Booooommmm!!!!
What bothers me the most about all of that is, having worked at the embassy in Baghdad, the amount of waste and non-essential positions that are funded via the US taxpayer. When ISIS was rolling toward Baghdad, they evacuated a “substantial” number of “non essential” personnel. If they’re non-essential, why are they there?
When diplomats go overseas, if it’s an accompanied post, many times the spouses are given some, make work job, on top of all the free housing, food, phones, etc.
But, embassies like the one in London are massive. So are many across Europe. So my question is, why does the embassy in London have to employ so many people. In Iraq, embassy staff, along with other government officials, were helping the Iraqi government set up a banking system, where the people wouldn’t have to travel all over the country with pockets full of cash. If they lived in Erbil and went to Basra, and needed money, they could go to the bank and make a withdrawal, the way we would at an any ATM or bank branch.
Is the guy that works in the, Econ Office of the US Embassy, teaching the Brit’s how to set up a countrywide banking system? I think not.
With travel and communication being what it is, the need for massive embassies, all over the world has long worn out it’s usefulness. Before it would take weeks or months for a message from one country’s leadership to make it to the US and for the US to send a response. Now you can pick up and Iphone and do it, from your living room.
In this day and age, does this country need inexperienced, liberal, socialist diplomats negotiating trade deals? People that have probably never run a lemonade stand. Or do we need the sharks of Wall St, doing it, so that the US gets the best deal possible and doesn’t give it all away? As he said on the campaign trail, he’ll have the meanest guys on Wall St negotiating on behalf of the US - guys you wouldn’t invite to your house for dinner, because they’re so nasty, but they’ll make sure we win...or something to that effect.
The State Dept, in its current form, is a dinosaur. It is nothing but a way for liberal, socialist, progressive, college kids to see the world on the taxpayer dime, all while getting drunk and having a good time.
Just my 2cents