Campaigning politicians say and, once elected, do the darndest. Especially when hoping to become CEO of the executive branch of U.S. Government. Especially when they are talking about the federal government.

Some say they will expand programs and services. Others promise to curb the federal beast. In between are those who will eliminate waste. Most recently President Barack Obama said he wanted to make federal service “cool again.”

Candidate Ronald Reagan promised to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy. But thanks to Cold War tensions, federal civilian employment expanded by more than 280,000. Not what people expected.

Candidate Bill Clinton actually cut the size of government by about 380,000. Not what people expected. Republicans are famous (or infamous) for privatizing federal operations. And they love identifying jobs that are not suited, in their minds, for the government. But contracting got its biggest boost when the Clinton administration offered tens of thousands of career feds buyouts along with a small number of layoffs.

So what, in your opinion, has President Obama done to the government. Were promises kept? Did you see what has happened coming? Is the government — and you — better off than four years ago? Have promises made been kept?

All this week Federal News Radio has featured stories and reports on The Obama Impact With the help of recognized experts, we’ve looked at everything from cybersecurity to teleworking — and points in between.

Did you see and hear it? What do you think? Did it bomb or hit the sweet spot?

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Jack Moore

Roald Dahl, the beloved British author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other children’s books spent World War II working in the embassy in Washington, D.C. working for British Intelligence. His role: “seducing powerful women and using them to promote Britain’s interests in America,” according to MentalFloss.

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