Monday, February 8, 2010

Federal Government in Washington closed today due to snow.

From the Washington Post:

The federal government will be closed on Monday in the Washington area, according to the Office of Personnel Management, as the region continues to plow out of an historic snowstorm.
OPM Director John Berry decides when to close federal offices in the Washington area. He convened a conference call with local and state government and transportation officials Sunday afternoon during which they determined a Monday morning commute would be too unsafe, officials said.....


.....Closing the federal government for one day costs taxpayers roughly $100 million in lost productivity, a price tag Berry said weighs heavily on his final decisions.

Lost productivity, you say?

If the Department Of Education doesn't show up for work, does that mean that the sad decline of our schools will cease? The decline that has accelerated ever since the founding of that department?

The Department Of Energy was founded to decrease our reliance on foreign energy sources. Despite a 28 billion dollar budget, and more than 100,000 employees, the amount of oil we import has increased since then. Do we need those guys?

Can anyone remember the last time the Department Of Housing And Urban Development was worth its salt? Why should ACORN grants be funneled through that department, when we could so easily write the checks to ACORN ourselves?

If the Department Of Agriculture were to be snowed in for a year, and we were allowed to import food from more economical sources overseas, do you think this would eliminate some poverty in the U.S. and overseas? In fact, if the Department Of Agriculture were to sink into the Potomac, would it be missed by anyone except some coddled millionaires?

What would happen if the Department Of Defense stayed home for a decade, and it was all our military could do to defend our borders? Do you think the number of attacks on America would be about like the number of attacks on, say, Switzerland?

Does anyone suffer when Secretary Of State Clinton can't get out of her driveway because of the snow?

Think of the pounds of regulatory mess that The Department Of Commerce will NOT write today.

Imagine that you just won the mega-lottery, and you wanted to give most of the money to effective charitable organizations that efficiently deliver aid, medicine, and comfort to low income people in the U.S. How many organizations would you consider before you voluntarily wrote a check to The Department Of Health And Human Services?

Look at what The Department Of Organized Labor has done for Michigan. Stay home, folks. We'll call you when we need you.

Think of what the Treasury Department has done for Wall Street, banks, AIG, Goldman-Sachs, and their buddies at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the past year. Treasury will not be able to cover gambling losses with your money today.

A big thank-you should go to the Department Of Transportation for not getting the roads cleared.

5 comments:

kerrcarto said...

Good. I wish they would do that everyday!

jomama said...

Close D.C.?

I thought it was already a theme park.

Hot Sam said...

Federal workers have the right/ability to telecommute, i.e. do their work from their home computers.

In fact, they are encouraged to do so to save energy. Some offices have mandatory telecommuting days.

Except when there's a snow storm. Then they get a day off, with pay.

DC was closed, but nobody of any significance noticed.

TarrantLibertyGuy said...

I heard that the Saints would win the Super Bowl when hell froze over.

Anonymous said...

Government and Military office closing List Feb 10:

Full List CLICK HERE