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[QUOTE=iris lilies;445046]Perhaps, at least your state taxes would increase. I would want any excess federal money to go to the national debt. so if there are savings, put it to good use as Dave Ramsey would say about our household budgets.
And state budgets and legislators are closer to us, we can look with better scrutiny at state programs and services.[/QUOTE]
Dream on…. You are also forgetting economies of scale.
[QUOTE=frugal-one;445060]And you are forgetting the bureaucrats’ regulations that turn a $20 hammer into a $165 hammer.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
[QUOTE=iris lilies;445066]It will only get worse IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugal-one
At one time I was in charge of ordering laboratory supplies for a private lab with a big company. If an order came in with damaged product or something sent in mistake, I was told not to return it if the value was less than $75. And that was sometime ago. The explanation was that the paper work and time going through purchasing, arranging for return shipping, shipping and packaging costs, and any accounting for overhead might be as much as $75.
No expert opinions on those expensive hammers and toilets the government buys, but there are some accounting tricks that could make those things seem unreasonably expensive if someone wants to make a point.
Oh, sure, errors and damages in procurement can cost a lot to resolve. My department spent $2.5 million annually in library acquisitions and damaged shipments oR incorrect ones were often refunded by the vendors without returning the bad product. Too expensive for them to do otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
I have read that regulations add much to the cost of these government buying contracts. Congress and the regulatory bodies do it to themselves demanding materials be sourced from a specific place and in a specific way. And then there are the requirements for using minority-owned businesses. I remember at my workplace for one painting job we went through 3 minority-owned painting companies before we could get someone to show up to fulfill their contract.
How many small businesses do ya’ll know are in the wife’s name? I know a few. They do that to meet the “minority owned” requirement to get government contracts, and by “government” I don’t mean exclusively federal contracts. Cities, counties, states have these same requirements.
Well, it sounds like you know why a $20 hammer costs the government much more and that it's not the allocation of overhead or supply chain costs, but minority contractors.
No THE cause of expensive hammers is not minority contractors but that requirement is one of thousands that may thwart efficiency.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
Yesterday while on errands public radio announced that "The Hill" has laid off the staff's of their DEI, climate, and migration departments, supposedly to keep on the king's good side. Then while watching 60 minutes, which had been a routine in my house for a long time, there was an excellent feature on the services that were being cut from the NIH. Research and trials for things like dementia and cancer. Thousands of jobs and billions in research. Then, at the end, Scott Pelley gave an emotional goodbye to their 37 year executive producer, Bill Owens. Owens resigned due to increasing pressure from their parent company, Paramount, to control content. My bit of looking up said much of it goes back to the 10 billion dollar frivolous law suit against 60 minutes over the Harris interview. Catching up local news, Colorado Public Radio's web sight had an appeal to save Public radio from cutbacks.
I don't subscribe, but check on the Washington Post headlines occasionally. Ss far as I can tell, they still seem fairly objective, despite Bezos. I've never seen "X", but gather it's no spot for gathering news, but more like a place for high level people to squabble. It does seem to have a large following, for what reason I'm not sure. I assume Hannity and Tucker Carlson still have popularity in spreading conspiracy theory, even though they now have their way if things. I'm starting to wonder if independent news coverage will come from places like substack. I've not seen any changes in the NYT reporting, but Krugman left under increasing control of content from their management.
Yes, as I was reading your post, I was thinking, "thank God for Substack!" That's where the media refugees are fleeing. Their content (i.e., Krugman, Dan Rather) is just as good, if not better, as it was when it was under the management of their bosses. I like Krugman unleashed and Rather unleashed (Dan Rather's substack is called "Steady").Of course, there are many more less well-known journalists taking advantage of YouTube for news commentary.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogar
Other substackers I follow are
Heather Cox Richardson
Meidas Touch Network
Silver Bulletin
As LDAHL pointed out in a previous post, Substack is heavily left, from what I can see. Maybe I just haven't come across the conservative substackers.
Aside from the political substacks, there are many other excellent writers in all fields.
Substack may be heavily left but I don’t recognize that because I subscribe to a few writers in the “trans critical space” (correct speak to make you all happy) so I don’t get those messages.
If news folks are all of a sudden getting pushed and prodded to get more in line with editorial right thinking, I would welcome them to the club that Bari Weiss and Uri Berliner among others founded.
And I guess Rumble is politically Right ? I don’t know, I just catch Russell Brand now and then on You Tube and he posts all of his content on Rumble. Last week I learned DH listens to Rumble, a particular nutjob person whose name I can’t pronounce who make an unlistenable podcast.
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