[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.

[Sub-Driver]

you got that right!

[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.

[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.

[america-rules]

"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. "

This usually happens a few months after not at the time of the announced merger unless they are two exact companies. If they announce it's because they want to calm the stock holders.

They usually cull the workforce to get rid of dead wood after the merger!

[rwfromkansas]

I am betting in the restructuring, some people will go.

[Grampa Dave]

The personnel cuts and shifts from bad departments to departments of potential good will come.

Unfortunately, our federal government nor any of our state governments behave in a responsible manner to the stock holders, we tax payers.

GW prefers to do these things in the stealth mode. Accomplishments get announced on Fridays or amazingly in foreign news lines. The left wing mediots don't have any reporters, so while they are out try to make news instead of finding it and reporting on it. GW's people work in the back ground in a stealth mode.

The most loyal voters the rats have when they are up for re election are the federal employees. Do you think that they would tolerate a 5 to 10 % loss in voter/employees. We will see those reductions that you and I want announced after the election. Even then it will not be via big announcements.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Too soon to tell the number of redundant positions yet. Think of this as a Merger of companies. Big deals almost never announce job cuts upon the announcement of the deal. They always speak about "synergy costs" and make the cuts - both in people and in redundant systems - later. Patience.