It's not as though the total employed by federal dollars is shrinking, though; that would appear to be expanding rapidly. I'd agree that just moving those folks out of the federal employee unions is a win, but I'd be happier if their ranks weren't expanding so fast.

They aren't civil servants and don't get federal benefits and protections.

"..with the number of jobs in the federal government shrinking and the number at companies that serve the government expanding. The greatest increases in new jobs were in industries that most commonly hold contracts with the government..."

And the contractor market has to compete with the pure private market. This is what is going on in my husbands field (metrology). He left the military for the private sector for better pay, etc. His lab currently competes for employees with an AFB that contracts out (and up until recently it had been military/gov't). A couple of weeks ago, their manager called up our lab, after yet another worker quit to come work for us, screaming with exasperation because we were, and have been, "stealing" their best workers.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Such is the lot of political employees when thier party is at length turned out of office.

But according to many right wing bloggers and pundits Bush is too liberal. What gives?

They're idiots.

As Mayor Daley has shown, corruption of the "Contract Process" is just as easy as the corrupt patronage process.

I was just listening to NPR talk about how the Federal Katrina contracts are doled out, and how the system was rigged (not necessarily intentionally) against local contractors.

Most Federal Contracts go to firms in Alexandria and Arlington. Surprise surprise.
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Further, there is danger here. Replacing Gov. Worker with workers dependent on Gov. isn't much of a step in the right direction.

What we really need is a Federal, State and Local "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" that permanently constrains the growth of every level of Government (Especially Schools!)

I'm not going to argue about Katrina, cos I had this argument in the European blogosphere ore UN contracts.

what is more important, getting the stuff there or the process?

The process can take a long, long time, do we really want to keep those people in need?

Mr. Bruno, any system made by man can and will be corrupted. The difference is in how quickly the corruption can be repaired. Baring a return to the patronage system, this is probably the best we can hope for.