THIS IS EXCELLENT

[Blazin]

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?
 

NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER!   Take out the trash!!
 
 
 
 
 

[NevadaNeal]

 HAHAHA thats the Gods truth rite there.

[bobcooter]

You are so right Blazin. Let me share something with you. Ever since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the gulf and sank due to BP engineers shortcutting the Mancondo well, there has been a deepwater drilling moratorium in place for drilling in water over 500 feet deep. Port Fourchon La, looks like a ghost town because the deep water rigs were they're bread and butter. So far around 10.000 people have lost their jobs. This was a bustling port.
 This is no secret, but , what Uncle Sugar doesn't tell anyone is that have issued only a handfull (maybe five) drilling permits for shallow water wells putting more people out of work. Plus they just released the final rule of a new Safety and Environmental Management program that is totally whacked. Some of you may be familiar with JSA's. Job Safety Analysis. It's a process you have to go through and fill out a form listing all potential hazards and how you plan to eliminate them for a particular job. We've been doing them for a few years now on all non-routine jobs. With the new SEMS Plans in place, a JSA must be done for ALL tasks. This is an oil platform remember, there is stuff that has to be done all day everywhere you look. The JSA's are only one part of this program. It has 12 parts. It looks like everyone will have to hire a clerk on everymanned location just to prepare and track all of the paperwork that this generate at a cost of millions to the oil companies.
 The Deepwater Horizon tragedy could have been prevented and there were several red flags that the BP engineers should have heeded.  The programs in place alrady have some very strict safety policys. The sad thing was that it came at a time when the Gov was ready to promote this new program and the Deeepwater Horizon gave them the oppertunity to ram it down everyone's throats.
You can pile paperwork to the moon, but it doesn't by itself make someone a safer worker.

[Lt.Del]

The Dept of Energy, as for one recommendation to reduce dependence on foreign oil, should be to immediately end the off-shore drilling moratorium so we can use our own oil!    

I had a discussion with some co-workers when we found out, due to the economy we weren't getting our annual payraise, neither a cost of living raise or a merit increase, for the second straight year.  

My side of the issue is this:  What happened to the old saying, last hired, first fired?  Let's get rid of the last few people the county hired and let the rest of us get our pay raise.  These people who just started have nothing vested in the county yet, no tenure, no seniority, nothing vested but a few months or so.  Let them go. Chances are they are young, no mortgage yet,  no family yet, just out of college or whatever---let them go and let us who have been there for 20 years and have our whole career vested in this and who have mortgages, tuitions, daycare, children, insurance, etc. to pay for, which keeps increasing, get our raise.  Let us get our raise!  
My main point is this, since the '90's, our department has exploded in personnel.  We have so much more staff than we ever have had.  We have like 7 people in our finance department when it used to just be one person.  The gov't has gotten fat in the '90's in the good economy.  We are no different than any other gov't, swelling in staff in the good times.  But, our administrators don't want to fire anyone.  I say, FIRE THEM!  Trim the fat, like a private company in bad times. Let me get my raise.

[bobcooter]

 This is an article that came out in the Houston Chronicle this morning. If you don't read it all, be sure to read the very last sentance. It somes up everything Blazin was say about the Depatment of Energy. Total stupidity.  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7239139.html