You gotta be kidding, a brand new controversy involving a government agency whose job it has been, "for years," to "help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies." The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. government offices, provides transportation and office space to federal employees, and develops government-wide cost-minimizing policies, and other management tasks.
Former President Herbert Hoover, "former presidents don't die, they get government advisory jobs," was asked in 1947, by then current President, Harry Truman to lead a commission (that word, commission, always makes me nervous) to make recommendations to the President and Congress on how to improve the administrative activities of the federal government.
This proposed office would combine the responsibilities of the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Federal Supply and Office of Contract Settlement, the National Archives and Records Administration Establishment, the Federal Work Agency, and the War Assets Administration.
The GSA, pronounced "ga-sa" became an independent agency on July 1, 1949, following the passage of the Federal Property and Administration Services Act. General Jess Larson, "a World War II hero," was named by President Truman as the agencies 1st administrative director.
The original mission of the GSA was to use expertise to provide innovative solutions for our customers in support of their mission and by doing so foster an effective, sustainable and transparent government for the American people.
The 5 previous paragraphs explained absolutely nothing to me, a poor humble retired slob with a high school degree in avoiding work whenever possible. It kind of seems like this GSA agency was created to govern government, a system that seldom works. I do know that the GSA has 11 regions, with 11 offices, 11 regional directors, and 11 staffs to do the directors bidding.
I also know that today.....the GSA has 12,000 employees, with an annual operating budget approaching $26.5 billion dollars, approximately 1% of which is appropriated from taxpayer dollars. What does that mean, "1% of budget is appropriated from taxpayers," Well guess what, even though I understand what appropriate means, I'll be damned if I could get a straight answer from the GSA.
Of course I was inquiring based on the recent "flap" over the lavish spending at a conference held off the Las Vegas Strip in October of 2010. I guess being "off the Las Vegas Strip" means you get things for cheaper, I'm not sure. So when it costs $44 for breakfast and $19 for artisanal cheese, "a product made locally by hand," and $7000 sushi, "do I hear McDonald's calling."
The General Services Administration Agency is not a household term, in fact, I'll bet a goodly portion of people in the United States have never heard of it. The GSA or GaSa is responsible for all sorts of little services and duties, and, like many other governmental agencies that we have never heard of would have remained blissfully hidden from the public except for a party, I mean a training seminar that was held late in 2010.
Now to fully understand what GaSa does, for a common citizen like me, I spent some time researching the subject matter, so that I could be almost as elusive as the agency itself. What the GSA does, in simple terms, can be summed up in two services, the PBS or public building service, some maintenance and all repair or renovation and the FAS, or federal acquisition service.
In addition GaSa oversees $66 billion of annual procurement, contributes to the management of some $500 billion in U.S. federal property, divided chiefly among 8300 owned and leased buildings and a 210,000 vehicle motor pool.
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION OVERHAUL:
It seems a clown hiring contributed to the resignation of GSA director Martha N. Johnson yesterday and 2 administrative deputies were fired, "possibly to reappear later this year as lobbyists," and 4 managers were placed on leave
Acting GaSa administrator Dan Tangherlini, "possibly not his real name," assumed command yesterday after the findings of a yearlong investigation by GaSa Inspector General Brian D. Miller. I'm sorry, but does that mean that GaSa was inspecting itself, and if so, I would like to know the where-abouts of Mr. Miller in October of 2010.
PARTY FAVORS:
Among the (excessive) wasteful and in some cases impermissible spending:
A. $5600 for 3 semi-private catered in-room parties
B. $44 breakfasts
C. $75,000 for a "team" building exercise
D. $146,000 on catered food and drinks "thank you very much"
E. $6325 for commemorative coins
F. $31,208 "networking" reception
G. $8130 for "yearbooks" complete with pictures, "did they have time for sports"
AFTERMATH:
Aftermath, faftermath, there won't be any, the lavish spending which cost a total of $823,000 to the taxpayers won't be replaced by these stupid people. I call them stupid because, "in a way," they were spending some of their own money on the conference.....party.....it was taxpayer money you idiots.
Not one person will be hauled up on any kind of charges, in fact the resigned director, Martha N. Johnson didn't even have the "balls" to resign in person, and she instead used a letter, delivered by an administration underling.
At the start of Johnson's tenure in February 2010, she called "ethics a big issue for me." She was right then and it's a statement that proved prophetic for the "hatchet-faced bureaucrat," because she is still without ethics as probably is her close colleges at GaSa.
I called this morning to GaSa headquarters in Washington to try and figure out how much of the operating budget comes from us.....the American taxpayer, and surprise, surprise, I got the old Washington two step. Starting at Shipping and Receiving, to the Chief Financial officer, to Dan Tangherlini's office and finally to Marketing and Public Affairs.
Not one person that I talked with could give me an answer to what I felt was a simple and straight forward question, "where do you get your operating money from?" I guess there goes that old elusive transparency.....right out that transparent window.
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