Email this morning

[B][B][B][B]Gubmint and How Gubmint Works[/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. [/B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B][B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B][B][B]Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]time studies. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.[/B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B][B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So They [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Then hired two people. [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?"[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Secretary. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost." [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B]So they laid off the night watchman. [/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]NOW slowly, let it sink in. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.... during the Carter Administration?[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Anybody? [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Anything? [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Didn't think so! [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]an agency...the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember![/B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B][B][/B][/B][/B]
[B][B]It was very simple...and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate. [/B][/B][B][B][B][B]The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B]TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. [/B][/B]

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???AND NOW IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

[B][B]Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy. [/B][/B][B][B]AND, NOW, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT? [/B][/B][B][B]HELLOOO! Anybody Home?[/B][/B]

Yes, I know this is a joke, but the absurdity it points out is sooooo real. I know what the department of energy was created for. Recently I saw a "private sector" suggestion on how Space exploration could pay for itself inside of 20 years. In particular, they were looking at colonization of the Moon.

One of the coolest things was the ability to turn solar energy into usable energy here on Earth. The thing is this, one of the most efficient solar cells has to be manufactured in a vaccum. The manufacturer has a huge machine that creates a vaccum, then he can produce a very small solar cell. In space, the vaccum exists naturally, and therefore, a very huge, and I mean huge, percentage of the cost of manufacturing the cells can be removed. There is a working plan to create a self-automated "robot" of sorts that would move along the moon's surface, using the moon dust (it is mostly silica) to create these solar cells. The rolling machine would collect the dust, do the proper manipulating of the dust, and lay down expansive fields of solar cells. The placement of these would need to be such that they are always in the light, as the moon has 14 day nights and days. Anyway, once the electrical current is converted from the solar energy, what is not used on the moon could be transmitted via microwave to the Earth. Now I can't explain it as well as they did, but essentially, there would be enough electricity to power most of North America, and we would not be using any fossil fuels.

I can guarantee you that the fossil fuel lobby is already telling our president that he has not yet cut enough funding from NASA!!!

I share this story because it pertains precisely to the creation of the department of energy, or should, and because there was a thread on here not long ago about why there shound NOT be any space eploration.

If our species is to survive for the long term, we will have to move to the stars. It is a proven fact that there are MASS EXTINCTION events on the earth. Before the one everyone knows about, the dinosaurs, there was a mass extinction event that killed 95% of all living organisms on the planet.

Guess what, there were no humans around at the time to blame it on, sorry Mr. Gore, but I am sure just as you used creative annimation in your movie, you can make something up to blame us humans.

Anyway, the fact remains, at some time, the Earth will face another mass extinction, and the only way the human race will continue forth is through our colonization of space.

Dang, sorry, I do tend to get onto tangents when they are things I believe in. And by the way, no I am not predicting any sort of Armageddon in our lifetimes, nor am I ruling it out. I merely say, it will happen, rather it is like the movie, and a large Near Earth Object will collide with us, or perhaps a super volcano, like at Yellowstone, will erupt.

Considering this, we should all really appreciate life, and live it as if we truly may not have a tomorrow.

So, let's go fishing... LOL

HDF


[QUOTE=greenriverman1;389185][B][B][B][B]Gubmint and How Gubmint Works[/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]time studies. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.[/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So They [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Then hired two people. [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?"[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Secretary. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost." [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B]So they laid off the night watchman. [/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]NOW slowly, let it sink in. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter. [/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B][B][B]Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.... during the Carter Administration?[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Anybody? [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Anything? [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Didn't think so! [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of [/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B][B][B]an agency...the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember![/B][/B][/B][/B]

[B][B]It was very simple...and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate. [/B][/B][B][B][B][B]The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977[/B][/B][/B][/B][B][B]TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. [/B][/B]

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???AND NOW IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

[B][B]Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy. [/B][/B][B][B]AND, NOW, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT? [/B][/B][B][B]HELLOOO! Anybody Home?[/B][/B][/QUOTE]

That is very interesting Hidef. I am sure that there is a lot that goes on with our tax payer money that is for the good of mankind that we do not know about.

Thanks for the reply.