Closing All Those Departments: What Happens To The People Who Work For Them?

[tttppp]

Ron Paul wants to close the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. My question is, what would happen to all the people that work for those departments? They will be unemployed. Will they get a severance package from the U.S. government (President Ron Paul) until they find other jobs? How many people would be out of work if all these departments get closed?

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/...ts-axing-5-us-federal-departments-and-budgets

"Presidential hopeful Ron Paul's new proposal to slash federal spending would wipe out large chunks of the government's research portfolio. The congressman from Texas and Republican candidate has unveiled a budget plan to reduce the deficit that would eliminate five federal departments: Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. In one fell swoop, such a step would erase, among other programs, the Energy Department's $5-billion Office of Science, the $4.5-billion National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the $750-million National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the $1.1-billion U.S. Geological Survey."

I don't know what the plan is, but he should just fire them and let them get unemployment.

 

[SilenceDewgooder]

WHEN Dr. Paul is elected President, there is a reasonable probability that my wife and I will lose our jobs. For myself, loss of a job is better than loss of my daughter's future. I do mind competing for other positions and will happily do so, WHEN Dr. Paul is elected.

This almost reminds me of a comment I read that someone said "they did not want the troops to comeback to the US b/c it would be even harder to find a job." (tasteless from my view being a Vet) - Greediness in our society is a direct reason for almost every issue we face today.

 

[georgiaboy]

I can think of half a dozen new reality tv shows that could be created for these folks.

"Survivorcrat"

"American Government Gladiators"

"So You Think You Can Work"

"America's Next Top Trainee"

"Project FigureOutAWay"

 

[FindLiberty]

I don't know what the plan is, but he should just fire them and let them get unemployment.

No, Don't do that...

I don't want to see any of those former gubermint department employees end up "roaming the streets" either*.

There are plenty of inspector jobs (open to displaced gov workers) within those new FEMA detention compounds.
They also have positions there for snitches, food tasters, cafeteria workers and of course, the oven supervisors.

Safe and Secure - Caged with Compassion: Everything they'll need will be provided upon admission to the camp.

*('cause they're usually dangerous to the general public)

 

[The Free Hornet]

I can think of half a dozen new reality tv shows that could be created for these folks.

"Survivorcrat"

"American Government Gladiators"

"So You Think You Can Work"

"America's Next Top Trainee"

"Project FigureOutAWay"

+1!


"American Idle"

"Axed Men"

"Jon & Kate + 8,000,000"

 

[febo]

The stark truth is - Ron Paul is proposing a collapse, but it is a planned, fair, relatively controlled collapse.
People don't quite understand that a major collapse is coming. This is why they don't understand RP's message.

Collapse creates a vacuum and is an ideal opportunity to switch over to a zero growth economy based on high productivity part time working for all.

 

[tod evans]

 

[Voluntary Man]

what happens to a bunch of entitled bureaucrats who currently serve no function in society, other than to harass the rest of us, from their lofty perches, in departments that could only improve society by their disappearance?


who care?

 

[P3ter_Griffin]

Mostly everyone on these forums detests the propaganda used to make Americans hate our foreign enemies. It is amazing how quick though many use "Libertarian" propaganda to make limited government people hate government workers. Not every government worker is a a bureaucrat pushing paperwork, or a leech. Most are everyday hardworking Americans (who are working just as hard as anyone in the private sector) who took a job to support their family. It is ridiculous to demonize them on a whole. It may not be possible for the government to create "real" jobs, but it is not necessary to degrade government workers on a whole. We are better than that, we need to educate, and get people to realize that government jobs cut will migrate to other areas.

I don't know where these bureaucrats will find work. Once Ron Paul so slashed the bloated federal budget that he has not only stopped running up the debt to the point where no one has faith in the economy, but has cut your taxes as well, then you will decide where the new jobs are created--when you decide where to spend the money you're no longer sending to Washington. Perhaps you'll give it to charity--then that sector will employ more. Perhaps you'll insist your local taxes go up to make up for the missing services--then your county will hire more. Perhaps you'll just blow it on ice cream--and the dairy industry will take on more employees.

Not just up to me. When he cuts his taxes, you'll help decide who does the hiring.

Bingo to both of these.

 

[Lindsey]

They find private sector jobs or start their own businesses. Look what happened in Puerto Rico when the Furtuno administration cut the government workforce and relaxed business regulations...

 

[LCG8928]

I wholly support Paul's plan to eliminate these departments but you guys do realize that the vast majority of these government employees are regular people and are not part of the establishment or the group that collapsed the economy. A lot of you have a hostility for them that shouldn't be there, after all your postman is a government worker and he's never deliberately hurt the economy in any way.

 

[angelatc]

Ron Paul wants to close the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. My question is, what would happen to all the people that work for those departments?

Those people will be absorbed into the private sector.

