Pentagon buries report documenting $125 billion of waste
Why the revolt? The Pentagon purposely buried a 2015 report that documented $125 billion in wasteful Defense Department spending because they feared Congress would use it to justify sequestration.
The report, which was issued in January 2015 by the advisory Defense Business Board (DBB), called for a series of reforms that would have saved the department $125 billion over the next five years. Among its other findings, the report showed that the Defense Department was paying just over 1 million contractors, civilian employees and uniformed personnel to fill back-office jobs. That number nearly matches the amount of active duty troops — 1.3 million, the lowest since 1940.
The Post reported that some Pentagon leaders feared the study’s findings would undermine their claims that years of budget sequestration had left the military short of money. In response, they imposed security restrictions on information used in the study and even pulled a summary report from a Pentagon website. “They’re all complaining that they don’t have any money,” former DBB chairman Robert Stein told the Post. “We proposed a way to save a ton of money.”
The corruption in Washington today runs very deep. It will take many years and a lot of change to fix it. Don’t expect a lot from Trump or this Republican Congress. They might be a start (maybe), but even if they worked entirely to get the federal cleaned up they couldn’t do it in the next four years. And no one should expect them to work entirely to clean this up.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Why the revolt? The Pentagon purposely buried a 2015 report that documented $125 billion in wasteful Defense Department spending because they feared Congress would use it to justify sequestration.
The report, which was issued in January 2015 by the advisory Defense Business Board (DBB), called for a series of reforms that would have saved the department $125 billion over the next five years. Among its other findings, the report showed that the Defense Department was paying just over 1 million contractors, civilian employees and uniformed personnel to fill back-office jobs. That number nearly matches the amount of active duty troops — 1.3 million, the lowest since 1940.
The Post reported that some Pentagon leaders feared the study’s findings would undermine their claims that years of budget sequestration had left the military short of money. In response, they imposed security restrictions on information used in the study and even pulled a summary report from a Pentagon website. “They’re all complaining that they don’t have any money,” former DBB chairman Robert Stein told the Post. “We proposed a way to save a ton of money.”
The corruption in Washington today runs very deep. It will take many years and a lot of change to fix it. Don’t expect a lot from Trump or this Republican Congress. They might be a start (maybe), but even if they worked entirely to get the federal cleaned up they couldn’t do it in the next four years. And no one should expect them to work entirely to clean this up.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Trump isn’t even president yet and he’s already cutting govt. waste (no to new $4b air force one.) It is the GOP he will have to fight since the dems are vulnerable next election.
I think we are all going to be surprised by what Trump can and will do. He needs to clean house and I believe it’s coming. He’s going to be a better president than I even imagined which is saying something. The only question is how long will it take for the ideologues to get on board.
At every turn, Trump threatens or makes a specific negative observation and is manufacturing leverage and capital out of perception, which in time will be traded to get him closer to his goals, what ever they may be.
Pure Trump, a total asymmetrical operator.
(I also just heard Trump announce a meeting with a Japanese investor who will be investing $50 billion in U.S. with 50K in employment. I can not find it on the web yet)
Trump seems more effective than the last three presidents and he has not even been installed yet as the president. This is going to be one crazy ride! The Democrats are going to be ground up and seen for what they are, Un American, as they attempt to stand in his way. IMO.
Cotour, I’m curious why you wrote “more effective than the last 3 presidents,” and not “the last 4,” or even “the last 2.”
I didn’t see Bush 41 as all that effective, and Clinton, once he worked in conjunction with Gingrich, was more effective (in the short term; I’m ignoring some of the seeds he planted that later grew into huge problems) than Bush was.
>I need to make a factual correction on a previous post of mine, and this is a fortuitous thread in which to place it.
I incorrectly attributed comments on “Mass Movements,” to Karl Popper, when they should have been attributed to Eric Hoffer, author of “True Believers.”
“Hoffer analyzes and attempts to explain the motives of the various types of personalities that give rise to Mass Movements; why and how Mass Movements start, progress and end; and the similarities between them, whether religious, political, radical or reactionary.
He argues that even when their stated goals or values differ, Mass Movements are interchangeable, that adherents will often flip from one movement to another, and that the motivations for mass movements are interchangeable.
>Thus, religious, nationalist and social movements, whether radical or reactionary, tend to attract the same type of followers, behave in the same way and use the same tactics and rhetorical tools.”
—————————————————————————————————————-
This, I would venture to proffer, is what we have with DJT and his “movement.”
Real Time US National Debt Clock
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
I just chose a number in order to illustrate the contrast between most presidents (the last three, who I in general consider to be net negatives and agents of the destruction of the Constitution and the selling out of our sovereignty ALL, and Trump.
He may turn out to be more effective than the last 5 presidents (?). What a concept, who knows?
I’m just wondering why you don’t include Bush 41.
“More effective than the last 5” can be reworded as “the most effective since Jimmy Carter,” and I’m reasonably sure you don’t mean that.
If you have ever read anything that I written having to do with George Bush sr. you will know that I consider him the main germination point of the One World Government / New World Order movement. His son IMO was just and agent / stooge continuing his agenda.
Why do you think most all of the Bush’s supported Hillary? Because Trump made their son Jeb look like the tool that he is? That may be part of it but Trump as of this date appears to have stopped out that agenda and has turned the country away from it. The key word in that sentence is “appeared”.
G. Bush sr. was / is an inside man at the CIA, appears to be a participant in or present in Dallas, made the “Thousand Points Of Light” speech laying out his imaginings.
https://youtu.be/wutbmopcyn4
What ever the intended purpose of the initial concept, I do not like where it has ended up thus far.
That’s why I was surprised you said “last 3 presidents.”
Cotour–
“appears to be a participant in or present in Dallas”
Say what? (are you ever going to tell us, whom you think killed JFK?)
I seem to recall somebody recently, who accused Ted Cruz’s Dad of being “in on the conspiracy.”
Garry—total tangent; is this actually in a Japanese Haiku format?
“Obama has failed
The worst President ever
Jimmy Carter smiles”
Wayne, I love it; from my limited knowledge of haiku, that appears to fit.
Even though this happened on Obama’s watch, note that this only made the press at the end of the Obama era, making it Trump’s military problem. I suspect it will be addressed by the new administration, but not after the left and their press extract something from it.
I have no faith in Congress, regardless of party, to demonstrate fiscal frugality. Perhaps The Donald will do so, although I expect it’s a mountain to big to tame in one generation, much less one term.
Killing the F35 and Zumwalt destroyer would be a good start.
If Trump wants to be the “most effective”, he will need to actually down-size government as opposed to just slowing the rate of growth.
I loved Reagan, still do, but he also didn’t follow thru on getting rid of any agencies. He at least had the excuse of an uncooperative Congress, Trump does not have that impediment.
If Trump builds a wall, and names some great Supreme’s, he will have met my somewhat low bar for “effective”
But it sure would be nice to force the ratchet of government growth back a few notches for once…..