DOE - Remember why created?

Absolutely The Funniest Joke Ever! . . . ON US. Actually NOT a joke at all.

I don't know who wrote this last year, but it certainly is true. Thanks to that unknown author.

"Does anybody out there have any memory of the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter Administration? Anybody? Anything? No? Didn't think so.

"Bottom line ... . we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember. Ready? It was very simple, and at the time everybody thought it very appropriate.

"The Department of Energy was instituted 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. HEY, PRETTY EFFICIENT, HUH? AND NOW IT'S 2008, 31 YEARS LATER, AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS NECESSARY DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR, THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE!

"THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY 'WHAT WAS I THINKING?'

Ah, yes, good ol' bureaucracy. And now we are going to turn the Banking system over to them?"

I have my own story about that time. I was in the life insurance business in Denver, and one Monday morning clients came to my office for an 8:00AM meeting. The heat was off over the week-end and it was 55 degrees in my office. Within 5 minutes the man's wife was shivering so badly that we had to call off our meeting. I wrote the President a letter - even paid postage to mail it.

I told him that I approved of his policy to reduce dependence on foreign oil and was willing to do my part. However, when I lost business because people were too cold to buy from me, I didn't earn any income. And then I paid less in income tax. I added that I didn't mind paying less income taxes, but I sure did miss the income!

And the reply from the President's office? (I had almost forgotten that.)

"Thank you for supporting our energy policy." !!!