The Night Watchman

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN
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?

No?

Bottom line is, we've spent several hundred billion dollars in
support of an agency....the reason for which nobody
 can remember!

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 2011 -- 34 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?")

33 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