GAO’s David Walker resigns
posted at 8:53 pm on February 15, 2008 by Bryan
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He had been head of the Government Accounting Office since 1998, and was a voice against unrestrained government spending and entitlement explosion.
Walker was a regular, and respected, witness on Capitol Hill, testifying on issues ranging from how to rein in the spiraling U.S. debt to the turmoil in Iraq. Last September, Walker told Congress the Iraqi government was “dysfunctional.”
Under Walker’s leadership, the GAO filed suit against Vice President Richard Cheney, seeking details on meetings he held early into the Bush administration on input from private groups on energy policy. After a federal court ruled GAO could not force Cheney to provide the information, GAO decided not to appeal the ruling, angering many Democrats.
Walker repeatedly urged Congress to waste no time in reforming massive government programs, such as health care for the elderly, which will grow significantly as the U.S. population ages.
“The picture I will lay out for you … is not a pretty one and it’s getting worse with the passage of time,” the blunt-talking Walker told Congress more than once.
Basically he was a fiscal thorn in the side of both parties, which isn’t a bad thing to have around Washington. Here’s an interview he gave to Glenn Beck back in January. It’s scary stuff.
He’s leaving GAO to head up a foundation that focuses on fiscal restraint and sounding the alarm about the federal debt.
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One less bean in the bean counter office
Wade on February 15, 2008 at 8:55 PM
We need MORE bean counters, the louder the better.
ThePrez on February 15, 2008 at 8:59 PM
This guy is the equivalent to a bomb expert, if you see him run, run as fast as you can.
ninjapirate on February 15, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Universal Health Care, Headstart, and funding foreign education will take care of the problem.
Limerick on February 15, 2008 at 9:08 PM
Bean Counter
Deety on February 15, 2008 at 9:08 PM
Less creative financing needed not more. The GAO has been wrong more often than right. It needs, like all the bureaucracies, a complete makeover.
Wade on February 15, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Thank you Mr. Walker for saying and doing what you have. Sometimes I wonder if Washington is trying to sink the dollar and the American ship of state to pave the way for something “better.”
spmat on February 15, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Freeze the budget for a few years, cut taxes. Home free.
Zorro on February 15, 2008 at 9:21 PM
Can Barry Jesus Obama cure all of this? Yes he can! Yes he can! How? Hope… er… and… er… more hope… and… uh… change! Yeah!!!!
Sugar Land on February 15, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Absolutely correct! I’m not paying (nor any of you) enough taxes. The answer is more income, not less spending. It is so simple. Why didn’t anyone think of that before?
Limerick on February 15, 2008 at 9:29 PM
I think I’m all for socialized medicine now. Crash the train a little faster. Sucks to be the people who depend on government for their living.
lorien1973 on February 15, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Messiah Obama just managed to pass legislation requiring the US to implement a plan to eliminate global poverty by half by 2015. Yeah, baby, we got the money for dat! And universal healthcare! And aid to palestinians! And, hey, my lights are flickering because the gov’t is now taking half my paychek…wait now they’re taking 75%, hey what the f
JustTruth101 on February 15, 2008 at 10:25 PM
SECOND LOOK AT MOVING TO CHILE!
Mike Honcho on February 15, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Nah…no fun in that. I’m sticking around for debtor’s prison and public work projects. It’ll be fun.
Limerick on February 15, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Bravo Mike Honcho, Bravo.
Sound thinking.
“Why yes, as a matter of fact I am brushing up on my Spanish in anticipation of the change in administration next January. Why do you ask?”
“Perdone señor, ¿podría decirme el tipo de cambio de dólares a pesos chilenos?”
Deety on February 15, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Geez, well that was encouraging.
But…isn’t the Obama Messiah going to bring us Hope!?!
CP on February 15, 2008 at 11:13 PM
I wonder if we go broke, will the illegals go home then?
Cheesestick on February 16, 2008 at 12:20 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs
This even scarier…
Theworldisnotenough on February 16, 2008 at 1:51 AM
You think the politicians have the stones to actually cut entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.? Based on what evidence?
