Does any large government program work both extrememly well as well as efficiently?

Question

You're saying social security, the military and public universities don't have all kinds of red tape?

Isn't Walter Reed run by the military?

One of my favorite sayings is "If the Navy hasn't figured out a more expensive way of doing something, it doesn't exist."

Answer 1

no

Social Security is a ponzi scheme in which the government taxes young people to pay old people's benefits. Then, they spend the surplus on pork barrel projects.

The military overpays for its equipment by absurd amounts. This is an organization that buys toilet seats for hundreds of dollars. Then, they provide sub-standard hospitals and benefits to the veterans (it was that way in Vietnam and it is that way in Iraq).

Public Universities are actually ranked by how much money they spend, so they routinely waste money and hand out welfare to organizations such as the college Democrats and the college Republicans that don't need it. They engage in so many wasteful endeavors that run up the cost of college and the private universities do it as well because they receive government money (which is why we don't need school vouchers for private k-12 schools).

The government also doesn't run roads properly. Our bridges collapse at home because the government has incentives to build faulty bridges because they can increase taxes later on.

The problem is that government programs sometimes seem to work well, because private competition is banned, so people have no measuring stick. Absolutely everything should be privatized, including protection services.

Answer 2

Umm... none that I can think of.
Well there's the USPS, but it looks like FedEx does just as well if not better and usually at a lower cost, so it's debatable.

One could look at it like this - the government was purposely designed to be inefficient in general by nature, but efficient at very limited tasks for which it was specifically assigned. The philosophies of freedom and liberty are not very conducive to a large government which has a tendency to become corrupt, authoritarian, tyrannical, and generally oppressive.

And Social[ist] [In]Security is quite effective at collecting taxes and making sure that they get spent at least 100%, but for which there is no assurance that anyone will ever receive any alleged 'benefits,' particulary given the fact that it is an unconstitutional beauracracy to begin with and it's creation was a gross abuse of the "General Welfare" clause.

"railroad benefits, like social security benefits, are not contractual and may be altered or even eliminated at any time" - United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz, 449 U.S. 166, 174, 101 S.Ct. 453, 459, 66 L.Ed.2d 368 (1980)

Government programs are a way for politicians to say "hey look at all these new jobs we created."

Answer 3

Social security probably is the most noted of all the social service agencies, but, it is getting bogged down with a heavy workload placed on them by illegal immigrants.
All the service agencies with the exception of, possibly the Education Administration or I'm not sure about that name anyway you get the drift. The department of Agriculture has a great reputation for implementing legislature into policy and directives for implementation.
That is, until dum de dum dum, this Republican Administration has taken all the strengh from the agencies and they simply cannot perform their mandate through their reduced budget and the implementing of foolish regulations that allow the industries to police or inspect themselves. Half of the meat inspectors that worked for the Department of Agriculture have been let go or the positions have not been filled. Meat producers are expected to inspect themselves under this Republican Administration.
And so with other agencies, like FEMA a veru fast ,moving and superior agency before this Republican Administration, now they couldn't find their asses with both hands and a flashlight.
thanks

Answer 4

State universities are some of the best in the world. Our state-owned and control armed forces is the best in the world. Social Security does the job it was given very efficiently. A fraction of one percent is spent on administrative tasks. Compare that to private insurance companies that have to pay for million dollar bonuses for CEOs and profits for investors. NASA and basic scientific research done or paid for by government has led to many scientific advancements.

Betchell on the other hand did a terrible job with Katrina. Enron scammed consumers of millions of dollars and left their workers with nothing. The deregulation of the Savings and Loans industry led to the Savings and Loan Crisis. Blackwater does the same job our military can do for 6 times the cost.

There are efficient and inefficent organizations everywhere, private and public.

I went to a state-owned university. There was definitely no red tape. It was all very simple. The financial aid process, first year in a dorm, student loans, etc. I can't tell you about social security yet.

I work for Boeing now and I get the run around for the simplest IT things. I get the run around from Dish Network. Bureacracy can happen in all big organizations.

Answer 5

No.

Neither do any of the smaller government programs. Government doesn't do anything well or efficiently. But it does do some things that simply can't or won't be done at all, otherwise. So we do have to keep it around. Unfortunately.

Answer 6

Yes. Social security pays out nearly 100% of what it collects, it's overhead is less than one percent. The problems you have heard about have been greatly exagerated--you'll still have social security in the future, the 'gloom and doom' is based on 'if we don't do anything'. With a few little changes along the way, one of the most efficient government programs anywhere will remain that way.

You said efficient. You didn't mention red tape. Corporations have red tape too, there is no way around it. Charities too--usually more than 20% of what you donate runs the charity and the rest actually provides whatever the charity helps people with. No one does charity with the Eva Peron setup, where people walk in with a story and she decides whether to belive them and how much help they need so she can grab money out of a drawer and hand it out. The only way to get rid of red tape is to get rid of the program--and if they didn't have the program, the guy navigating the red tape would have bigger problems than a little bueracracy.

Answer 7

First i might prefer to make a remark to Rhoda -- I do desire which you have not got faith that Clinton handed something to Bush -- the only situation that Clinton handed to anybody replaced into the U. S. while he carried out NAFTA. ok, on your question, there's no longer a software in the international that the U. S. government has no longer screwed up and this contains Medicaid. the main important difficulty with the U. S. government is they might write exams that they do no longer could conceal. in the event that they ran their domicile this form -- they could be putting forward financial ruin. None of them have the experience that God gave a goose which contains the recent fool in value. he's promising issues like money is water and the only ones which could pay for it -- you and me for something of our lives, then we can go away the debt to our little ones if there continues to be a u . s . left. To base our faith on the government is like sitting on a land mine and no person to get us off -- faster or later it particularly is all going to explode and while it does we can could kiss our butts sturdy-bye. each little thing it particularly is occurring suited now's preferable us right into a abyss and it does no longer look sturdy on the different element. I pray that i'm incorrect. sturdy success on your seek to discover some thing to hold directly to and in case you do please enable us to all understand.

Answer 8

Yes, and social security, the military and public universities do have red tape. They are still run more efficiently and economically then privately owned Companies that are much smaller in scope.
Telcos
Automotive
Insurance
HMO's
Mortgage and Finance

Answer 9

Sure, lots of them do you don't hear about. We know that none of businesses work as they are too busy screwing people out of labor and money. They are extremely inefficient. Their goal is to make money at any cost, not efficiency. Just take a look at Walter Reed or Halliburton, or Boeing! Better yet look at the peole who built the O rings for the Challenger.

Answer 10

The FBI, the GI Bill, Medicare, Social Security, the military. . .

I love this argument, every time from the republicans: "Government doesn't work!!!" Just elect them and they prove it.