Grace Commission
The Private Sector Survey on Cost Control (PSSCC), commonly referred to as the Grace Commission, was an investigation requested by United States President Ronald Reagan, authorized in Executive Order 12369 on June 30, 1982. In doing so President Reagan used the now famous phrase, "Drain the swamp".[1] The focus was on eliminating waste and inefficiency in the US Federal government. The head of the commission, businessman J. Peter Grace,[2] asked the members of that commission to "Be bold and work like tireless bloodhounds, don't leave any stone unturned in your search to root out inefficiency."[3]
Report
The Grace Commission report[4] was presented to Congress in January 1984. The report showed 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.[5] The report's recommendations that intruded into policy were ignored by Congress, but many other efficiency recommendations were considered and some were implemented.[6]
The US national debt reached $5.6 trillion in the year 2000[7][8] and reached 13 trillion in 2010 after the subprime mortgage-collateralized debt obligation crisis in 2008.
The report said that one-third of all income taxes are consumed by waste and inefficiency in the federal government, and another one-third escapes collection owing 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 that taxpayers expect from their government."[5]
See also
- National debt
- Federal Reserve System
- Public administration
- Public administration theory
Other similar commissions
- Brownlow Committee (1937)
- Hoover Commission (two commissions, in 1947–1949 and 1953–1955)
- National Partnership for Reinventing Government (1993–1998)
References
- ^ Harrington, Rebecca (November 11, 2016). "Here's what Trump means when he says 'drain the swamp' — even though it's not an accurate metaphor". Business Insider. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- ^ Gilpin, Kenneth N. (April 21, 1995). "J. Peter Grace, Ex-Company Chief, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
- ^ 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 Report from Defense Technical Information Center
- ^ a b President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, A Report to the President (January 15, 1984)
- ^ Hershey, Jr., Robert D. (May 7, 1984). "Hold the Dust, Hold the Jeers". The New York Times.
- ^ "U.S. National Debt Clock FAQ".
- ^ "Debt to the Penny (Daily History Search Application)".
Literature
- Goodsell, Charles (May–Jun 1984). "The Grace Commission: Seeking Efficiency for the Whole People?". Public Administration Review. 44 (3): 196–204. doi:10.2307/975482. JSTOR 975482.
- Hildreth, W. Bartley; Hildreth, Rodger (Spring 1989). "The Business of Public Management". Public Productivity Review. 12 (3): 303–321. doi:10.2307/3380120. JSTOR 3380120.
External links
- Grace Commission List The formal title is President's Private Sector Survey and called PPSS
- v
- t
- e
- 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)
- 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975)
politics
- Birthplace
- Pitney Store
- Boyhood home
- General Electric Showcase House
- 668 St. Cloud Road
- Rancho del Cielo
- Filmography
- Political positions
- Governorship of California
- Rockefeller Commission
- Citizens for the Republic
- Presidential Library and Museum
- Reagan era
- Reagan coalition
- 1989 trip to Japan
- Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute
- Death and state funeral
(timeline)
- Transition
- First inauguration and Release of hostages
- Second inauguration
- Assassination attempt
- Cabinet
- Judicial appointments
- Administration scandals
- AIDS
- Bush transition
- Impeachment efforts
- Opinion polling
- Executive orders
- Presidential proclamations
- Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine (1961)
- "A Time for Choosing" (1964)
- States' rights speech (1980)
- Inaugural address
- "Ash heap of history" (1982)
- "Evil empire" (1983)
- "Tear down this wall!" (1987)
- Joint session of Congress (1981)
- State of the Union Address
Gubernatorial | |
---|---|
Presidential |
depictions
- Bibliography
- In music
- Let Them Eat Jellybeans! (1981)
- U.S. Postage stamps
- Rap Master Ronnie
- Ed the Happy Clown (1983 comic series)
- Spitting Image (TV series) (1984)
- A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985 game)
- The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
- film adaptation
- Pizza Man (1991 film)
- The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001 film)
- Reagan's War (2002 book)
- The Reagans (2003 film)
- Reagan (2011 documentary)
- The Butler (2013 film)
- Killing Reagan (2015 book)
- Killing Reagan (2016 film)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020 game)
- The Reagans (2020 miniseries)
- Reagan (2024 film)
- "What would Reagan do?"
- Namesakes and memorials
- U.S. Capitol statue
- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
- Ronald Reagan Day
- Reagan Day Dinner
- Accolades
- Category