From: Jim Adams 

> Birds of a feather & all that. Odd how so many "friends of
George" have
> a rather interesting elastic set of stds wrt the intersection of finance
> & law.

Well, they did want to operate the government like private industry. Not
realizing that government is not the private sector.  Corporations cannot
take your property, freedom or life. (Excepting maybe MS and Haliburton.) 
That's one of the reasons government is run differently. Things that are
common in the private sector would get you fired, if not jail time, if done
in government.  Now, thought Congress especially, has
  institutionalized some of those practices.  As a GS-13 if I took a
golf outing or a trip on a private jet where do you think I would be? I'm
sure Leavenworth is lovely in the Summer.

When the case against Cunniingham was developing I kept wondering how he
was paying back this contractor.  He's not a contracting officer, he
doesn't make the awards.  Then it became clear.  It was all done through
earmarks.  Congress appropriates the money and the Executive Branch has to
spend it on what it is appropriated for.  They have removed all the checks
and balances in the system.  Congress will appropriate the money because
the ole Dukestir wants it and he'll support our earmark.

The best new wrinkle is some R Representative has his wife as a fund raiser
for his PACs and campaign fund.  She gets 15% of all the funds she gets
contributed to funds.  Well, it seems that in the last two years she has
been responsible for all those contributions and gets her 15%.  And this is
alright with the Ethics Committee.

I've been with the Federal government about 25 years.  Been with SSA (a
crowd of f*ckups pouring money down the drain), DOD, DOJ, a Congressional
agency, and now with IBB.  I wasn't born a bureaucrat, though.  I worked in
the private sector both for small family owned companies and large outfits.
 There is a difference and not that the private sector is ever so much more
efficient.  If that was true they would still be awarding the Hickok Belt
each year for the premier sports figure.  The government has all these
rules and regs because the consequences of its actions can be profound.  Do
we really want the government run like the private sector?  When you call
SSA about your check should they first check the amount you've contributed
to the fund?
  If it ain't a bunch go to the back of the line?  Should contracts be
awarded to the friend/relative of the contracting officer?

That's one of the reasons Bush has been trying to change the federal
personnel system.  It has nothing to do with efficiency.  They just want to
make it easier to get rid of anyone who does not toe the line.  Don't want
to make that no compete award to Haliburton?  You're out of there.
  Think there are no WMDs in Iraq?  Look for another job.

Of course, they don't see the consequences of all this.  What happens if
they're voted out?  All of the precedent for abuse will be available to the
Democrats.  If Gore had become president in 2000 would the Republican
Congress be so ready to have abdicated its oversight responsibility?  Hell,
no.  But we can trust George.  I don't trust anyone with the power they're
trying to acquire.  (Well, maybe I might have trusted Harry Truman.)

Enough for now.  I think it's time for my nap.
--
Jim Adams

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