Has Anyone Else Completely Lost Faith In The Government?

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

Obama to merge 6 federal agencies saving $3 billion over 10 yrs.

Obama to Propose Merging Agencies - WSJ.com

Awww, $3b? That's cute.

I'll take your $3b and raise you $6.2T.

Obama on Pace to Borrow $6.2T in One Term—More Than All Presidents from Washington Through Clinton Combined | CNSnews.com

Remember this?

Obama Called Smaller Bush Debt Rise “Unpatriotic” | The Blog on Obama: White House Dossier

I'm not saying the other side of the aisle has anyone any better, but this president is a total trainwreck IMO.

[12thMan]

I think the dollar amount being saved is a little besides the point, though it's not an insignificant amount. The point is the president is proposing the biggest gov't reorg since, perhaps, Hoover. Republicans crow about smaller and more efficient gov't, well let's do it. Congress should grant Obama the authority over the next 90 days to make it happen. By the way, this has been something Obama campaigned on before he was elected president and reiterated again in his State of the Union address last January.

And that's such a ****ing bogus and misleading statistic. More combined than Washington through Clinton. LOL..yeah, okay.

[dmek25]

we can argue all day about Obama. but what has ANYONE in DC done to fix all of these problems. if anyone thinks Mr. Romney is the answer, they need their head examined. the politics of today suck. its all about party, party, and more party. if one party would come up with the greatest job bill known to man kind, the other party would shoot it down. just because of its origin. and the GOP's main focus right now is to get Obama out of office. which was just like when W was in office. it is no longer about whats right for the American people. both partied are preaching to the same choir. they both stink..... OK, im done ranting

[mlmpetert]

Obama re-election team to form group to support second-term agenda, source says | Fox News

In an unprecedented move, President Barack Obama's vaunted political organization is being turned into a nonprofit group -- funded in part by corporate money -- to mobilize support behind the president's second-term agenda.

I think some people who frequent the gutter of thewarpath (aka the debating w the enemy section) have argued its BS that religious institutions and political organizations have favorable tax treatment. Whats BS to me is that every organization doesnt have favorable tax treatment.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I think the dollar amount being saved is a little besides the point, though it's not an insignificant amount. The point is the president is proposing the biggest gov't reorg since, perhaps, Hoover. Republicans crow about smaller and more efficient gov't, well let's do it. Congress should grant Obama the authority over the next 90 days to make it happen. By the way, this has been something Obama campaigned on before he was elected president and reiterated again in his State of the Union address last January.

And that's such a ****ing bogus and misleading statistic. More combined than Washington through Clinton. LOL..yeah, okay.

Obama wants to cut goverment. Do I need to list all the programs and give aways that have grown more under Obama then any in the past.

[HailGreen28]

No reason not to support any cut of government bureaucracy that Obama proposes. As long as it's not tied to even more growth somewhere else. I say take the cut, and prevent expansion everywhere else.

[Daseal]

Government spending is an ideal that has bi-partisan support. I believe liberals and conservatives both agree that government spending has to be reduced, the difference comes in the details and the programs that you save money by cutting. Regardless, cutting government spending is an incredibly complex and sensitive process. No one will be able to slash the government spending, at least without causing huge ripples in the US economy.

Many of us live in the greater DC metro area. We see how important the government is to many of our jobs. I can’t think of a single friend of mine (about 3 people) that don’t have a job that is somehow connected to the government. Many of them work for private companies that aren’t directly hired by the government, etc. The government indirectly funds a big chunk of our economy.

Since graduating college I’ve been a contractor to three major 3-letter organizations. Each one is run much differently and the past 2.5 years have been where I really start to see some of the political and financial struggles. My current organization actually makes more money than it spends. However, it has to give all of the money it makes to congress for appropriations. We then take a significant amount of grief for the amount of money we get from Congress even though we actually pay into the other agencies.

Within my agency, we have an enterprise wide forum that people are constantly putting in ideas for the organization to implement. A resounding majority are ways that the organization can save money. There’s a constant emphasis put on reducing the amount of tax-payer dollars that are spent on X, Y, and Z. Many of the ideas that were both feasible and realistic have actually been implemented or in the process of being implemented. The government employees are tax payers too. They also want the government to run more efficiently and are hard working people that try to serve the country and keep this country running.

