Government Waste

With all our economic woes right now, there’s a lot of people with answers they think might work to put us back on track. All the big boys in the financial industry are pumping billions into the system to try and jump-start it, as we speak. All the Government heads in all the States are talking about either cutting back on Government spending programs and/or raising taxes to try and solve the quagmire we find ourselves in right now.

I’m wondering if simply cutting out Government waste could solve the entire thing.

Everyone I talk to who works for any branch of the Government, be it the Military, State, County or Local has incredible tales of huge wasteful expenditures they see everyday at work.

Maybe we should invest in a new Government Program heaven forbid, whose entire purpose is to root out waste on every level and get rid of it. I have a strong feeling just getting rid of all the waste would more than pay for an entire new program, by a hell of a long shot.

I would like to take this to the limit however. This is not going to make me any new friends but I think at the least, we as a nation should at least start discussing this theory and see where it might take us in trying to keep our economy solvent on into the future. Obviously, it doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” plan. Maybe something in between would work. If anyone has any other realistic ideas, I sure would love to hear them. As you know, our “Leaders” have no intention of ever bringing this up.

Ok, how about knocking off ALL benefits to everybody who works for the Government in any way. No more medical, health, retirement, transportation costs, special clothing needs, safety equipment or any extra expenses at all to employees who work for the Government, State, county or local. I can see some exceptions on the special equipment part for the Military but no one else.

Now lets get something straight here. I don't mean we should just jerk all the benefits with no alternative. What I'm guessing is, if the government were to stop automatically paying for them, the price would be forced down to a reasonable level. The reason everything like that costs so much is the companies have always expected the government to have "unlimited funds". That enabled the companies to maintain rip off prices in place, forcing everyone in and out of the government to over pay for all benefits. If everyone were to be forced to pay their own way, the prices would have to come down to a level regular people could afford.

My reasoning behind this idea is simple. I as a private business owner receive absolutely nothing from anyone for any of these special gifts. I am required, as all business owners are, to buy all these things out of the profit I make with my business. On top of that, I and all the other business owners have to pay extra taxes to support all those gifts that the Government workers receive.

Is there some way we could pay our government workers a living wage and then expect them to go out and pay for their own special needs, just as we businesses have to? I’m sure you’ve heard that lots of big businesses are already talking about dropping the benefit programs or at least modifying them because they are reaching a point where the benefits are driving them out of business. The best example of that right now is the Auto industry.


I hear from people who work for the Government that they see people all the time setting around doing nothing or just have a hard time signing their name, much less having the intelligence to actually do the work they are assigned. They sometimes see the hiring practices as this foolish: “Are you breathing? Ok, you’re hired”. The other issues I hear all the time is even if someone is plainly not qualified to do the job or just a nutcase, the act of firing is so convoluted and hard that most managers just don’t bother with it.

What these facts tell me is there are probably far too many government, state and local employees. I’m going to make a wild guess that about a quarter to a third of all of them should be let go. Can you imagine how much that would save the rest of us who pay taxes to support these do nothing people?

Again, let me make myself perfectly clear on this. If I say a quarter to half are not needed at all, that means that three quarters to two thirds are doing a fine job and their work is important to us all.

Another crazy program I hear of is the funding process at work with our government. If at the end of the year, they don’t spend every penny they were funded, they would get less next year, and so they make damn sure they spend it, even on plain nonsense crap. What the hell kind of idiotic shit is that? I would think a far better plan would be to give rewards and awards to any department who actually saves us money and spend far less that they were allocated. Christ, give them an all expenses paid weekend in Tahoe for saving us, the taxpayers money.




Ok now, another idea that will get me in some trouble. How about us dropping the whole tax exemption for all religious organizations? How and why should they run their hugely profitable businesses without paying one cent in taxes to help support our economy and way of life? Especially when for the last several years, they have chosen to participate in the whole political arena, by influencing their parishioners to vote one way or the other on whatever issues they bring from their faith and set of ideas. I really do think it’s time religion pays its fair share, since they are enjoying the same benefits and freedoms as everyone else here in America.


Ok, there’s my take on some of our financial problems.

Lets hear yours.

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Come on.......DO IT!