Return to Article: OMB rejects Army bid for bigger share of 2008 budget

By Megan Scully CongressDaily October 25, 2006
  • 19361

    Hmmm... I wonder if the top two lead stories in today's GovExec.com are related?

    Top story: Overhead reached 55 percent in some Iraq contracts
    Second story: OMB rejects Army bid for bigger share of 2008 budget

    Shorter hours for mess halls, libraries, etc. remind me of the feds always threatening to "shut down the Washington Monument" whenever government budget cuts are mentioned.

    We all must do our part: I remember reading how this past summer U.S. Air Force bases in the desert Southwest would do "their part" for the war effort by shutting down swimming pools in the summer and using one-ply instead of two-ply toilet paper.

    Well, we are at war aren't we? (Or at least some of us are)

    USAR Posted October 26, 2006 12:13 PM
  • 19355

    Obviously everyone in government is telling the Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker that his vision of the Army is not in line with the vision held by the elected representatives of the people (Congress and the president). This leaves Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker three alternatives:

    1. Resign

    2. Take your case to the public, but you may get fired like the Chief of Park Police got fired.

    3. Get on with it and set the priorities of the Army to reflect the will of the elected representative of the people.

    It seems like the chief cannot take a no answer, so it appears he will have to go with one of the first two alternatives. This means the Army has to face another year operating under a poor set of priorities until the chief gets his way or the people prevail. And this chief is here because he was asked by the White House to fill the job! Why isn't the White House supporting him? If I were him, I would go back to the ranch in Wyoming and say thank you Mr. Bush, but I cannot get where I want the Army to go.

    Taxpayer Posted October 26, 2006 9:38 AM
  • 19354

    Here's an idea for the Army to redirect money to where it is most needed.

    Eliminate SES bonuses. Eliminate SES time off. Eliminate employee training and contractor costs associated with NSPS implementation. Start a new management practice of letting employees get their jobs done and make work process refinements by cutting out all the steps, actions, and layers that are only necessary in supporting layers of supervision and management that are not required.

    Mark Gibson Posted October 26, 2006 8:54 AM
  • 19352

    So much for Bush and Rummy's pledge to give the military anything they need to stay the course. Oh, I'm sorry, we've cut and run from that slogan finally, haven't we? I suppose our troops can pick up rocks and throw them at the enemy. That'll ensure victory all right.

    Dear God, America, please get it right on Nov. 7.

    GovExec.com reader Posted October 26, 2006 8:48 AM

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OMB rejects Army bid for bigger share of 2008 budget
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