The GAO just put out a report on the Performance and Accountability of 20 cabinet agencies and major departments, which is commented on at:
http://www.policy.com/news/dbrief/
Here's an interesting excerpt, for those of you who think the gov't is all fine and dandy:
> The report, ordered last year by congressional Republicans,
> documents the overlap, duplication and even conflicts of
> the activities of various federal agencies. More than
> 12 agencies administer 35 different food-safety laws that
> GAO argues could be more effectively administered by one
> agency. For example, the Department of Agriculture
> inspects frozen meat pizzas, while the Food and Drug
> Administration inspects frozen cheese pizzas. "In program
> area after program area, we have found that unfocused and
> uncoordinated [overlapping] programs waste scarce funds,
> confuse and frustrate taxpayers and other program
> customers, and limit overall program effectiveness,"
> the report states.
>
Mike Lorrey