The Trump administration has made it clear that while it is “draining the swamp,” (that would be that portion of the U.S. inside the Beltway) it is also going to cut into the bloated bureaucracy and take aim at the fat-cat benefits federal civil servants enjoy. Fair enough. But it would help if they checked their numbers BEFORE they start serious whacking.

The old term “measure twice, cut once” has been around for a long time because it makes sense. Especially if you are a carpenter. Or a surgeon. Or the poor patient about to lose a limb or some other favorite body part.

Almost every day some member of the Trump administration makes reference to the “bloated bureaucracy.” The huge increase in the number of federal workers. How the number of feds needs to be trimmed big time. And that future civil servants be at-will employees, meaning they could be fired anytime, and quickly, for just about any reason. But the numbers — real numbers, not those pulled out of someone’s, uh, back pocket — aren’t there.

In 2000, there were 281,000,000 Americans. Now (as of yesterday around 9 a.m. according to the U.S. Census Bureau clock, there are (or were at the time) 324,465,169 people in the U.S. That’s a lot more people demanding — expecting and paying for — more services. From meat and drug inspection to air traffic control. And services in between. To see how we are growing, click here.

In the fall of 2013, just before the government shutdown, there were 2.7 million federal employees on the payroll. Many of them were locked out of their jobs because of a hissing match between the White House and Congress. Although many services were stopped, and national parks closed, the people who were not allowed to work got paid anyhow the same as those who had to work.

By 2014, the number of civilian federal workers was 2,663,000, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Federal employment peaked to more than 3 million during the Reagan years, mainly because of the big defense buildup, which meant more civilians for the Army, Navy and Air Force. That buildup contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union, so it may have been money well spent.

The year President Kennedy was killed (1963) there were 2,498,000 civilian feds, according to OPM. But the U.S. population has gone up big time. Any way you slice it, the number of people who want, need and pay for services is increasing. The number hired and paid to provide those services hasn’t kept pace. Agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, Uncle Sam’s primary revenue collector, has been cut over the years partly as punishment for allegedly or actually playing silly political games. Two efforts to replace IRS agents with junkyard-tough private bill collectors have crashed and burned. Yet somebody in our short-attention-span Congress will probably push to try it again.

So cut if you think it is really the best thing for the country (and your contractor friends who will get to take up the slack). But at least get the numbers right so you don’t go into the operating room with a hood on your heads.

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Michael O’Connell

It takes about 75-100 grapes to make a glass of wine.

Source: WiningWays

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