I was in our nation's capitol last week for a few vacation days. I have been there four other times in my life with spans of about ten years between each visit. Many have heard me speak of my love for Washington for it is the most spectacular and imposing capitol in the world for I have experienced many of the others as well. The architecture is simply amazing, the diversity of the people you see hurriedly traversing the streets gives you rich insight to the "melting pot" of our nation exampled so clearly in D.C. The traffic, well, that is enough said on that topic for any sane human intentionally choosing to careen through the horn-blowing nut jobs of that city must be on something or needing to be on something such as NyQuil Extra Strength. Of course, I can say that as a stupid Ohio tourist for I chose to be part of the nut jobs two days finding myself absolutely exhausted by day's end when the NASCAR experience had ended. Washington is, well, Washington; designed to impose and exert awe in those that visit as said by President George Washington himself. I say to Old George, "Mission Accomplished."
But to my real point this morning. Having now been there and walked the streets, visited the amazing vistas and cemeteries and places of honor, one cannot help but be amazed by the greatness of our nation. But with no pun intended, the thing that stands out most to be over my four visits with ten years in between, is the almost unimaginable size of the government offices that comprise huge chunks of the landscape with the national bird, the crain, being evident in all directions meaning more and more being constructed. When you realize, then, that the largest employer in the United States is the United States government funded, of course, by We the People, one must take pause and process what that means against the context of democracy and the free market economic system of this nation. Let me state once more, THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE UNITED STATES is our government and getting larger and funded more and more by monies borrowed from other nations because the tax revenues will not pay the full tab for the massive growth in government workers. .
It is not my intent to bash an already bashed President but it is his watch now for going on nearly two terms. We are truly, undeniably in a time of HUGE, not big, HUGE GOVERNMENT and all you need to do is visit Washington and see the physical evidence. Mind you, I have former great students that are employed in Washington by We the People and I could not be happier with their career paths but it is staggering to see the workers in D.C. via the prism of demographics.
I commented to my wife each day we were in the city walking around and especially the government offices that what you see is staggering numbers of twenty and thirty-somethings all in immaculate dark dress suits looking like covers from GQ magazine. I say that not as a criticism but I can assume from that snapshot that We the People are paying well thus why the incalculable number of government workers that abound. Tourists are ample and that is to be expected but seeing workers no doubt in the various government office areas with so many more being constructed stands out to be as the most imposing change in the times when I was there before.
For example, to see the Department of Transportation with two huge office complexes devoted to the Federal Aviation Administration alone causes one to ponder why so much and so many. I joked with my wife when looking at the cubicles of the ten floors of offices from across the street in seeing if we could actually see a single person at his or her cubicle desk working at their desktop. We found ONE in our cursory workplace analysis. That may sound trivial but I think it portends a greater, darker concern. Our government is just too big and too integrated to be managed efficiently is my belief. Yes, we living in a great, diverse nation and Washington is a prism for that but what I witnessed subjectively indicates to me this growth that is taxpayer funded has lost control and the bureaucracy is growing and managing itself.
Coming from a manufacturing world, you realize the easiest thing in the world is to throw more people or money at a problem thus you never actually have to manage the fix to the problem. Finding root causes, ferreting out culprits and impediments to that fix and then attacking the cancer until it is eradicated is fundamental to management. Constantly adding more and more and more people, offices, technology, etc, only exacerbates the issue; not fixes it and that is my assessment of what I witnessed last week. I can now more fully understand why each election cycle some party will choose to try and gain entry to the White House by striving for smaller, more efficient government. To that challenge I say a hearty, Amen!
People that make things, sell things, generate cash flow is what drives an economy; not exponentially creating more taxpayer funded office workers. When you look at the formula for calculating the Gross Domestic Product: GDP = C + I + G + (E-I), you begin to see what I am saying more clearly. "C" is consumer spending which normally accounts for roughly 70% of the GDP equation and the "G" is government spending, a negative draw on the GDP, usually is about 15%. That figure today is nearly double that while consumer spending is at about less than 60%. Consumer spending means people are working, earning and buying; all adding value to the GDP. Government spending, taxpayer funded, is a negative and seeing Washington one can readily see the implication boldfaced.
I will close by stating frankly that I have been deeply concerned about our nation and our leadership for several years for all evidence I see adds to that concern domestically and globally. As I walked past the Capitol where the Presidential inauguration is conducted, I found myself more concerned than ever about this nation and its leadership and that is not a partisan comment. That new adage, too big to fail, that became so infamous during the economic collapse in 2008 is amplified in orders of magnitude when you see the unbelievable size of government in our capitol. And mind you I did not see all of it nor the outlying reaches of government in Langley, Andrews, etc. etc.
If performance is measured in increments of efficiency, and it is in a free market system, we are losing that battle daily. Thus, my concern about MY government is enhanced. Maybe the next POTUS and Congress will seriously attack this cancer. But then, I walked down K Street where the lobbyist office complexes, (palaces) are housed so that hope was dashed for reform for the power of money is the fuel in the tanks of Washington. So I guess I will not hold my breath for real reform. But as the eternal optimist, one can hope can't one?
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