11 Things Washington Post Readers Think Government Screwed Up in 2011
The Washington Post does its darnedest to turn its readers into libertarians today, with a handy post-Christmas lineup of the top government failures of the year—under the Perryian headline "The biggest government 'oops' of 2011." The rankings are taken from an online poll which drew 7,500 votes. A couple of my personal favorites:
6.) Fast and Furious: Two years ago, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began permitting small-time straw purchasers to pass firearms to middlemen, who trafficked the guns to Mexico. But the scandal erupted this year. As a result, ATF's former acting director and top agency officials were reassigned and Arizona's U.S. attorney resigned. Republican lawmakers want Attorney General Eric Holder to fire subordinates and have warned that impeachment is an option.
10.) USAJobs.gov Malfunctions: Cutting the unemployment rate may be a priority of the Obama administration, but the Office of Personnel Management didn't help matters much. The agency relaunched the federal jobs site in October, but faced swift criticism from users who complained of slow loading times and misplaced résumés. The problems lingered for weeks. Perhaps federal job-seekers should turn instead to privately owned job sites that also post federal openings?
Plus expensive Justice Department muffins, Solyndra, and much much more!
