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Comment by harryjo | Hacker News Reader

Let's see which regulations get cut first. So far, it's not the government contracting regulations.

Bonus: when Trump "freezes the size of Federal employment" do you think that will be match by a freeze in contracting, or a boost in crony contracts?

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What I learned reading The Art of The Deal is his MO:

Trump: "I have a problem (e.g. Wollman Ice Rink) but know nothing about this topic. Who is the best company that makes ice rinks?"

Makes a few calls to hockey teams to find this information.

Learns the name of the company.

Calls CEO of the ice rink company.

After 15 mins of conversation, learns that freon-based ice rinks suck the monkey and that brine-based ones last forever.

Total elapsed time: Probably an hour.

Hires ice-rink company to help with Wollman Rink.

Project completed in four months and under budget.

No studies, no meetings, just results.

Government bureaucrats: REEEEEEEEEE!

These critics don't understand what it means to get things done. It's becoming a meme at this point.

Media for the last year and a half: "Donald Trump will NOT be able to build the wall."

Just now, Donald Trump: "We will start IMMEDIATE CONSTRUCTION of a border wall."

He did put in a provision to prohibit federal agencies from hiring contractors. From the order: "Contracting outside the Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum shall not be permitted."

I haven't seen a single fake news site report that though, they are all pushing the alternative fact that contractors will be hired en mass.

Stuff still needs to get done, so a hiring freeze means needing a workaround, they will find money for contractors because it is seen as a limited time expense, even though it is probably 3x or 4x more expensive over the long term. When they tell you they cut the size of government they won't tell you that government costs went up, or they will tell you government payroll is down and contractors get costed as something other than payroll.

"3x or 4x more expensive over the long term"

And that's where you're wrong. If done right, 3x to 4x more expensive up front and less TCO in the long run.

In software it never works like that. Costs more to build it with contractors and then because you get rid of the contractors support is done by people unfamiliar with the code so support costs more, upgrades cost more because new contractors need time to learn the codebase or the old contractors charge more because they know the codebase.

Fine, but a LOT of the current problems do not revolve around software whatsoever

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