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Most people see a number $6 Trillion and something breaks inside them. What they don't realize is maintaining infrastructure is expensive. Sure there are a lo

Most people see a number $6 Trillion and something breaks inside them. What they don't realize is maintaining infrastructure is expensive. Sure there are a lot of inefficiencies with need to be fixed, but you can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Sadly, such is society, and this is a problem that happens everywhere - be they democracies or authoritarian states.

imadierich 1y ago
[dead]
bombcar 1y ago
With 3 million employees and about one cent a flush, the US government spends 100,000 or so a day just to flush. Assuming three bathroom breaks a working day.
- Barrin92 1y ago
  >With 3 million employees that is, for context, about as high as it was in 1960 when the US population was half as large as it is today. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HQ8pa/full.png https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HQ8pa/full.png
  - cperciva 1y ago
    Does that include military?
    - Barrin92 1y ago
      It doesn't, but if it did the decline wouldn't just be relative but absolute because active military personnel is actually down almost 50% since its cold war peak. The US military is significantly leaner nowadays across the board. In terms of spending too, something like 8% of GDP at its peak compared to 3.x now. https://usafacts.org/articles/is-military-enlistment-down/ https://usafacts.org/articles/is-military-enlistment-down/
- rad_gruchalski 1y ago
  Close down the toilets. Poof, problem gone. Think about applying to DOGE. They may like your ideas.
  - bombcar 1y ago
    Poop-from-home! Serious expense offloading.
juujian 1y ago
When people think wastage, they think bureaucrats wasting away in offices. Social security admin, air traffic control, and teachers are more like Amazon warehouses at this time in terms of utilization. Less than 1% of social security admin funding is overhead at this time. Any charity would be exhilarated to hit numbers like that.
pj_mukh 1y ago
"Most people see a number $6 Trillion and something breaks inside them. What they don't realize is maintaining infrastructure is expensive." It breaks all our brains too, because that $6 Trillion has very little to do with maintaining infrastructure. The bulk of it is just direct payouts (Social Security, Medicare and defense contracts). Pretty frustrating that this big number means the government is politically forced to do drastic austerity for things like keeping planes flying safely. Also, makes DOGE starting at USAID (<1% of budget) look especially incompetent.

imadierich 1y ago

[dead]

bombcar 1y ago

With 3 million employees and about one cent a flush, the US government spends 100,000 or so a day just to flush. Assuming three bathroom breaks a working day.

Barrin92 1y ago
>With 3 million employees that is, for context, about as high as it was in 1960 when the US population was half as large as it is today. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HQ8pa/full.png https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HQ8pa/full.png
- cperciva 1y ago
  Does that include military?
  - Barrin92 1y ago
    It doesn't, but if it did the decline wouldn't just be relative but absolute because active military personnel is actually down almost 50% since its cold war peak. The US military is significantly leaner nowadays across the board. In terms of spending too, something like 8% of GDP at its peak compared to 3.x now. https://usafacts.org/articles/is-military-enlistment-down/ https://usafacts.org/articles/is-military-enlistment-down/
rad_gruchalski 1y ago
Close down the toilets. Poof, problem gone. Think about applying to DOGE. They may like your ideas.
- bombcar 1y ago
  Poop-from-home! Serious expense offloading.

juujian 1y ago

When people think wastage, they think bureaucrats wasting away in offices. Social security admin, air traffic control, and teachers are more like Amazon warehouses at this time in terms of utilization. Less than 1% of social security admin funding is overhead at this time. Any charity would be exhilarated to hit numbers like that.

pj_mukh 1y ago

"Most people see a number $6 Trillion and something breaks inside them. What they don't realize is maintaining infrastructure is expensive." It breaks all our brains too, because that $6 Trillion has very little to do with maintaining infrastructure. The bulk of it is just direct payouts (Social Security, Medicare and defense contracts). Pretty frustrating that this big number means the government is politically forced to do drastic austerity for things like keeping planes flying safely. Also, makes DOGE starting at USAID (<1% of budget) look especially incompetent.