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Return to Article: Kerry pledges to cut contractors, freeze travel spending

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  I like the idea of cutting contractors and bringing back civil servants. Contractors may cost less the first few years, but from I where I sit the government saves money with contractors until the first contract expires. Then after the government has lost all their experience in a field, the contractor doubles or triples their price and the government gets screwed and pays more. As for freezing the travel budget, if all of the government used the new unfriendly, overpriced piece of junk software called Defense Travel System (DTS, or better known as "Don't Travel Soon") to make all travel reservations and reimbursable travelers, the travel budget could be cut. No one would be able to travel in the government.

  rob Posted April 14, 2004 2:05 PM
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  Didn't Mr. Kerry say he was going to create 30 million jobs? He better make it 30 million + 100,000 then. As for "freezing the federal travel budget" that will probably cause airlines to have to fire more people so he better make that 30 million + 200,000 or more.

  How can you say you are going to create jobs and then say you are going to fire people? Technically speaking, the only jobs the President can "create" are federal jobs. All other jobs are created by industry believing that if they hire more people their bottom line will improve.

  Maureen C. Colgan Posted April 13, 2004 9:56 AM
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  John Kerry is really smart, and his well-reasoned solutions will fix all our problems. Does botox affect the brain?

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 12, 2004 12:49 PM
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  Last time we balanced the federal budget it was by cutting 1.1 million jobs (military and civilian) from the Department of Defense and taking DoD funding from $325 billion to $276 billion/year. Now it's at over $400 billion but the Kerry fix is to cut travel? This may play well in Peoria but it ain't real. Maybe we should also cut office supplies and training budgets as well. I expected more from him. What a disappointment!

  john raines Posted April 11, 2004 8:51 AM
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  Lets cut all contractors and FTE's, then let these pinheads run the place.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 8, 2004 9:16 PM
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  Wow! Another Fed-friendly candidate speaks out. And, goodness, what fresh ideas! Across-the-board cuts, eliminating programs that don't work, freezing travel, cutting 100,000 contractors without mention of who will do their work. My favorite is a 5% reduction in "out-of-control" admin costs. If something is truly out-of-control, why shoot for a paltry 5% reduction? I'll bet he's got 57 ideas about how to make things better. Wouldn't it be a great coincidence if all 100,000 contractors happened to work in the programs to be eliminated? How about a proposal requiring all Feds to live in the D.C. area, thereby reducing travel expenditures? So, let's hear it, everybody, "Kerry, Kerry, that's his name -- if he gets elected, it's more of the same."

  EJC in ATL

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 8, 2004 10:03 AM
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  Did Ms. Styles EVER mention or show concern about a serious economic hit by firing scores more of federal employees via outsourcing during her reign?

  Worker for USA Posted April 8, 2004 8:24 AM
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  Unfortunately he will get blasted for this. Mostly because the majority of federal workers are not responsible for the huge deficit. That belongs totally to Bush. There is always waste, but someone for once needs to look at what actually is waste, and not just make across the board cuts as they usually do. Anyone else having problems buying pens and paper in their agency? I feel the people on the Staples commercial sharing the one pen in the office! I agree - vote 'em all out.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 8, 2004 7:24 AM
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  Angela Styles feels that it might be a serious economic hit by firing 100,000 contractors? What in the world do you think it is when you fire 100,000 federal employees?

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 8, 2004 5:34 AM
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  How about throwing out the ridiculous law that puts DoD employees under pay banding and pay-for-performance? He does that, and it just might be the first time I ever voted for a Democrat.

  GovExec.com reader Posted April 7, 2004 6:32 PM
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  He will be attacked for this. Not because they don't make sense but because they show an audacity to try to get a handle on the fiscal irresponsibility the liars in the current administration and their lackeys in Congress perpetrated.

  These ideas should be a beginning. We have to trim the out of control defense budget. We have to end the lunacy of missile defense. We have to work to contain out of control health costs and medicare. We have to roll back the shrub's tax giveaway. And I mean all of them not just the malarkey both of these guys talk about. Start over because these morons really got it wrong.

  Vote them all out

  USA Posted April 7, 2004 4:26 PM