From George Kennan's _Around the Cragged Hill: A Personal and Political Philosophy_:
"The State Department of the years of his service there often used to appear to this writer as a large, poorly designed, and overelaborate machine, the greater part of the energies of which were consumed in the effort to overcome its own internal frictions, the frictions being, of course, the products of overstaffing and bureaucracy. These last mean: more people involved, more internal correspondence, more staff meetings, more levels of authority, more offices to be consulted before anyone could decide anything. I have sometimes insisted that you could set up an American embassy in the middle of nowhere, with no host government to be accredited to, and its staff would be so preoccupied with its internal problems that within a year they would be complaining of shortage of personnel." [from page 147]
Further from Kennan's book, the footnote on page 148:
"Memory brings up the following. During World War II, when Pan American's flying boats provided the only form of aerial transportation between the United States and Europe, and the Azores offered the only adequate and fully serviceable refueling stop for these planes, the airline maintained a servicing station in the Azores, manned by eleven Americans. When, later, the U.S. Navy decided to establish a small seaplane base there, to fly antisubmarine patrols -- a base the dimensions of whose operations could not have been much greater than those of the existing Pan American unit -- the Navy, asked to estimate the size of the personnel that would be required, came up with a figure of two thousand."
Amen and amen. Since ANY employee is getting harder and harder to get rid of for cause -- especially of course Civil Servants and DEI hires -- I have heard of a particularly problematic secretary nobody dared fire -- so just as you say, they eliminated her entire department!
One can work in a state-of-the-art, well-fortified embassy or HQ and get wads of intelligence too secret to even read, yet still be clueless when it counts, because of one's loony political predisposition.
Not only can one not hate the left enough, Stephen, how much more can one hate the monstrosity that is our Federal Government. 'Tax the rich' is always the lefts mantra (supposedly to help the lesser-thans) while they waste billions almost daily on NOTHING, except to enrich the already wealthy and their bank accounts.
I have heard it suggested as of late, that if all the filth that encompasses the personal lives of many if not most of those who we call our representatives in Washington were to be exposed, it would bring down our gov't and the gov'ts of other countries as well. So what are we waiting for? What are WE afraid of? Let's get 'er done.
The Ratchet Effect, where government is only supposed to grow, never shrink, reminds of George Will's Leftward ratchet — Leftist gains are never lost. They might stop for a while, but they can never go rightward. Will talked about this long before he lost his mind due to Trump Derangement Syndrome. What a shame that Will succumbed to TDS. Reading Will's political columns about 50 years ago contributed to changing me from a McGovern voter in '72 into a Reagan voter in '80.
C. Northcote Parkinson observed in his little book that the apogee of an organization was often reflected in massive, overwrought architecture. As an example, he proposed the British Colonial Office, which moved into a gigantic new building in...1948, immediately on the cusp of Britain shedding most of its colonies.
If you could see me now, I am (virtually) standing on my chair, holding a (virtual) hand-written sign saying EONTGINC45!-that's because I'm a doctor. Oh yes, I'm (virtually) screaming at the top of my lungs GO STEVE!
The apotheosis of State Department/Foreign Service cluelessness and arrogance HAS to be flying the pride flag over the US embassy in Kabul, thereby recruiting any remaining mugwumps to the Taliban cause.
I'm surprised CNN doesn't have a continually updated chyron "Total Children Dead Since USAID Defunded By Trump" with a whizzing numeric counter: 1007, 1008, 1023 (Haitian orphanage collapsed, no funding for new roof trusses), 1031 (school bus accident due to driver layoffs) ...
