Stop Stealing Pens, Pencils and Paper!
This is the kind of story that makes my brain hurt.
Every sentient being in this country knows what this report says. Our government spends more than it takes in every single day. All of us know what the solution is as well. However, we must keep going through this charade of congressional testimony, where the legislators can all get their photos in the paper showing them wringing their hands and pounding the desk angrily proclaiming that something must be done. How abou this: the President calls all of the heads of the various departments to a meeting where he announces that each one of them will reduce their respective department's spending by 1% each year for the next five years. 1%. That could be achieved the first year by stopping the theft and misuse of office supplies and stationery! And it would be enough to deflect the trajectory of the debt increase.
Every sentient being in this country knows what this report says. Our government spends more than it takes in every single day. All of us know what the solution is as well. However, we must keep going through this charade of congressional testimony, where the legislators can all get their photos in the paper showing them wringing their hands and pounding the desk angrily proclaiming that something must be done. How abou this: the President calls all of the heads of the various departments to a meeting where he announces that each one of them will reduce their respective department's spending by 1% each year for the next five years. 1%. That could be achieved the first year by stopping the theft and misuse of office supplies and stationery! And it would be enough to deflect the trajectory of the debt increase.
"Congress cuts $1 billion for program for ..."
Smoke and mirrors sleight of hand embellished for you by an enabling lapdog media.
It's not just the feds that have "mandatory purchasing contracts" like this. A medium to good quality "executive" web back office chair (like the one I'm sitting in right now) cost $159 from Orifice Despot ($128.50 on sale). Works quite fine. The closest we can get from Prison Industries (which, by law, we, as a state agency, are MANDATED to purchase) is somewhere north of $900.
Think that's bad? Even tho I supplied my own office chair (theirs are a pain in the posterior, literally) we STILL had to purchase one of the Contract Specials for my office because, well, each office is mandated to have no less than one each...
Welcome to the People's Republic, Comrade!
The cause of the problem is not the hammer or the hammer suppliers... it's the bureaucracy and stupid and unnecessary requirements that are attached to the hammer!
WELCOME TO AMERICA.
Reading the local papers and watching the local TV news, it was very clear to me that the UK has virtually identical 'problems' to the ones we in the US complain about.
Someone might think that two countries where they speak vaguely similar languages might have been able to get together and help each other solve such similar problems.
Guess again. I would NOT look to the UK as the source of ideas or solutions to US' problems!
Then, steal all the pens you want, folks.
Jan
The real problem there is that they don't just put in an order for pencils at Walmart or on Amazon. And that is itself dwarfed by the spending that goes on by big government agencies (that should not even exist).
I was not trying to hijack cause and effect, just a poor attempt at a bit of humor.
Jan
Everyone knows the problem and what to do about it, yet they fail to act until a crisis presents.
Carefully chosen words, Salty and rightfully so.
I'd stand and cheer a 1%-cut-President, then breathe a little sigh, but that would be only the beginning.
Ultimately we must balance the budget.
If we never balance the budget we never pay down the debt. It's that simple.
The National Debt is the only credible threat we face with the power to destroy us.
It IS the internal decay that heralds the implosion of Empires.
We MUST pay down the debt.
Anyone who says otherwise is either a fool or a con.
A BALANCED BUDGET will save us.
But only making it REQUIRED will make it happen.
A BALANCED BUDGET AMMENDMENT.
It's a reeeaally good idea. Worth fighting for.