While I appreciate much of what the President is trying to do, like drain the swamp, and it was historic meeting with the leaders of North Korea, my cynical side has a voice that can't always be silenced and shouldn't be.
Until I see some actual results, I will continue to see the merged department as,
"The Slave Labor and deEducation Department"
What kind of 'actual results' do you want?
Basically, I'd like to see government work 'for the people' rather than a bureaucracy that benefits the Civil Servants.
One area that would help millions of Americans. would be to pay farm labor overtime for anything over forty hours.
And, is the Department of Education actually making sure we have the best education system in the World? For years the US education system has been the most expensive in the World, while simultaneously ranking about 17th in the World -- is that effective?
I know my first comment was a bit 'smart alecky', and I meant know offense to the author, but like I said my cynical side is running hard today...
What you wish for is impossible.
it goes against human nature, and any time you bet against human nature you loose.
one example of immutable human nature is the Iron Law of Bureaucracy . If there is a government it will turn into a bureaucracy....
your comment on farm work...
why?
Mechanization has replaced 95% of all farm workers SO FAR...and automation will get rid of 95% of those that remain...and that doesn't even consider food synthesis.
I'd not be a bit surprised to see farms vanish entirely.
If it's impossible to change the nature of bureaucracy, than why bother at all combining two into one, other than to make that bureaucracy smaller?
Why pay farm workers overtime? Because it's the right thing to do. I've worked in Farming and I know that most farmers take advantage of their workers by working them 80 hour plus a week at times. I also know if Farmers had to pay overtime they would hire enough people to get the job done with fewer hours per employee... i.e. it's cheaper to pay two employees 40 hours straight time, than it is to pay one 80 hours plus... although to be fair there is a trade off depending upon workmen's comp, and such, for each employee...
Will farming become total or even semi-automated, probably not soon.
I've driven GPS guided farm equipment, and on every field we have to also drive manually... not all farm fields are square and flat... especially in the area where we farm in the foot hills of the mountains, or the rolling hills to the north.
Right now it's still cheaper to hire a farm laborer, than it is to overcome the technological issues automation raises. One of the big issues with technology today is that many farm workers don't have a strong grasp of English, and some can't read any language well... Even fewer understand computers...
Most people really wouldn't be happy if farms disappeared completely, and I doubt they ever will.
why bother at all combining two into one, other than to make that bureaucracy smaller?
that's it....no other reason.
think what you want about farming...wish REALLY hard..
maybe, against all odds...this ONE TIME....it'll work.
Making government smaller is always a worthy goal... maybe, against all odds...this ONE TIME....it'll work.
As to farming, I guess you'd have to be there to understand... am I saying it will never happen? No, I'm sure someday, in another place and time far, far away it just may, but I doubt either of us will live to see farming become fully automated.
I grew up in farming country and worked on them.
Have you ever chopped or tromped cotton, rouged maize or cleaned out a grain-leg?