NIGHT WATCHMAN AND BUREUCRACY

NIGHT WATCHMAN AND BUREUCRACY!!

  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 was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created two positions: a time keeper 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 $918,000 over budget, we must cut back." So they laid-off the night watchman.

NOW slowly, let it sink in.

Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter administration?

Anybody? Anything?

No?

Didn't think so!

Bottom line is, we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency, the reason for which very few people who read this can remember!

Ready??

It was very simple... and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977, TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND NOW IT'S 2015 -- 38 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE!

(THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?") 38 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was foreign imports. Today 70% of our oil consumption is foreign imports.

Ah, yes -- good old Federal bureaucracy.

Signed....The Night Watchman

In India, the government set up a Department of Ex-Serviceman's Welfare in the year 2003. Ostensibly this was to look after the welfare of defence veterans, who had no mai-baap to take up their grievances with statutory authorities at the centre and state level. This department is headed by a "secretary" with the usual paraphernalia of joint secretaries, under-secretaries, directors, desk officers, clerks, peons, chai-wallahs, samosa-wallahs, etc., all civilians, BUT not a single ex-serviceman!!

The department promptly got down to the business of harassing veterans and so successful was it in its job, that there was a proposal to re-name it, DESH (Department of Ex-Serviceman's Harassment). The department has the unique distinction of being censured by the Supreme Court not once but several times but it soldiers on, undaunted. Full marks for dogged persistence and utter shamelessness!

One wonders if like the night watchman, the ESM will also become erstwhile.

 

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