Posted on 07/25/2012 7:52:41 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
It has been said by almost every conservative candidate running for office this year that they would like to abolish the Jimmy Carter government legacy, the Department of Energy (DOE). Back in the 1970s when the Department of Energy was created the Carter Administration claimed that 20% of the nation's energy needs would be supplied by solar energy by the year 2000.
Needless to say that didn't happen. So today we have a Department of Energy that provides energy to no one. The question is how can we get rid of the DOE?
The answer lies in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard is made up of the best parts of three different services that no longer exist; the Revenue Cutter Service, the Light House Service, and the Life Saving Service. These services were combined efficiently to create the modern Coast Guard.
Similarly, there are activities that operate within the DOE that are worthy of preserving such as the national laboratories at Los Alamos, NM; Oak Ridge, TN and Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM. These National Laboratories perform scientific tasks that are not only vital to national security but also, in some cases, are mandated by arms reductions treaties.
There are also activities within other departments and agencies that focus on science such as the National Weather Service (NWS); but for some reason, the Weather Service is stuck in the Department of Commerce (DOC).
Contrary to popular belief we do need the Weather Service because all of the data that is collected and analyzed by NWS is then distributed to the media for their broadcast and dissemination. But it is clear that the NWS does not need to be in the Department of Commerce.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
How much money has been spent by Jimmah’s D.O.E?
Done.
No worries, we are going to shut down most of the US Post Office to save money....
“national laboratories at Los Alamos, NM; Oak Ridge, TN and Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM. These National Laboratories perform scientific tasks that are not only vital to national security but also, in some cases, are mandated by arms reductions treaties”.
There are at least two others on the list, with important accomplishments, Lawrence Livermore, and Idaho National Lab, not to mention the old Hanford Lab that is not as big as it used to be.
See map and lab list at link. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/commercialization/nationallaboratories.html
They along with many other Government agencies are having budget issues with the downturn in the economy.
Not far enough. These powers grabbed by the feds must be given back to states to enforce.
Coast Guard still has way to much authority in deeming a ditch a “Navigable Waterway” which means they control how it is handled.
All powers are retained by states exept interstate/international, defense and printing money.
DC population needs to shring dramatically. Bureaucrats there are not accountable.
If these are controlled at state-wide level, bureaucrats are closer and more accountable to the average voter.
Replace it with another unconstitutional department? More efficient overblown government? No thanks.
A new administration can probably find plenty of corruption and wrong-doing, esp. with the likes of Solyndra-type loans. Its political show, but that needs to be exposed and propogated, at the same time a thorough "reform" of DOE is carried out.
I would like to see MOST (99.9%) of regulations/laws with a sunset clause attached.
A few good outcomes would result:
First, and most important, a regulation/law could be reviewed every 5 years or so for efficacy. Obviously the Dept. Of Energy and Dept of Education would be closed by this sunset approach.
Second, congress would spend more time reviewing existing legislation than constantly wrapping the country in more legal red tape. They just would not have the time.
The reason that Obama has been able to do much of what he has done is because of the infrastructure that was in place when he moved in.
If we don’t start dismantling the bureaucracy, the next lib that comes along can easily start governing by edict again.
I don’t think that the Republicans in leadership positions there now have any intensions of decreasing the framework.
I hope I am wrong.
I think much of the functions of many of theses labs can be privatized, as they already are managed & run by private contractors.
I know in the case of Los Alamos that only a fraction of the scientific time and resources are need for our top Secrete defense needs. Most of the time Lab scientist & resource are spent doing other things like researching Geo-thermal power, or testing theory’s of planetary formation.
The point is while we need to retain the resources & scientist for defense proposes all theses other things need not necessarily be on the tax-payers dime. We can “rent” the researchers time & resources.
I think much of the functions of many of theses labs can be privatized, as they already are managed & run by private contractors.
I know in the case of Los Alamos that only a fraction of the scientific time and resources are need for our top Secrete defense needs. Most of the time Lab scientist & resource are spent doing other things like researching Geo-thermal power, or testing theory’s of planetary formation.
The point is while we need to retain the resources & scientist for defense proposes all theses other things need not necessarily be on the tax-payers dime. We can “rent” the researchers time & resources.
As to where you put them, the property & equipment should legally be considered a military fort. For Constitutional & practical proposes. The Scientist and support personnel on the other hand should as a group be treated largely as they currently are contractors. Only DOD should be supplying the defense research & retention contract, and various other organization can bid on the in-between time & resources.
I’m all for getting rid of the DoE, but the author goes on to suggest creating a Department of Science and Technology to encompass some of what DoE and other departments do. We need cuts, not reorganization, IMO.
Certainly wouldn’t argue any of your points. One would think that perhaps the multi lab system itself could be made a bit smaller and more efficient. I did take notice of the Oklahoma lab which seems to me focused on alternative fuels.
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