A Modern Fairy Tale... We Wish It Were Not True!

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  to do the studies and one 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 cutback." 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. We've spent several  hundred  billion dollars in support of an agency....the reason  for which  not one person who reads 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 2010 -- 33   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.  NOW,  WE HAVE TURNED OVER THE BANKING SYSTEM,  HEALTH CARE, AND  THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO THE SAME   GOVERNMENT?      Hello!!   Anybody Home?