Expect More

I don’t know if I’m the last person in the world to find out about this, but in case I’m not, I decided to post about it. I read that the Office of Management and Budget and Federal agencies decided to start a website, Expect More, which tracks the performance of federal government programs. Programs that are performing are divided into three categories: Effective, Moderately Effective, and Adequate. Programs that are not performing are divided into two categories: Ineffective and Results Not Demonstrated.

So I’ve been spending some time perusing the various successes and failures of the federal government under the Bush regime, and I couldn’t help but notice on the single page of Ineffective Programs, there seems to be a theme that might best be described as “things of interest to progressives.”

Department of Education: 6 Ineffective Programs

Department of Health and Human Services: 4 Ineffective Programs

Department of Housing and Urban Development: 4 Ineffective Programs

Environmental Protection Agency: 4 Ineffective Programs

Department of Labor: 3 Ineffective Programs

Even the two Ineffective Programs under the Department of Energy are telling: National Gas Technology and Oil Technology.

And don’t even get me started on the Results Not Demonstrated Programs, which would be better labeled Programs We Care So Little About They Haven’t Even Been Given the Chance to Fail. It’s such a pile of horseshit. For example, Traumatic Brain Injury is listed under Results Not Demonstrated, without any mention that Bush essentially eradicated the Federal TBI Act by zeroing out its funding in last year’s federal budget.

On the other hand, the three pages of Effective Programs give an equally useful glimpse into the priorities of the administration.

Department of State: 20 Effective Programs

Department of Defense: 11 Effective Programs

Department of Energy: 11 Effective Programs

Department of the Treasury: 11 Effective Programs

Department of Homeland Security: 7 Effective Programs

Department of Commerce: 5 Effective Programs

Successes for, say, the Department of Health and Human Services, include things like Buildings and Facilities. Not that that’s not important, but is it more important than the Ineffective Program Health Professions? The buildings aren’t much good without people to put in them. Of course, there are plenty of cronies who build stuff, and probably not as many who train people to heal.

Anyway, go have some fun looking at Expect More. See if you don’t come away wondering if it would be possible to Expect Any Less.