MOLLY IVINS: "Bush makes 'government incompetence' a reality"

[kpete]

Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate
01.12.06

Bush makes 'government incompetence' a reality
'CEO administration' stuffed with people who can't get the job done

AUSTIN, Texas -- Boy, you really can't take your eyes off this bunch for a minute, can you? If they're not screwing up one thing, then they're screwing up another -- busy little beavers. And then there are the administrative nightmares they have created all by themselves: The new Medicare prescription-drug benefit is such a disaster area, four states took it over in less than a week just to make sure poor people received their drugs.

Some of the press is starting to get the drill. Give us something like the West Virginia coal mine disaster, and instead of standing around emoting like Geraldo Rivera, a few reporters have enough sense to ask the obvious question: What is this mine's safety record? And when it turns out to be abysmal, a few more reporters have enough sense to ask: Who's in charge of doing something after a mine gets 205 safety violations in one year? Where's the Mine Safety and Health Administration? Who runs it? What's their background -- are they professionals or mining industry stooges? Who's the Michael "Heckuvajob" Brown in this outfit? Why are so many jobs at MSHA just left completely unfilled? How much has MSHA's budget been cut since 2001 to pay for tax cuts for the rich?

The great irony is that this was supposed to be the CEO administration. Bush was supposed to put people in charge of government who had track records in private industry, who did in fact know how to run a railroad. For just sheer incompetence, this administration sets new records daily. All those years the right wing sat around yammering about government incompetence, and it took this administration to make it true.

But while the press is busy sort of figuring out what government needs to do -- homeland security, anyone? -- other agencies are slipping quietly out of control, with almost no attention paid. In the case of the Internal Revenue Service, the problem appears to be more malice than incompetence.

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=20206

[azmouse]

1. Molly always tells it like it is!!!

:applause:

[RazzleDazzle]

17. She's way off on this one

It's not incompetence, it's the plan. They are purposely destroying the country, and doing a damned fine job of it.

[long_green]

2. The last two sentences of that article

will make you want to pack your bags and leave this country forever.

[TomInTib]

3. See you in New Zealand nt

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. At least until the oceans rise and NZ is only a few square miles!

n/t

[mnhtnbb]

15. No, we're going to Panama

[AllegroRondo]

8. OMFG

Outsourcing the collecting of overdue taxes? Now theres a job just ripe for cronyism.

I can just see it.
Big Repub donors get to collect overdue taxes, and take a cut for themselves. And because political affiliation is now collected in your IRS records, they can be sure to audit people who oppose them.

[Marie26]

13. Bush also refuses to release IRS audit records.

The courts ordered the Bush Adm. to comply w/a FOIA request for IRS audit records - and they did, until Nov. 2004. Then they flat-out refused to release any more records & have just been sued again for non-compliance. So they could be auditing based on income or political position, and we'd never know. I'll try to find the link.

ETA: "Tax expert calls for audit data"

The Associated Press - The Bush administration has illegally stopped making public detailed tax enforcement data, which has been used to show which kinds of taxpayers get the most and toughest audits, a noted tax researcher says.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/13583571.htm

[Kurovski]

4. K&R(nt)

[kpete]

5. Thanks Kurovski!

[Kurovski]

9. I love that Miss Molly! (nt)

[Oceansaway]

7. Touche !!..n/t

[necso]

10. Ms. Ivins writes a lot of good stuff. /nt

[WI_DEM]

11. By November thanks to the MC drug plan Seniors will be voting

Democratic in high numbers.

[samhsarah]

12. gotta love molly!

[glitch]

14. The corporate world is vastly over-rated.

IMO Bush and his minions are quite typical.

[Deja Q]

16. * wants government to look incompetent.

While making "Big Corporation" take the place of "Big Brother" is one thing, maybe people need to start watching out for each other and not have to rely on "Big Anything" to console them? Work with each other? Say "Sod off" to these folks in power and get things done on their own? :shrug:

Oh, wait, that's socialism. That's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad...