Tom Coburn: Government employees are a drag on the economy

[somone]

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/07/tom-coburn-government-employees-are-a-drag-on-the-economy/

Tom Coburn: Government employees are a drag on the economy
Posted by Nin-Hai Tseng, writer-reporter

The 62-year-old Republican senator estimates there's between $100 billion to $200 billion in duplicative spending, although the GAO did not report a specific figure. Coburn says if anything, the findings echo just how inefficient Congress really is. He hopes the report will serve as a template for plans to reduce spending in a big way. I caught up with Coburn, a medical doctor and ordained Southern Baptist deacon. We talked about the government looming debts and deficits, steps to save the government money and the 2011 federal budget...

What do you find most wasteful?

Job training is wasteful. We put 'help wanted' on our government website and we're getting people who have been through these programs who say they are a total joke and a total waste of time...

With consolidation, public employees would lose their jobs. Couldn't that put upward pressure on unemployment at a pretty dismal time?

No. First of all, government employees, although they're fabulous and they overall do a great job, they produce no net economic benefit in our country. Matter of fact, they produce a net negative economic benefit. So if you take the drag off the economy by nonproductive implementation of capital what you're going to see is that capital is then going to be put to use in something that is productive...

[marmar]

1. This man is a real piece of ....... something.

nt

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Well Tom, I suggest we start by reducing the salaries of all elected officials by 50%. We have them

pay 60% of their health insurance premiums, and completely eliminate their pension plan. We will replace that pension (for serving a few terms of office) with a 401K plan and the taxpayers will contribute $.35 for every $1 the official puts toward his/her retirement.

[atreides1]

14. I'm going to put this as my FB status

Thank you

[LeftinOH]

3. Though he isn't saying so.. he's referring mostly to himself. n/t

[xxqqqzme]

4. We could start by getting rid of him!

After all, he's on the government payroll.



Rethugs just do not understand irony.

[Angry Dragon]

5. I agree ......... He is a drag on this country

and he produces no net economic benefit

[KamaAina]

6. He oughta know

:eyes:

[yesphan]

7. Talk about

Duplicate spending and overlap... Since Coburn and OK's other senator vote exactly the same
way, all the time, why not do away with one of them and let the other just vote twice? Nice
bit of savings there.

[madmom]

8. Does he realize that HE ia a government employee? In which case I would have to

agree, that yes HE and his ilk are a drag on the economy.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

9. It is the ELECTED officials who cost the most and make the most negative impact.

What a fool. I'm sad he's from my state. Makes us all look like idiots.
Duckie

[hobbit709]

10. Then he should resign his $175,000 a year government job.

Lead by example.

[muntrv]

11. SO QUIT, TOMMY!

[MountainLaurel]

12. Coburn couldn't wipe his own ass

If it weren't for all those government employees running his office, feeding him, fixing the roads so his limo can get to the Capitol, et al.

[JHB]

13. "no net economic benefit"?

Only if you count "economic benefit" as "profits for the CEO and shareholders".

Sure, doc. Why don't you take your next flight back to Tulsa without government employee air traffic control, on a plane without government-employee-enforced safety regulations? Go to a VA hospital and tell the patients that the government employee doctors and nurses are being nonproductive by treating them.

Why don't we eliminate redundancy by letting government-employee senators clean their own toilets?

[fishwax]

17. +1

[Turbineguy]

15. Waste? It's called "regulation"

Republicans is why we need them.

I wouldn't let that guy lick my dog's ass.

[spanone]

16. then he should resign

[provis99]

18. Leave it to the idiot Coburn to make a Marxist argument.

Doesn't the moron know he is practically quoting Das Capital when he complains public servants generate no net economic benefit? What a maroon. :rofl:

[fishwax]

19. Coburn fits well in the tradition of horrible Oklahoma Senators

Poor Oklahoma has only had one sane senator (David Boren) since the late 70s. Nickles and Inhofe were bad enough as a pair, but Coburn and Inhofe seem to be even worse.