Bureaucracy has a place. Bureaucracy is put in place for a reason. We may not agree with the reasons, and when we see it we wonder why such a terrible, convoluted process is in place. However, when you have organizations the size of the big 3-letter agencies, along with the massive amounts of restrictions on how/when/what/where for everything, it becomes necessary. Bureaucracy plays a part in the following:

- Reducing corruption. It is difficult to just ‘hire your buddy’ in the government. The decision is typically taken to multiple decision makers so that a person/product/service can’t get forced through by one person. It also splits up work so one person, hopefully, doesn’t control all the information in a decision. Obviously, this doesn’t work all the time, but it does work to limit the amount of corruption.

- Create Jobs. Multiple levels of bureaucracy creates both government and private industry jobs. Not really my preferred method, but it is part of the equation.

- Standardize Processes. When you have so many people with different backgrounds, ideals, and thoughts on how something ‘should’ run, you need many processes and guidelines to make sure these radically different personalities come close to running similar outfits. Again, not perfect, but I can’t propose any alternatives that would be as effective.

This was a long way to say… at least it’s a start. I want to see cuts to government spending as well. I don’t want my country to be bankrupt. We all have ideas on the best way to do it, but in the end we all want what’s best for our country. We’re going to need to see compromises from both sides of the aisle to get a more fiscally viable government. The first step is attempting to save money here and there. Enough of these do start to make an eventual difference.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Government spending is an ideal that has bi-partisan support. I believe liberals and conservatives both agree that government spending has to be reduced, the difference comes in the details and the programs that you save money by cutting. Regardless, cutting government spending is an incredibly complex and sensitive process. No one will be able to slash the government spending, at least without causing huge ripples in the US economy.

Many of us live in the greater DC metro area. We see how important the government is to many of our jobs. I can’t think of a single friend of mine (about 3 people) that don’t have a job that is somehow connected to the government. Many of them work for private companies that aren’t directly hired by the government, etc. The government indirectly funds a big chunk of our economy.

Since graduating college I’ve been a contractor to three major 3-letter organizations. Each one is run much differently and the past 2.5 years have been where I really start to see some of the political and financial struggles. My current organization actually makes more money than it spends. However, it has to give all of the money it makes to congress for appropriations. We then take a significant amount of grief for the amount of money we get from Congress even though we actually pay into the other agencies.

Within my agency, we have an enterprise wide forum that people are constantly putting in ideas for the organization to implement. A resounding majority are ways that the organization can save money. There’s a constant emphasis put on reducing the amount of tax-payer dollars that are spent on X, Y, and Z. Many of the ideas that were both feasible and realistic have actually been implemented or in the process of being implemented. The government employees are tax payers too. They also want the government to run more efficiently and are hard working people that try to serve the country and keep this country running.

Bureaucracy has a place. Bureaucracy is put in place for a reason. We may not agree with the reasons, and when we see it we wonder why such a terrible, convoluted process is in place. However, when you have organizations the size of the big 3-letter agencies, along with the massive amounts of restrictions on how/when/what/where for everything, it becomes necessary. Bureaucracy plays a part in the following:

- Reducing corruption. It is difficult to just ‘hire your buddy’ in the government. The decision is typically taken to multiple decision makers so that a person/product/service can’t get forced through by one person. It also splits up work so one person, hopefully, doesn’t control all the information in a decision. Obviously, this doesn’t work all the time, but it does work to limit the amount of corruption.

- Create Jobs. Multiple levels of bureaucracy creates both government and private industry jobs. Not really my preferred method, but it is part of the equation.

- Standardize Processes. When you have so many people with different backgrounds, ideals, and thoughts on how something ‘should’ run, you need many processes and guidelines to make sure these radically different personalities come close to running similar outfits. Again, not perfect, but I can’t propose any alternatives that would be as effective.

This was a long way to say… at least it’s a start. I want to see cuts to government spending as well. I don’t want my country to be bankrupt. We all have ideas on the best way to do it, but in the end we all want what’s best for our country. We’re going to need to see compromises from both sides of the aisle to get a more fiscally viable government. The first step is attempting to save money here and there. Enough of these do start to make an eventual difference.

