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DetlefK

(16,423 posts)
Sat Sep 16, 2017, 05:02 AM Sep 2017

As NK tests nukes, Tillerson says his No. 1 priority is shrinking the State Department.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/us/politics/diplomacy-tillerson-says-his-top-priority-is-efficiency.html

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said Thursday that the most important thing he could do during his tenure was to make the State Department more efficient, and in a lengthy letter to employees he promised that the efforts would yield significant savings.

To his critics, his remarks and the letter outlining his proposals were simply more evidence of their contention that the former petroleum engineer is still acting like a corporate chief executive and not the nation’s chief diplomat.

In the letter, Mr. Tillerson wrote with a businessman’s shorthand that his plan “contains seven ambitious proposals with investments that will generate a minimum deliverable of 10 percent ($5B) in efficiencies relative to current (FY2017) spending over the next five years, with an aspirational general interest target of up to 20 percent ($10B).”

“The most important thing I can do is to enable this organization to be more effective, more efficient and for all of you to take greater satisfaction in what you do day in and day out,” Mr. Tillerson told a gathering of embassy employees in London.




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And what about furthering the diplomatic interests of the US?
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As NK tests nukes, Tillerson says his No. 1 priority is shrinking the State Department. (Original Post) DetlefK Sep 2017 OP
he could give up his salary and stop using government transportation nt msongs Sep 2017 #1
We are so fucked in more ways than one JonLP24 Sep 2017 #2
Rexxon is a businessbot, not a diplomat... Raster Sep 2017 #3
Apparently Tillerson is convinced that the State Department . . . MrModerate Sep 2017 #4
Way to go, asshole. smirkymonkey Sep 2017 #5
Pretty sure diplomats can be measured on metrics like oil rig workers dalton99a Sep 2017 #6
It would seem that all of our diplomacy these days Bettie Sep 2017 #7

Raster

(20,996 posts)
3. Rexxon is a businessbot, not a diplomat...
Sat Sep 16, 2017, 06:35 AM
Sep 2017

... The State Department DOES NOT NEED ambitious proposals to generate deliverables in efficiencies in current spending....hrumpf, hrumpf. The State Department needs diplomacy and diplomats with a genuine understanding of world events and foreign cultures.

 

MrModerate

(9,753 posts)
4. Apparently Tillerson is convinced that the State Department . . .
Sat Sep 16, 2017, 07:30 AM
Sep 2017

Is supposed to be a profit center.

This is what happens when you let bean counters into leading government roles.

Bettie

(15,998 posts)
7. It would seem that all of our diplomacy these days
Sat Sep 16, 2017, 09:55 AM
Sep 2017

is being done via Twitter.

Why would we need a State Department when we have the military?

Oh, I am so sick of all of this. Can someone wake me up, because I think I must be having a terrible, terrible dream.

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