# We've learned these last few days that the government is too big **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 16, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491 "2013-05-16T06:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/121 "2013-05-17T13:40:31Z")
To those of you asking “what more do you want?” I was pretty clear when I said “There would be no need for me to “try again” as that would suffice for me” What he has done, has been a decent measure for me. From listening to some here though, he never should have apologized in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/122 "2013-05-17T13:47:48Z")
Obama the person didn’t need to apologize. Obama the titular head of the executive branch did. We’re talking about the first guy. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/123 "2013-05-17T15:02:58Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > To those of you asking “what more do you want?” > > I was pretty clear when I said “There would be no need for me to “try again” as that would suffice for me” > > What he has done, has been a decent measure for me. > > From listening to some here though, he never should have apologized in the first place. First, you said that in a “reason for editing” comment. If you want to be pretty clear, I’d suggest keeping the meat of your post out of that field. Second, I definitely didn’t get from it the idea that you were saying you were fine with his response; I thought yo uwere speaking hypothetically. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/124 "2013-05-17T16:27:21Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, it might not be fine, just that this situation isn’t a good indicator. You’re right, its not. I believe the OP is trying to use an unrelated incident to make a statement about the government’s size. > [@adaher](#): > > The IRS official in charge during the Tea Party targeting now runs the health care office. I wonder if that’s the same office that raided that HMO and stole 10 million medical records without a warrant? I also wonder if the President knows about that yet. Probably not. How are the two things related? ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/125 "2013-05-17T16:47:04Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > First, you said that in a “reason for editing” comment. If you want to be pretty clear, I’d suggest keeping the meat of your post out of that field. > > Second, I definitely didn’t get from it the idea that you were saying you were fine with his response; I thought yo uwere speaking hypothetically. Understood. I hit reply and then wanted to address that aspect when maybe I should have used a second post. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/126 "2013-05-18T00:57:01Z")
Apparently, Obama’s cabinet is “too vast”: > **[Republicans Expand I.R.S. Inquiry, With Eye on White House (Published 2013)](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/us/politics/irs-scandal-congressional-hearings.html?hp&_r=2&)** > > Lawmakers sought to tie the matter to the carrying out of President Obama’s health care law. Their charges range from clearly questionable actions to seemingly specious allegations. A Deputy Treasury Secretary was informed of the targeting before the election. He didn’t think this was important enough to bother his boss about? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/127 "2013-05-20T10:28:17Z")
I hear [his spoon is too big](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QRsTbnegU) too. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/128 "2013-05-20T11:00:58Z")
I think the failure of this thread indicates that it, too, is too big. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/129 "2013-05-20T14:02:18Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Apparently, Obama’s cabinet is “too vast”: > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/us/politics/irs-scandal-congressional-hearings.html?hp&\_r=2&](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/us/politics/irs-scandal-congressional-hearings.html?hp&_r=2&) > > A Deputy Treasury Secretary was informed of the targeting before the election. He didn’t think this was important enough to bother his boss about? Doubling down on your silly theory. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/130 "2013-05-20T16:34:46Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > the government is either accountable to the people or it isn’t. If it is, then the top guy gets the blame when things go wrong. There’s your confusion. Our system of government has what’s known as ‘checks and balances.’ There is no one ‘top guy’ of the _government_. There is one ‘top guy’ _of the executive branch_. His job, at least in theory, is to execute the legislation passed by the legislative branch. But the legislative branch has passed many laws at many different times, and the President is still charged with executing them, regardless of how recent or ancient they are, and regardless of the strictures of this year’s budget that the current Congress has provided him with. And it’s easy for Congress to saddle the President with a bunch of contradictory requirements, because _they_ don’t have to unravel the contradictions. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491/131 "2013-05-20T16:39:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Doubling down on your silly theory. Interesting. There seems to be a Republican talking points deficit. He’s come up with a new one as soon as they get it posted, don’t worry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weve-learned-these-last-few-days-that-the-government-is-too-big/658491.md?page=6)