Sucks to be the
people who depend on government for their living.taxpayers in a decade or two.There, fixed it for you!
cool breeze on February 16, 2008 at 8:30 AM
If this was all of it, it wouldn’t be so bad. But it isn’t. The entitlements you listed are only the tip of the iceberg.
We do need to gut a lot of the entitlements, as well as evict the freeloaders and abusers. There is plenty of room for massive cuts in all manner of entitlement programs.
Say…midnight basketball for one, foreign aid, welfare for illegal aliens…etc etc. We could also start by gutting the Congressional Retirement Benefits…see how easy it is if you think about it!
traderdfw on February 16, 2008 at 8:36 AM
I agree with most of what you say. We could add farm subsidies, pork… the list is nearly endless.
Here’s where we disagree. Thinking about it is easy. Doing something about it is another matter altogether.
Not. gonna. happen.
cool breeze on February 16, 2008 at 9:00 AM
I agree and disagree. It will not be easy, it is going to happen. Our elected representatives in both houses of congress have lost their way, they are ignoring the state…that would be us, We the People…
At some point the pain of their behavior will become unbearable and people will act, at this point I doubt it is going to be peaceful either. I believe that that date is just over the horizon, and it is not going to be pretty, but then, it shouldn’t be. Americans (in general) have been out to lunch for a long time. When the time comes to exercise our Constitutional options to remove the government, it needs to be bloody as possible, so that the replacements won’t soon make the mistakes of their predecessors.
traderdfw on February 16, 2008 at 9:16 AM
This resignation is bad new. Bad news, indeed. But, can you blame Mr. Walker. He’s been telling Congress of the problems that MUST be fixed and instead they put together a “stimulus package” that is nothing more than a free handout of government, i.e. public, money. I’m afraid things are going to get worse, my friends.
Troy Rasmussen on February 16, 2008 at 9:46 AM
Mr. Beck and Walker do point out the facts that many are afraid of facing.
Politicians do not understand anything about fiscal or social responsibility. Politicians simply spend money that is not theirs to spend, create programs that are not needed (but satiates their vanity), are living conflicts of interest (lawyers that write laws they can prosecute when no longer in office), and do not fully understand the document they swear to uphold (the Constitution).
THEY ARE ELECTED TO REPRESENT OUR OPINIONS. If individuals were really asked, they would say their elected politicians do not represent their true views. Politician’s today are nothing but an extension of High School popularity cliques (vote for me as class President and I will be your best friend). To fulfill their obligation to represent us, we elect them because we like them, but send them to office with thes simple instructions.
1. Do not do anything until we identify a problem and provide our solution.
2. Perform and analysis of the problem by consulting with other elected officials (remember they are not leaders they are elected to follow our lead).
3. If the issue/problem is being experienced by others in the community, state, or nation then the elected officials responsibility is to find a compromise to the various solutions to the common problem offered by other members of the community, state, or nation and let us (not special interests-talk to us) tell you the elected representative what to do next.
Remember, “We the People” are not responsible to fund elected officials’ solutions to problems that only exists in their mind.
MSGTAS on February 16, 2008 at 9:58 AM
Yes. They. Are. Very bad.
traderdfw on February 16, 2008 at 10:09 AM
David Walker has been a political hack for his entire career in the fed. Yeah, he has constantly complaining we don’t tax enough and his studies have been tailored precisely for the libtard agenda. Boo hoo ….. the country lost another Richard Clarke. Excuse me while I go pop a beer and celebrate his departure.
David in ATL on February 16, 2008 at 10:22 AM
traderdfw,
This kind of talk reminds me of a commenter who wrote on the night W got reelected in 2004 “There’d better be some riots tonight!”
The best reply was “Don’t you need to get to bed? I’m gonna be up at 6:00 AM and want my coffee and an Egg McMuffin.”
Republican primary voters have just rejected conservatives like Thompson, Tancredo, Romney and Hunter in favor of a RINO like McCain. Meanwhile, the entire Republican primary vote is swamped by the turnout for Obama and Hillary. And you think an armed insurrection is just over the horizon???
Bwah hah hah hah! And yes, I’d like hash browns with my Egg McMuffin.
cool breeze on February 16, 2008 at 10:40 AM
So when do I get my free healthcare?
Chuck Schick on February 24, 2008 at 4:29 PM
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