The Night Watchman & The Department Of Energy

Once upon a time, the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert.

So 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.

No Much Later 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 was to do the studies and one was to write the reports.

Following That, Congress said, “How are these people going to get paid?” So they created two positions: a timekeeper and a payroll officer then hired two people.

Then After Thinking A Bit More, 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.

And Then As People Who Understand How Government Works Would Predict, Congress said, “We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $918,000 over budget, we must cut back.” So they laid off the night watchman.

NOW TAKE A MOMENT AND LET THIS 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? Anyone? No? Didn’t think so!

The bottom line is that we’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of a government agency, the reason for which very few people who read this can remember, or if they did, forgot about!

Are you ready??

It was very simple… and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8/04/1977,

THEIR CHARTER WAS TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND NOW IT’S 2022 — 45 YEARS LATER — AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS “NECESSARY” DEPARTMENT IS AT $242 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?”)

34 years ago 30% of our oil consumption was imported. Today 70% of our oil consumption is imported.

Ah, yes — the good old Federal bureaucracy in action.

NOW, WE HAVE TURNED OVER THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE, AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?

What can possibly go wrong?

Hello!! Is Anybody Home?

Signed…. The Night Watchman