.
Where are all the victims of these rampant police state tactics? If what you say is true they should be all over the news every night. But they're not.

And believe you me, if the new powers given the anti-terrorism forces result in anything even close to the police state scenarios you envision, we will definitely hear about it...we will have a parade of victims on TV and before some Congressional inquiry and lawsuits out the wahzoo.
Have no fear.

[Texasforever]

I can tell you don't know Washington....

And you do? Maybe this reorganization is a direct threat to your cushy little job?

[sinkspur]

Why the lame adolescent come-backs?

That's what adolescents understand.