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.

[Dan from Michigan]

Sounds good on the surface, but where's the small print?

[Sub-Driver]

you got that right!

[Reagan Man]

This is a huge undertaking. Nothing like this, has ever been attempted before. It will take time to restructure and reorganize. I hope it all works out in end. My biggest concern, is now much will all this increase the federal budget?

And is Tom Ridge the man to head it up?

My vote is for Rudi Guilani.

I have some reservations, but my support is with President Bush. After all, America is at war and if we want to win, all American's have to support the Commander In Chief.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Who will head this Barney Fife? Hillary Clinton?

[Mixer]

Did I miss it or did he not at all mention the Fingerprint men from middle-eastern countries idea?

[seenenuf]

announce a 5,000 person cut-back...

Patience, patience. Haven't you noticed his 'style' yet. It brings to mind the Texas two step.

[Glenn]

work together to protect this country from future attacks. 911 NEVER AGAIN.

Think! Israel has been trying to protect itself from these beasts for nearly 40 years with ZERO success. You people are so easy.

[brewcrew]

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

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized...I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization."

--Petronius, 210 B.C.

[Tasha]

Coast Guards are sweethearts. They save lots of lives and do extrordianry work. Anything that helps them do their job better will get my support.

[Bob J]

Tonight on at RadioFR! June 6, 2002
YO!
ANNA AND MERCURIA
DO THE "REYNOLDS (W)RAP"
(Well, you knew it had to happen sometime...!)

WITH SPECIAL GUEST
DAVID PALMQUIST
"THE KING OF CONSPIRACY"

Click HERE and listen while you FReep!

Check out the live thread!

[kristinn]

At first glance, this looks like a hybrid department: Some law enforcement, intelligence, border control. biological research, science research, computer infrastructure security, etc.

On further thought, the department will be dangerously close to a domestic military, IMHO, with a "navy", and "army". Someone will realize they don't have an "air force" and that will be on the table soon.

I saw elswhere the department is slated to have 17,000 employees and a budget of $37 billion. I expect both numbers to rise.

This should not be rammed through unexamined. Thank God for our system of checks and balances.

[bluefish]

The cuts you speak of may be sound, and they may be in the works. But given the current environment, it most definitely would have been a tremendous PR blunder to announce the actual personnel cuts (even if they are going to take place). If it waa EPA, IRS or anything else, your reasoning might be good. However, with this, announcing personnel cuts (no matter how much sense they make, how much more efficiency and productivity they achieve, etc.) would have provided a pile of ammunition for the Dems to say he isn't concerned about security b/c he is cutting budgets and workers. You may understand that there are benefits to be had, but the average American drone doesn't and would be instantly manipulated by the Dems in the same way that the Dems cynically scare old people with threats to their social security.

[Askel5]

bump

[Dale 1]

Thanks for the summary.

Health and Human Services would of course need to transition some of its chem./bio “defense” effort, but the lion’s share of the current efforts in chem./bio defense is conducted within the Defense Department. HHS is more concerned with natural occurring issues and DoD is exclusively concerned with weapons of mass destruction (chem./bio/nuclear). I wonder what the impact on DoD will be?

[Arleigh]

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

Agreed! One big secret agency that can not only tap your phones but monitor your travel activities and pry into your health records.

Thanks, Dubya! I feel safer already.

[Arleigh]

I refuse to do so until the man or woman piloting my vessel has the ability to kill pirates on the spot.

If NRA understood grassroots organizing, they'd have lots of people like you (and me) picketing Mineta's office saying just this.

[bluefish]

but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams...

Would you argue that the current alphabet soup and its excessive redundancy across departments, functions and budgets was in any way at all "forming into teams?" Not even close. I know very little about what Bush said at this point and I am extremely suspicious of large governemnt, but if this actually allows us to cut some fat, remove some bureacracy, eliminate redundancy and creat more efficiency, than it would seem that this plan just MIGHT actually have a prayer's chance of taking the current mess and "forming a team." I do not see where your analogy can even be remotely close to a realistic assessment, given the current size, scope and complexity of the Federal Govt., which was becoming more complex daily as opposed to beginning to "form a team."

[John W]

Actually,Israel has had a good deal of success in this area-or there wouldn't be anyone left alive in Israel by now.

[cva66snipe]

Who will head this Barney Fife? Hillary Clinton?

Good point! GWB at some time in the future will have to leave office and a replacement will be made. Now if that replacement is one Hillary Clinton or Al Gore how does everyone feel about them running this type of agency? Scares Me! Point is if it's something the Dems can later use against us and worse take away more of our rights and freedoms then we don't need to go there.

And you can bet these departments which lost these positions will indeed re-create them at the first given oppertunity to help the Office of Homeland Security of course /sarcasm