 

[Voluntary Man]

I wholly support Paul's plan to eliminate these departments but you guys do realize that the vast majority of these government employees are regular people and are not part of the establishment or the group that collapsed the economy. A lot of you have a hostility for them that shouldn't be there, after all your postman is a government worker and he's never deliberately hurt the economy in any way.

the post office is constitutional. dhs, tsa, dea, irs, batfe, etc. are not!

 

[KerriAnn]

I'm reading Economics in One Lesson. I would highly suggest the OP read it as well.

 

[KerriAnn]

The jobs he's talking about are a drain on the economy, a drain on prosperity, once you cut 1T from the budget, the society becomes more prosperous and they will be able to find jobs in the private sector.

^^ This is exactly the kind of logic from economics in one lesson.

 

[notsure]

Ron Paul wants to close the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. My question is, what would happen to all the people that work for those departments? They will be unemployed. Will they get a severance package from the U.S. government (President Ron Paul) until they find other jobs? How many people would be out of work if all these departments get closed?

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/...ts-axing-5-us-federal-departments-and-budgets

"Presidential hopeful Ron Paul's new proposal to slash federal spending would wipe out large chunks of the government's research portfolio. The congressman from Texas and Republican candidate has unveiled a budget plan to reduce the deficit that would eliminate five federal departments: Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. In one fell swoop, such a step would erase, among other programs, the Energy Department's $5-billion Office of Science, the $4.5-billion National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the $750-million National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the $1.1-billion U.S. Geological Survey."

I would like to see projects like NOAA be shifted more towards Universities, guilds and privateers, some aspects dealing with national security can be transferred to the DoD. The same with U.S Geological Survey. The National Institute of Standards and Technology can be shifted entirely to the Universities, guilds, and privateers.

 

[Danan]

I wholly support Paul's plan to eliminate these departments but you guys do realize that the vast majority of these government employees are regular people and are not part of the establishment or the group that collapsed the economy. A lot of you have a hostility for them that shouldn't be there, after all your postman is a government worker and he's never deliberately hurt the economy in any way.

That doesn't mean that he should be employed by the government.

I don't say that in a society that functions solely on free market principles the postman won't have a similar job. Although you cannot be sure about that.

If one says that taxation is theft and all government spending based on coercion is bad and immoral and shouldn't exist that doesn't mean that the same or similar (much likely better/cheaper) economic activity wouldn't exist absent of government. In fact, that would be an argument even harder to make than what Ron Paul tries to. Although he even says he'd prefer to live in a free but poor society than in an unfree but rich.

Every job that wouldn't exist in a free market simply should not exist. There is for example no doubt about the fact that every post office on this planet is vastly inefficient. Also governmet employees tend to get better payment and / or better working conditions than free market equivalents. This is where a good amount of the resentment comes from.

On the other hand it's true that the government employee shouldn't be the target for this anger. The violent monopoly should be. Especially when the service has a "net-positive" effect on society (like the post office, the court system, government contractors who build streets and bridges, to some extend teachers, police and military, etc.) although to a much higher cost and a much worse output than the private sector may provide these goods.

It's much harder to be kind to someone working for an institution that acutally hurts society twice: the first time when the money to fund them is taken and the second time when they "produce". Like the IRS, the DEA, various business regulation agencies and so on.


If any agency Ron Paul wants to cut provides a valuable service to society there is no reason to believe that the employees won't be able to continue to work in private businesses that arise to fill the void. If this doesn't happen, than why should the taxpayer subsidize them and not those people who are currently unemployed?


And these inefficient employed government workers are part of "the group that collapsed the economy". It's not their fault but to say if only those evil bankers had been better people or if only there had been a better framework there would have been no crisis is not entirely true. Ineffcient government spending (which is to some extend all goverment spending) plays a key role in the bad situation the world's economy is in. And to say that's only because those evil guys on top get all the money is - while being a comfortable position - intellectually dishonest. The most money goes to people like your mentioned postman (not on the individual level, but overall).


So however you look at it, to cut government spending and lay off those workers is always positive for society as a whole and morally and economically the right thing to do.

 

[Carlybee]

What do people in the private sector do when they lose their jobs? Most of us who believe in working for our keep do whatever it takes to make ends meet until we find a decent paying job. Government workers in many areas make more money than their private sector counterparts. (exceptions of course such as teachers I would guess). They get guaranteed retirement paid for by taxpayers who may have little or no retirement. That is what is called being upside down and we wonder why the economy is in the shape it's in.

 

[Narmical]

I think most people are missing the point that the government agencies that Dr. Paul wants to eliminate fall into two categories. Agencies that hand out money, or make up regulations (and then shutdown companies not in compliance). Dr. Paul has stated that he will not just fire every worker in the department, but rather move them to another (and then not replace people who retire/quit). Lets take HUD for example. They hand out money in the form or subsidized loans for houses. If you just pay all the workers to sit and do nothing, that's a big savings as they have stopped handing out money.

 

[smithtg]

the DOE nuclear industrial complex will be merged with the MIC in the DOD. hopefully there will be cuts in the massive overspending there, but that is wishful thinking