[fallentimes]

Agreed.

All I can think of is defense (not offense), intelligence, (poorly executed) safety nets, (some) education and (some) infrastructure.

Lot of qualifiers, which exemplifies the problem.

[nazgulnarsil]

the intelligence service is one of the worst offenders. it is the epitome of bloat and corruption.

[fallentimes]

How do you think it should be fixed/organized? I used to live in DC; I cried myself to sleep at night thinking about government waste.

[kingkongrevenge]

The city is a monument to plunder. I walk or drive around and wonder at the wealth you see, which is all stolen from all over the country.

[fallentimes]

That's one of the many reasons I moved. What's funny is how self-important many of the people I met were even though paper shuffling & long job titles are the main currencies.