Chicago - The City That Sort of Works

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

There is cynical, and then there is ridiculous.

@Liberal

When an organization can just take people’s money to fund its operation, why should it bother producing anything of value? Just go with the flow, Jarbaby. If your company runs out of money, it can raise taxes.

You’d be surprised how many organizations that ‘take people’s money’ do, in fact, produce.

If you know of an government-sponsored program or agency that has the power to raise taxes on its own, by gum speak UP man! We need to rewrite thousands of Civics books.

Seriously, you have a point to make, but I can’t grasp why you’d choose to couch that point in ridiculous claims.

[LordVor]

I was in a similar situation last year…we were being relocated by the company, and I took the opportunity to switch to a different division as well. The new division didn’t need me until I was moved up there, and I had finished all my exit tasks for the old division, and I was basically left with a half a month to amuse myself.

I started bringing in DVDs and popcorn.

-lv

[Dead_Badger]

@CrankyAsAnOldMan

If you know of an government-sponsored program or agency that has the power to raise taxes on its own, by gum speak UP man! We need to rewrite thousands of Civics books.

Well, I think Lib was talking in more general terms; organization/company = government as a whole. Sure, no department can raise taxes, but in my experience the options when one performs poorly are:

1. reform it,
2. raise taxes,
3. rename it and give it a new budget.

Don’t know about the US, but I know which options get picked here in the UK. Oh, I forgot:

4. Blame it on the new computer system.

[Orbifold]

@jarbabyj

Funny you should ask. My desk is covered in floppy disks that people shuttle back and forth. I asked, “can’t we just put these documents on a network drive and then everyone can use them”

:: pin drop::

“We don’t use that network drive. No one can figure that stuff out.”

You know, if you figure out how to use that network drive you might have a sinecure in the making. One-eyed man in the land of the blind, and all that. Just suggestin’.

[Chairman_Pow]

@Orbifold

You know, if you figure out how to use that network drive you might have a sinecure in the making. One-eyed man in the land of the blind, and all that. Just suggestin’.

Yeah, but she’ll be rockin’ the boat. Last thing you want to do unless it’s election year or you just got appointed to a new position because the last guy had nothing to do with his underlings going beserk.

[Hyperelastic]

@Exgineer

As others pointed out, there’s a significant difference between private-sector non-profits (charitable organizations and the like) and governmentally funded cash cows. The former typically do good work (although you still occasionally get crap like the United Way scandals) but the latter are generally useless. They have official purposes like employment programs or whatever, but the real reason for their existence is to provide lucrative jobs for the families and friends of politicians. It’s also a good way to work around civil service hiring freezes to get your buddies a paycheck.

Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Here is a nonprofit, 90% funded by the government, that is respected to the point of fear in its field.

[cmason32]

@plnnr

Cleary, you have never worked in government before .

Actually, I have.

My only point was that I thought, because of the thread title, that the problem would be something specific to Chicago.

[Exgineer]

Okay, Hyperelastic, I’ll admit that I went a little over the top there. Obviously there have to be worthwhile programs, or the scam wouldn’t work. Still, I really do believe that for every legitimate operation there’s at least one that’s just a waste of public funds.

The corporation you cited is a biggie, and subject to a lot of scrutiny. Fraud and waste seem to be much worse at the state and local levels.