But when asked about which programs they’d like to cut, from education to foreign aid, there wasn’t a plurality of support for reducing spending in any of 13 different policy areas. In half of the areas, in fact, including education, veterans benefits, infrastructure, and health care, more than half of those surveyed wanted to spend even more.
Moreover, underlying the eternal debate about cutting government employees is the disconnect of that debate from the government’s mission. I dug into which federal agencies employ the most people, and it turns out that the 15 largest agencies, by employment, account for nearly 80% of all federal employees. With the exception of the IRS and the FBI, they perform functions that no one wants to cut—support for the military, Customs and Border Protection, Social Security Administration, the FAA and TSA, FEMA, federal prisons.
If you want to screw with a Conservative, ask them what agencies they want to be smaller and watch as they don’t know.
I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the - what’s the third one there? Let’s see… The third agency of government I would - I would do away with, Education, the… Commerce and, let’s see. I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.
Every few years, one proposes getting rid of the Department of Energy and someone has to explain that DoE manages the nuclear weapons so maybe bark up a different tree.
The most interesting thing about the TSA is the folks you see are usually GS-4 to GS-6. They only serve as security theater and don’t really do anything practical beyond the same security you get at a court house entrance. The real security are behind the scene monitoring the various cameras, scanners, and trackers. That’s where you’ll find the TSA employees that serve a real purpose and are paid well.
Yeah, but think of all the people the bag checkers saved by making my art-student self throw away my drawing compass, because it had a small point on one end! No boo-boos on their watch, my friend!
If you want to screw with a Conservative, ask them what agencies they want to be smaller and watch as they don’t know.
– Rick Perry
They’d say the EPA, but if you push them on and ask why they’ll just give a very vague, generic answer.
Then you show them photos of Cleveland and all the air and water pollution.
Every few years, one proposes getting rid of the Department of Energy and someone has to explain that DoE manages the nuclear weapons so maybe bark up a different tree.
Nah they’ll say the FBI, the IRS and if they frequently use airplanes they’ll say the TSA if they don’t they’ll have forgotten what they do.
The most interesting thing about the TSA is the folks you see are usually GS-4 to GS-6. They only serve as security theater and don’t really do anything practical beyond the same security you get at a court house entrance. The real security are behind the scene monitoring the various cameras, scanners, and trackers. That’s where you’ll find the TSA employees that serve a real purpose and are paid well.
Yeah, but think of all the people the bag checkers saved by making my art-student self throw away my drawing compass, because it had a small point on one end! No boo-boos on their watch, my friend!