Fighting Gov't Waste: An Act Of Terrorism?

Bob Schieffer With More Stuff You Just Can't Make Up

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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Are you tired of all those stories we hear on a daily basis about government waste, fraud and corruption?

Well, the Washington Post has discovered that the new head of the General Services Administration — a political appointee named Lurita Alexis Doan — has found a way to insure we get more pleasant news.

She is trying to rein in her agency's independent inspector general Brian Miller, who's tough audits produced those reports of government waste. She is trying to cut his budget by five million dollars. Mind you, he's watching over the 56 billion dollars in government contracts that the agency manages.

But you gotta love her reasoning. She claims Miller's tough reports are intimidating government workers. I can imagine! — especially the lazy ones who don't care where our money goes, and the occasional few who may be dishonest.

Ronald Reagan said in dealing with the Russians, "Trust but verify." Why shouldn't we be keeping tabs when billions are at stake here at home?

Ms. Doan seems to worry more about the auditors being disruptive. According to the Post, she told a staff meeting, "There are two kinds of terrorism in the United States — the external kind, and internally, the Inspector Generals."

For the record, she denies the quote, but as we put all this into our "You can't make this stuff up" file, we note highlights from her biography and that of her Inspector General.

Before going into public service, she was a government contractor.

And, Inspector General Miller did have a connection to terrorism: He was once a federal prosecutor who helped bring the case against terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui.

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E-mail Face the Nation.

[egresor]

right on antoniof123!
we tend to want to think they think like us and will do the right thing but....lo and behold the bush administration behaves in the exact same manner they have from the very beginning.

ever look at who bush appointed to oversee the regulatory departments? just about every one of them were either from formerly regulated industries--- or lobbyists for them ---- or think tank/lobbyists who were funded by them to promote their agenda.

how many times have we heard about whistle blowers losing their jobs because they reported wrongdoing? but are the dems much different? think maybe we should ask harry reid about that?
:(

[vanhaz]

To rharrin1: there is no need to refer to one gender's ability to rear children to critique job performance or management decisions. If the position was held by a male, I'm sure this comment would not have been issued nor appropriate. Now, my genderless comment: it is a shame when the government's checks and balances don't apply to the internal administration. The GSA should continue their audit process even if it means rattling a few cages & intimidating government workers. This audit process must be reinforced & continued to avoid complacency and to instill accountable work practices & decisions.

[lily_ayanami]

That's really sad and disgusting to punish a guy for doing his job well.

[rharrin1]

Send her packing. Let her go home and try to make babies, maybe she is qualified to do that.

[jn122736]

Thanks, Mr., Schieffer.
Hopefully this kind of corruption is finally coming to a halt. I just hope it isn%u2019t all simply swept under the rug in the name of bipartisanship.

If accountability isn%u2019t forth coming there can be no deterrent in the future.

[antoniof123]

Did you expect anything different from this administration. If they can get good news by creating a lie then they will just supress the bad. Thanks again to this administration.

[tdiky]

I think the first GSA cut-backs should be Ms. Doan's pay. She is obviously not doing the job she was appointed to do, and the time she has spent going after the Inspector General Miller(who is earning his pay and deserves a raise) should be deducted from her next check. After all it is the peoples' money that pays them both, and Ms. Doan is NOT doing the peoples'business by trying to control any person who is watching out for the people.