Why doesn't the public sector follow private sector rules in hard times?

Interesting concept. The government living within its means. Both parties would have conniption fits if that was Constitutionally mandated. How about obliterating the debt ceiling option as a 1st move? Of the gazillion government employees, completely restructure pension packages ( state and federal ). 3rd leg would require politicians to advance their campaign promises in writing as a annual performance evaluation. If not met, no re-election clause kicks in.

Actually sometimes it is a good idea to provide jobs for jobless people in a recession or a depression.

Remember every employed person pays taxes and spends money which can keep another employed person in their job.

The government isn't meant to be a profit making business. It's meant to be even on income and outgo not that that always happens.

I don't know if you were aware, but the Federal government has lost a quarter of a million jobs under Obama, so it is leaning out, but we have to be careful we don't lose so many employees that our government doesn't function or puts too much of a burden on the states. Which will then have to raise state taxes to cover the loss of income from the feds for needed items like cops, firemen, teachers and nurses.

I've always seen a lot of complaints about the way government does things, and I mean decades of complaints, but when the investigations are done, its never in the amounts they assumed it would be.

In fact our government works pretty well considering the enormity of it, while businesses have a tendency to go underestimate what they need to survive with happy customers.

The goal of government is different from private business. It can use new techniques to manage its cash but its first responsibility is to serve the public. Who should be the first one fired? The FBI agent who tracks terrorist? The judge that enforces the law? What expenditures can be cuts first that are meaningful. The majority of government expenditures are Social Security, Medicare and Defense Spending. Where should we cut in those areas? Should cut agriculture subsidies?

EDIT

Yes, during time of recession the public sector looks better. When the recession end, the private sector looks better. After all recession end, there will be stories of how public sector employee are behind private sector employees and how difficult it is retain public sector employees. The gains are temporary once the stimulus money is spent.

Civil Service depends on lifetime job security to guard against corruption and still attract quality candidates at lower than private wages. It must be unconcerned with profit and stick to the rules it is given regardless of the political or economic environment or the personal feelings of its workers. Since it can only shed workers through attrition, It is much less flexible. Besides, when the private sector stalls or contracts, the public sector is still expected to keep things running. So it needed even more.

Government could be more efficient of course, but we trade some of that efficiency for strict observance of the rules, and even deliberately hobble it because we mistake government inefficiency for freedom. That is why we have no national ID card and over 7000 law enforcement agencies in this country rather than one big efficient one, like many countries. Changing this is impossible because the system runs on compromise laws enacted willy nilly by politicians rather than as a coherent system designed by professionals.

If the idea of a totally efficient government scares you, it should. It is the definition of totalitarianism. It is 1984 realized. It is every person who lies on his taxes, even a little, doing jail time and automatic speedometers ticketing every speeder. That is why we must trade off freedom and security without abandoning either. That is why the public sector cannot follow private sector rules. Look to Somalia for an example of a country without an effective public sector.

Because all the millions of people that would get laid off wouldn't vote Democrat any longer. We won't ever have a small government, it is far too late for that.

The public sector is made up of greedy politicians that dont have to earn their money, they just take it

Because strong unions provide middle-class wages and job security to their members.

But thanks for warning us that you are against the Middle-class in America........