Department of Government Efficiency

[JohnDB]

As Elon is heading to his office ....
Basically this is beyond an oversight committee in essence. This is a Quality Department job. To head up the Quality Department in Government function. To ensure departments and commissions do the jobs they are supposed to do, not overstep, and work more efficiently than they currently are.

If YOU were to be assigned this role. Where do you start? What do you focus on first?

You must follow the laws. You can't just get rid of someone on a whim. You have to follow established procedures and processes to make things efficient and effective.

So....what do you do DAY 1?
what do you see as bloated and over reaching?
What if a Department or Committee or Board is and has been without staff for a while and one lone fat cat is the only one left?

Talent is a rare commodity. Skills are not as common when common sense is a rare commodity.

Who and what do you cut?

 

[rightwinger]

GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols.

What GAO Does

Learn about GAO's processes for reports, testimonies, and legal opinions; how we serve Congress; and our role as an audit institution.

www.gao.gov

 

[JohnDB]

GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars.

Our work is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is statutorily required by public laws or committee reports, per our Congressional Protocols.

What GAO Does

Learn about GAO's processes for reports, testimonies, and legal opinions; how we serve Congress; and our role as an audit institution.

www.gao.gov

I don't think the GAO is being effective.
Certainly Musk could be reinventing the wheel here. But bloat is definitely a thing in DC....

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I don't think the GAO is being effective.
Certainly Musk could be reinventing the wheel here. But bloat is definitely a thing in DC....

The GAO is one of the worst offenders in the US Government.

 

[rightwinger]

I don't think the GAO is being effective.
Certainly Musk could be reinventing the wheel here. But bloat is definitely a thing in DC....

Actually, Musk has no idea what he is doing and ran Twitter into the ground and is screwing up Tesla

GAO understands how Government works, regulations and current laws

 

[Foxfyre]

As Elon is heading to his office ....
Basically this is beyond an oversight committee in essence. This is a Quality Department job. To head up the Quality Department in Government function. To ensure departments and commissions do the jobs they are supposed to do, not overstep, and work more efficiently than they currently are.

If YOU were to be assigned this role. Where do you start? What do you focus on first?

You must follow the laws. You can't just get rid of someone on a whim. You have to follow established procedures and processes to make things efficient and effective.

So....what do you do DAY 1?
what do you see as bloated and over reaching?
What if a Department or Committee or Board is and has been without staff for a while and one lone fat cat is the only one left?

Talent is a rare commodity. Skills are not as common when common sense is a rare commodity.

Who and what do you cut?

I'm pretty sure Elon won't have authority to do anything more than audit the various government departments and agencies.

But he can marshal a good qualified knowledgeable and motivated team to do that and identify where resources are being wasted due to duplication, redundancy, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, lack of accountability, poor policies, etc. or worse, malfeasance.

He can then take his findings to the President and hopefully a GOP controlled Congress to get better policies and legislation into place to make government smaller, more stream lined, more effective, more efficient, more responsive to the needs of the people. Likely some departments and agencies that are accomplishing very little but draining huge resources from the tax payers could be eliminated.

The movie "Dave" was just a comedy in which a look alike temp agency manager was drafted to illegally replace an incapacitated President. The corrupt chief of staff managed him until he took the reins himself. This scene describes how good government should work:

 

[Cassandro]

As Elon is heading to his office ....
Basically this is beyond an oversight committee in essence. This is a Quality Department job. To head up the Quality Department in Government function. To ensure departments and commissions do the jobs they are supposed to do, not overstep, and work more efficiently than they currently are.

If YOU were to be assigned this role. Where do you start? What do you focus on first?

You must follow the laws. You can't just get rid of someone on a whim. You have to follow established procedures and processes to make things efficient and effective.

So....what do you do DAY 1?
what do you see as bloated and over reaching?
What if a Department or Committee or Board is and has been without staff for a while and one lone fat cat is the only one left?

Talent is a rare commodity. Skills are not as common when common sense is a rare commodity.

Who and what do you cut?