Well said,Bravo!!!

[Alvin Walton]

Suck it Bloomberg!

order your supersizers boys!

Judge halts New York City ban on large sugary drinks - Mar. 11, 2013

[NC_Skins]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/us...S_PRO_20130514

WASHINGTON — Federal investigators secretly seized two months of phone records for reporters and editors of The Associated Press in what the news organization said Monday was a “serious interference with A.P.’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news.”

This is troubling to say the least. So much for the Constitution and due process.

[RedskinRat]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/us...S_PRO_20130514

This is troubling to say the least. So much for the Constitution and due process.

Not to suggest that the current Administration is the only responsible party, but the metaphorical harness is being slipped on and most people are too comfortable to care.

[firstdown]

So a few months back I paid our mothly payroll taxes on the IRS web page on the due date. I usually pay them early but this was a very large payment in January to wrap up our 2012 year. Around March I get a bill from the IRS for $329 as a penalty for paying my bill one day late. So i pull the receipt I printed and it shows I paid it on time but then it shows the payment processing date as the following date. WTF, I made the payment on time but because they decide to process it on the following day I get hit with a penalty of that size.

I have worked with the IRS in the past and they have been fair but this time its like I'm talking with a different agency all together. I showed proof it was paid on the due date but the dumb ass people working there keep reading me that stupid line about paying the payroll taxes late and incurring a penalty. I have just lost 2nd appeal and had to send in the payment because of their threats to put a lien against me and my business. I still have to close on our home loan and don't need any issues. Personally I think the Obama Administration is putting preasure on the IRS to collect any taxes they can and F the American people. Even though I paid the bill I'm not goin to stop appealing until I get my money back.

[RedskinRat]

That is utter bullshit.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by firstdown

So a few months back I paid our mothly payroll taxes on the IRS web page on the due date. I usually pay them early but this was a very large payment in January to wrap up our 2012 year. Around March I get a bill from the IRS for $329 as a penalty for paying my bill one day late. So i pull the receipt I printed and it shows I paid it on time but then it shows the payment processing date as the following date. WTF, I made the payment on time but because they decide to process it on the following day I get hit with a penalty of that size.

I have worked with the IRS in the past and they have been fair but this time its like I'm talking with a different agency all together. I showed proof it was paid on the due date but the dumb ass people working there keep reading me that stupid line about paying the payroll taxes late and incurring a penalty. I have just lost 2nd appeal and had to send in the payment because of their threats to put a lien against me and my business. I still have to close on our home loan and don't need any issues. Personally I think the Obama Administration is putting preasure on the IRS to collect any taxes they can and F the American people. Even though I paid the bill I'm not goin to stop appealing until I get my money back.

Did you pay it after regular business hours perhaps?

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by firstdown

So a few months back I paid our mothly payroll taxes on the IRS web page on the due date. I usually pay them early but this was a very large payment in January to wrap up our 2012 year. Around March I get a bill from the IRS for $329 as a penalty for paying my bill one day late. So i pull the receipt I printed and it shows I paid it on time but then it shows the payment processing date as the following date. WTF, I made the payment on time but because they decide to process it on the following day I get hit with a penalty of that size.

I have worked with the IRS in the past and they have been fair but this time its like I'm talking with a different agency all together. I showed proof it was paid on the due date but the dumb ass people working there keep reading me that stupid line about paying the payroll taxes late and incurring a penalty. I have just lost 2nd appeal and had to send in the payment because of their threats to put a lien against me and my business. I still have to close on our home loan and don't need any issues. Personally I think the Obama Administration is putting preasure on the IRS to collect any taxes they can and F the American people. Even though I paid the bill I'm not goin to stop appealing until I get my money back.

Don't feel bad. I got hit with a $850 "failure to file" fee from the IRS for 2011 taxes. I sent in the return with a 3,600 check. They cashed the check, and didn't file the return. The only reason I knew about the return not filed is they sent a notification this year saying I would lose the $3,600 credit.

Failure all the way around. So now I'll have to call in and ask for them to remove this fee. I seriously doubt they will even though it's their fault. It's a ****ing robbery to say the least.