Over Two Thousand Out Of Work-

-not counting the bums actually voted out.  (HT the last Bryan Suits show and a huge number of tweets.)

A thousand of those are the staff of sixty people.  Some 800 are the folks that do research for the committees.  Six people are going to need 150.

...

Dude, really?


How about we start streamlining?

I suggested this over at Gino's blog, Shreds:

Hey, I'm a big fan of making it so all reps of a state in DC share an office-- a single big room office-- and a pool of support staff.

Preferably, they spend more time at home than in DC.

And their pay is capped at military NCO rate-- we'll issue them black suits, white shirts, shiny shoes and blue ties every two years, maybe even mid-range officer BAH, but that's it.

What can we add to this? 


Ooh, put them through the military's travel system, too.  They can upgrade from coach on their own dime.  Military health care, as well.  (Yes, I know they're technically in the same system-- I mean put them literally in the military system, including making appointments at the nearest base and/or tricare accepting facility.)


Incidentally, I keep going back to the military because they have an economy of scale, and because I'm familiar with it.  It's also REALLY hard to vote yourself a big pay hike when your pay is tied to that of an enlisted military rank, unless the military shrinks to almost nothing.


Maybe a pool of researchers for the committees, too; we could even make two pools, "Left" and "Right."  (hey, bias matters-- I don't want to make an entrenched group that can control information just to save money, just reduce massive redundancy)


Other cuts... well, there's the fad for folks to take out their own trash.  (Not to the bin, but to a central location-- like the hallway outside of their office.) Heck, the officer Elf works for has to do that, and put his chair on his desk when they're going to vacuum that night.


Electronic requisitioning system might help-- not like the Navy's, which I swear had cocaine listed-- but maybe a sort of wiki system to build up a database of supplies.  Enter the exact specs of what you need bought, it will be delivered each night after closing.

All spending will be updated monthly, directly from that system, to a web site so folks can see what they're paying for; come to think of it, that's a good idea for travel, too, although it's a bit unfair for folks flying from Cali to be compared to folks driving from Virginia, it would be helpful to be able to compare folks in the same office against each other.

Probably best to let folks intern either to an office, a state or a representative.