The Grace Commission

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan requested an investigation into waste and inefficiency in the Federal government. For this purpose, he initiated a Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, or PSSCC, generally known as The Grace Commission, and asked the members of that commission to: "Be bold. We want your team to work like tireless bloodhounds. Don't leave any stone unturned in your search to root out inefficiency." [ [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/31082d.htm Ronald Reagan, "Remarks at a White House Luncheon With the Chairman and Executive Committee of the Private Sector Survey on Cost Control" (March 10, 1982)] ]

The Grace Commission Report was presented to Congress in January 1984. The Report claimed that if its recommendations were followed, $424 billion could be saved in three years, rising to $1.9 trillion per year by the year 2000. It estimated that the national debt, without these reforms, would rise to $13 trillion by the year 2000, while with the reforms they projected it would rise to only $2.5 trillion. [ [http://www.uhuh.com/taxstuff/gracecom.htm President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, "A Report to the President" (January 15, 1984)] ] In reality, the debt reached $5.8 trillion in 2000. [http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/faq.html] [http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np]

The Report said that one-third of all income taxes is consumed by waste and inefficiency in the Federal Government, and another one-third escapes collection due to the underground economy. "With two-thirds of everyone's personal income taxes wasted or not collected, 100 percent of what is collected is absorbed solely by interest on the Federal debt and by Federal Government contributions to transfer payments. In other words, all individual income tax revenues are gone before one nickel is spent on the services which taxpayers expect from their Government." [ [http://www.uhuh.com/taxstuff/gracecom.htm President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, "A Report to the President" (January 15, 1984)] ]

The Congress did not act on the recommendations.Fact|date=March 2008 As of February 2008, the national debt is $9.3 trillion (or $30,000 per U.S. citizen). [ [http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/ Ed Hall, "U.S. National Debt Clock", brillig.com] ]

ee also

* National debt
* Federal Reserve System
* Public administration
* Public administration theory

References

Literature

Citation
last = Goodsell
first = Charles
title = The Grace Commission: Seeking Efficiency for the Whole People?
journal = Public Administration Review
volume = 44
issue = 3
pages = 196-204
date = May-Jun., 1984
year = 1984

Citation
last = Hildreth
first = W. Bartley
first2 = Rodger
last 2 = Hildreth
title = The Business of Public Management
journal = Public Productivity Review
volume = 12
issue = 3
pages = 303-321
date = Spring, 1989
year = 1989

Other similar commissions

* Brownlow Committee 1937

* Hoover Commission two commissions, in 1947-1949 and 1953-1955.

* National Partnership for Reinventing Government 1993-1998