Given the unfortunate reality of government employee unions, the only way to make the government more efficient is to freeze hiring and promotions in existing job classifications and create new limited-term positions to be filled through objective examinations. The former will gradually eliminate the deadwood, while the latter will enable the use of much more efficient people.

 

[Foxfyre]

Given the unfortunate reality of government employee unions, the only way to make the government more efficient is to freeze hiring and promotions in existing job classifications and create new limited-term positions to be filled through objective examinations. The former will gradually eliminate the deadwood, while the latter will enable the use of much more efficient people.

Yes the law needs to be changed so that federal employees are protected from a malicious supervisor/department head but also a federal employee who is incompetent, won't do his/her job or is committing malfeasance can be fired.

Also the government could contribute to a 401K or IRA to help a career employee build a retirement fund, but that fund should be the employee's retirement. And the retiring employee should be responsible for his/her own insurance as most in the private sector have to be.

Otherwise we need to do away with baseline budgeting and a percentage increase for all departments and each year. Department heads should start from zero and build the budget they need for the coming year. Congress passes the budget--Elon's efficiency task force might need to evaluate it first. Department heads might be rewarded for finding ways to economize which would give them incentive to do so rather than them finding ways to spend all their budget, however frivolously, so it will be increased the next year.

 

[Independent thinker]

As Elon is heading to his office ....
Basically this is beyond an oversight committee in essence. This is a Quality Department job. To head up the Quality Department in Government function. To ensure departments and commissions do the jobs they are supposed to do, not overstep, and work more efficiently than they currently are.

If YOU were to be assigned this role. Where do you start? What do you focus on first?

You must follow the laws. You can't just get rid of someone on a whim. You have to follow established procedures and processes to make things efficient and effective.

So....what do you do DAY 1?
what do you see as bloated and over reaching?
What if a Department or Committee or Board is and has been without staff for a while and one lone fat cat is the only one left?

Talent is a rare commodity. Skills are not as common when common sense is a rare commodity.

Who and what do you cut?

I'm normally against more government bureaucracy but I can't wait to see a cabinet position which will make all of the other cabinet positions shake in their shoes.

 

[80zephyr]

Also the government could contribute to a 401K or IRA to help a career employee build a retirement fund, but that fund should be the employee's retirement. And the retiring employee should be responsible for his/her own insurance as most in the private sector have to be.

That happens now.

 

[rightwinger]

I'm normally against more government bureaucracy but I can't wait to see a cabinet position which will make all of the other cabinet positions shake in their shoes.

Actually, you are creating a Cabinet position that is open to partisan influence

 

[Foxfyre]

That happens now.

Federal employees receive a government pension now plus whatever they save in a 401K or IRA

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm pretty sure Elon won't have authority to do anything more than audit the various government departments and agencies.

But he can marshal a good qualified knowledgeable and motivated team to do that and identify where resources are being wasted due to duplication, redundancy, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, lack of accountability, poor policies, etc. or worse, malfeasance.

He can then take his findings to the President and hopefully a GOP controlled Congress to get better policies and legislation into place to make government smaller, more stream lined, more effective, more efficient, more responsive to the needs of the people. Likely some departments and agencies that are accomplishing very little but draining huge resources from the tax payers could be eliminated.

The movie "Dave" was just a comedy in which a look alike temp agency manager was drafted to illegally replace an incapacitated President. The corrupt chief of staff managed him until he took the reins himself. This scene describes how good government should work:

Just identifying and eliminating the stupid/irresponsible expenditures could save the taxpayers gazillions without reducing efficiency or necessary government in any way.

 

[rightwinger]

Federal employees receive a government pension now plus whatever they save in a 401K or IRA

Plus Social Security

 

[Foxfyre]

Plus Social Security

Yes that too if they are old enough.

 

[80zephyr]

Federal employees receive a government pension now plus whatever they save in a 401K or IRA

That 401K or IRA gets matching funds from the government.

 

[initforme]

Plus Social Security

Greatest thing this nation has ever done...create social security.

 

[rightwinger]

Greatest thing this nation has ever done...create social security.

Agree

Plus Medicare