From George Kennan's _Around the Cragged Hill: A Personal and Political Philosophy_:
"The State Department of the years of his service there often used to appear to this writer as a large, poorly designed, and overelaborate machine, the greater part of the energies of which were consumed in the effort to overcome its own internal frictions, the frictions being, of course, the products of overstaffing and bureaucracy. These last mean: more people involved, more internal correspondence, more staff meetings, more levels of authority, more offices to be consulted before anyone could decide anything. I have sometimes insisted that you could set up an American embassy in the middle of nowhere, with no host government to be accredited to, and its staff would be so preoccupied with its internal problems that within a year they would be complaining of shortage of personnel." [from page 147]
Further from Kennan's book, the footnote on page 148:
"Memory brings up the following. During World War II, when Pan American's flying boats provided the only form of aerial transportation between the United States and Europe, and the Azores offered the only adequate and fully serviceable refueling stop for these planes, the airline maintained a servicing station in the Azores, manned by eleven Americans. When, later, the U.S. Navy decided to establish a small seaplane base there, to fly antisubmarine patrols -- a base the dimensions of whose operations could not have been much greater than those of the existing Pan American unit -- the Navy, asked to estimate the size of the personnel that would be required, came up with a figure of two thousand."
From Steve's keyboard to Trump's ears. God willing.
If there is no way to ratchet down the headcount, then the only solution is to amputate whole departments. Either way is good.
Amen and amen. Since ANY employee is getting harder and harder to get rid of for cause -- especially of course Civil Servants and DEI hires -- I have heard of a particularly problematic secretary nobody dared fire -- so just as you say, they eliminated her entire department!
One can work in a state-of-the-art, well-fortified embassy or HQ and get wads of intelligence too secret to even read, yet still be clueless when it counts, because of one's loony political predisposition.
It's so easy to spend someone else's money.
One sign says: Remember the oath you vowed to uphold. Must be some secret society oath. It isn’t the federal government employee oath that’s for sure.
In a perfect world, most 'public employees' would be jailed for violation of their oaths of office.
Not only can one not hate the left enough, Stephen, how much more can one hate the monstrosity that is our Federal Government. 'Tax the rich' is always the lefts mantra (supposedly to help the lesser-thans) while they waste billions almost daily on NOTHING, except to enrich the already wealthy and their bank accounts.
I have heard it suggested as of late, that if all the filth that encompasses the personal lives of many if not most of those who we call our representatives in Washington were to be exposed, it would bring down our gov't and the gov'ts of other countries as well. So what are we waiting for? What are WE afraid of? Let's get 'er done.
C'mon man compared to the Federal Reserve building those embassies are a bargain.
True. Those buildings are from the ground up. The $2.5 billion fed is just redoing existing buildings.
The Ratchet Effect, where government is only supposed to grow, never shrink, reminds of George Will's Leftward ratchet — Leftist gains are never lost. They might stop for a while, but they can never go rightward. Will talked about this long before he lost his mind due to Trump Derangement Syndrome. What a shame that Will succumbed to TDS. Reading Will's political columns about 50 years ago contributed to changing me from a McGovern voter in '72 into a Reagan voter in '80.
Yet another thing the Left has in common with Islamists...no with Islam.
Bastille day seems like an unfortunate date to write about ratcheting down the head count. Let us stick with RIF.
Reduction in Face?
The state dept. has an edifice complex. The best way to build is with other peoples money. Taxpayers money is the best.
C. Northcote Parkinson observed in his little book that the apogee of an organization was often reflected in massive, overwrought architecture. As an example, he proposed the British Colonial Office, which moved into a gigantic new building in...1948, immediately on the cusp of Britain shedding most of its colonies.
If you could see me now, I am (virtually) standing on my chair, holding a (virtual) hand-written sign saying EONTGINC45!-that's because I'm a doctor. Oh yes, I'm (virtually) screaming at the top of my lungs GO STEVE!
The apotheosis of State Department/Foreign Service cluelessness and arrogance HAS to be flying the pride flag over the US embassy in Kabul, thereby recruiting any remaining mugwumps to the Taliban cause.
You can't skim if you don't spend. Now you know.
I'm surprised CNN doesn't have a continually updated chyron "Total Children Dead Since USAID Defunded By Trump" with a whizzing numeric counter: 1007, 1008, 1023 (Haitian orphanage collapsed, no funding for new roof trusses), 1031 (school bus accident due to driver layoffs) ...
Oh, the humanity!
Why do we need embassies in totally insignificant countries?