Do We Have Even One Govt. Agency that is actually functioning?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I just read the reports on ABC News that the Air Marshalls are a mess. The CIA is pretty much defunct. FEMA is nonfuntional. FBI - who knows. Homeland Security - a huge nonfunctional mess. Justice Dept. is a joke. NSA is sounding more and more like the Soviet Secret Service.

I guess the IRS is still working. They seem to still be taking my money.

You know, if these agencies are all nonfunctional we should just sent them all home and quit spending our money on them.

[elehhhhna]

1. Yes. The Patent & Trademark office is efficient and user-friendly...

so far. It also sustains itsself (filing fees, etc.)

You'd think they had NO CONNECTION to the US Government.

[Tesha]

8. PTO is a complete failure on modern technology. (NT)

[elehhhhna]

11. perhaps--we're working on a pretty lo-tech patent

[Sgent]

2. Given the absolutely crappy law

I'd say CMS (Medicare & Medicaid) is actually functioning fairly well BELOW the administrator level. The administrator is a political hack -- but the implementation of two huge complex systems (prescription drugs, discount cards), effecting other huge complex systems (Medicaid, Medicare) has gone relatively well.

Keep in mind that the law they had to implement sucked -- but the actual implementation seems to have gone ok (with some obvious speed bumps).

[napi21]

3. Well, the Post Office is doing OK.

And it seems like Social Security is still sending checks to the elderly every month. The fact that they don't have a lot of money isn't SS's fault.

Other than those two, hmmmm...I dunno.

[The2ndWheel]

4. Must be a mistake

"NSA is sounding more and more like the Soviet Secret Service."

You implied the NSA wasn't working.

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. Oh who knows whether they are working or not.

Sounds to me like their computers are doing all the work. But the question is "what are they working on?"

[The2ndWheel]

7. I should have said functioning instead of working

To me, I'm surprised the NSA hasn't been doing this since day one(or maybe they have). I guess they had to wait for technology to catch up to match the dream. We've been going down the "total information awareness" road for a while now. For the system to function as efficiently as possible, you need to be known. By the ad agencies, insurance companies, telephone corporations, governments, whoever. I'm sure all the research they're doing these days on the human brain will have some positive aspects. But we'll also effectively be able to read your mind.

21st century Information Age. Come for the information, stay for the beer. Or whatever you like to drink, they'll know what it is before you get there.

[Cyrano]

6. The Dept. of Document Shredding is running like a well oiled machine.

[leftyladyfrommo]

13. Yes, that does seem to be OK n/t

[Tesha]

9. The IRS functions about as well as ever. (NT)

[ck4829]

10. The GAO?

[paparush]

12. NSA seems fully functional.

[leftchick]

14. Federal Prisons?

I hope they are working well enough until Karl and Scooty and dick make it there.