How government works:

[Bill]

How government works:(from a friend)

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night."
So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a timekeeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."

So they laid off the night watchman.

I'll wait while that sinks in..........

Like sheep to slaughter.

Remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.... during the Carter Administration? Do you?

The Department of Energy was instituted on August 4, 1977 - To Lessen our dependence on foreign oil......... How's it working out 30+ years later?

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND NOW IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES;

How are they doing???

Wonder how many employees a new government heath care department will have? The government is going to add hundreds of thousands of salaries and benefits -plus the upkeep of the infrastructure - into the health care system - and save us money?

Sheep to the slaughter

[Weegi]

You ask a very good question Bill.

[Hezekiah]

First, your little parable was a joke, in case the Fox News watchers think it's a real story.

Secondly, if you think the US would be better off without the DOE, you probably own an oil company.

And you use the same old argument against health care that the government can do no good. While ignoring the tremendous problems with the private insurance health care system that now gouges us mercilessly.

Do you have nothing to say about the insurance companies raising their rates to small businesses by an average of 15-25% increase this year?

If you think government is the problem, then start advocating a repeal of Social Security and Medicare.

[DPTX]

hmmm... so the insurance companies raised their rates to small businesses by 15-25%...

Yet, the government health care bill is going to cut health care costs, when they can't even pay for the Medicare program now... and part of their idea includes cutting back on Medicare benefits and raising the costs on those receiving those benefits, NOW... while the proposed health care bill wouldn't even become effective until 2013 (you MIGHT wonder why they're waiting until AFTER the next election?)

Now, the tongue-in-cheek parable was only used to demonstrate the typical government bureaucracy and the primary concepts do offer an accurate connotation of the inefficiency of government run programs. Of course, we can look at the bureaucracy and waste in many of the current programs and the delays often caused under such programs... including, but not limited to Medicare, Medicaid (don't you love the long waits in the emergency rooms and don't you also wonder why some doctors won't accept Medicaid patients?), Social Security (oops, no cost of living increase this year?), Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (both on the brink of bankruptcy, without more influx of government money from the taxpayers), USPS (still losing money, despite postal fee hikes), and of course, we have all heard about the $300 toilet seats (what they didn't tell you is it covered the engineering and design costs for special purposes) and so many other government programs with special administration expenses due to more "government jobs" created to oversee each and every new program created. And who pays for it? The Taxpayer (no, not just the rich) through increased taxes, whether directly through income taxes or taxes levied against businesses who must pass the increases on to the consumer through the cost of goods.

Now, turn in your college degree and start over... try taking a class in economics, after you learn your addition and subtraction tables.

[Hezekiah]

So Gasbag, do you think we should dismantle Medicare and Medicaid, and privatize Social Security, Fannie Mae and the US Postal Service?

Does your Economics course explain whether businesses currently pass on their costs for providing private health insurance to their employees? Or do they only pass on tax expenses?

[DPTX]

Hezekiah wrote:

So Gasbag, do you think we should dismantle Medicare and Medicaid, and privatize Social Security, Fannie Mae and the US Postal Service?
Does your Economics course explain whether businesses currently pass on their costs for providing private health insurance to their employees? Or do they only pass on tax expenses?

HG, are you trying to make some sort of point or are you just fishing for something else that you might be able to twist into another of your socialistic ideas for a better government?

[Hezekiah]

You consistently criticize these programs. You also maintain that the government is not as efficient as private enterprise.

Why aren't you able to just say these government programs should be abolished?

You also seem to believe that we consumers don't already pay for health care costs provided by businesses. Apparently, you also think that private insurers provide health care more efficiently than the government can, even accounting for their profit margins.

You philosophically oppose the government doing what private enterprise can do. Why not advocate abolishing public education and highway construction?

If this is what you mean, why don't you just say it? Have the courage of your convictions.

[DPTX]

Hezekiah wrote:

You consistently criticize these programs. You also maintain that the government is not as efficient as private enterprise.
Why aren't you able to just say these government programs should be abolished?
You also seem to believe that we consumers don't already pay for health care costs provided by businesses. Apparently, you also think that private insurers provide health care more efficiently than the government can, even accounting for their profit margins.
You philosophically oppose the government doing what private enterprise can do. Why not advocate abolishing public education and highway construction?
If this is what you mean, why don't you just say it? Have the courage of your convictions.

Once again, in your typical left-loon fashion, you reach for the extremes. Of course, you think the government should take over control and "distribute the wealth"... just as other communist countries learned, this does not work, nor does dictatorships, monarchies, etc. That is also what the Founding Fathers fought to free us from, over 230 years ago. Of course, had Hamilton had his way, we likely would have been still under the rule of a king.

Well, get over it. You're a fraction of the whole and the majority do NOT subscribe to your extremist views.

[Hezekiah]

Are you not answering the question because you actually like Medicare and Social Security?

[DPTX]

Hezekiah wrote:

Are you not answering the question because you actually like Medicare and Social Security?

I'm ignoring your questions, just like you do. Is your own medicine too bitter for you?

[Hezekiah]

So you're a Socialist. Do your fellow birthers and Teabaggers know this?