Aside from the military, what does the federal government run well?

It runs from the truth rather well.

Health Care - don't make me laugh. When Bill Clinton was president he decided to do something about health care and he appointed a committee and made Hillary Chairman. After months of discussing it and spending millions of taxpayer money while they were doing it, they put out a report that took so much paper we could have had a new forest someplace from all the trees that went into making the paper it was printed on. It was such a boon-doggle that Bill broke up the committee - much to Hillary's chagrin - and then he tossed the report into the trash can because it would take months to read and digest it , and left it there. So much for Democrats sorting health care.

If the US Post Office doesn't deliver mail well, you can't prove it by me. My small business sends out well over 1,00 packages per year and there is rarely any problem. Last year there were only two returns and one loss. The returns were both caused by mistakes in the addressing and the loss was a case of theft in the lobby of the buyer's apartment building. No matter, the post office promptly paid the insurance claim. We used to also offer UPS delivery but there were so many problems that we now only ship USPS and it amazes me how well the US post Office does its job.

I'm not disagreeing with you about the Federal Government in general but I do disagree strongly with your opinion of the V.A. Medical Centers, the care they provide and their locations. Being in the Miami area I'm sure you know that the V.A. Medical Center there is located in an area of several square blocks of medical facilities including the University of Miami Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (also part of the U.M. Hospital System), Highland Park General Hospital, Bascom Palm Eye Institute, Cedars Medical Center and others that I didn't see when I spent a week down there. This is downtown Miami so, no, the neighborhoods aren't going to be the greatest but these facilities aren't located where they are because of the neighborhoods. The V.A. Medical Center in West Palm Beach is actually located in a pretty nice area, by the way. Now, I have had no personal experience with the V.A. Medical Center in Miami but I can't say enough about the quality of care that my husband and many other vets I know have received at the V.A. Medical Centers in both Baltimore and West Palm Beach. We have been in the system for over six years now and I have never been disappointed. I sit in the waiting room longer in my doctors' offices than my husband ever has at the V.A. and that includes every specialist (at least 9 or 10 of them) and every test. He's been hospitalized twice...once in Baltimore and once in West Palm Beach...due to a sudden, serious problem that we went to the ER for. Again, the wait wasn't long, the doctors knew what they were doing, tests were done quickly and his treatment and daily care was great. As far as the welfare offices go, those are state run as far as I know and, again, it depends on the area. Offices located in larger, more metropolitan areas are run worse than those in smaller, more rural areas because they service more clients. The same goes for the state unemployment offices. Do I believe that the federal government is capable of running a healtcare system for the entire country? No. Do I believe that the Veteran's Administration itself is run well? Hell no. But, give the medical centers their due. The V A Capitol Health Care Network was recently awarded the prestigious Maryland Quality Gold Award for 2008 as part of the Maryland Performance Excellence Awards Program. They must be doing something right up in Baltimore.

As a Vietnam vet who has family in uniform right now, your header makes no sense. The US does NOT run the military well... As for veteran benefits, that's is sad like you said... As far as I am concerned, every adult American should consider themselves part of the militia. The Federal government should have very limited international and interstate activity, actually control common currency - not turn it over to the "Federal Reserve" (that is actually the banking industry), assemble and coordinate the National Guards and militia for common defense (not making wars!), and maintain the courts. Almost everything the Fed. Gov. does it should stop. Oh. Except for the District of Columbia, military bases and armories, and the post offices, the Fed. is not supposed to own property... Slaton

I don't really have anything to add to the conversation, however as a former Sailor that thread title is still making me laugh. The military is not run that well, it takes forever to get anything done. One of my friends just came back from Iraq, she's a single mother, and all she was trying to do was get her transfer to her new duty station. This should have taken a few days tops, she's been stuck here in Virginia for almost two weeks now because of incompetence. This is pretty normal. Also government buildings such as the VA, Post Offices and military bases are in the horrible parts of town because that's where the cheap land is located. Then if it wasn't the horrible part of town when it was built, it becomes the horrible part of town because no one wants to live next to those type of facilities.

It runs pork bills through well, and fast when they think we aren't looking... No, they didn't think to look at the track record first, they don't care and don't care where the money will come from for health care. They just want it at any cost because they know other countries have it.

To me this all seems like a lose-lose situation, to be honest. The government sucks at running things, but there are certain things that also suck at running themselves. I don't think we can really argue that the banking industry, the auto industry, and the health insurance (not health care - health care is fine) industry are being run well in the hands of private individuals. Having the government take over may or may not help. Having the government leave them alone may or may not help. Like I said, lose-lose situation. When it comes to the auto industry, I say we should have just let them tank. Call it a warning to the business owners of the country that they better get their stuff in order, because they could lose it all. But when it comes to health insurance and banking...well...those are important things. Those are things that the country cannot do without. You can't exactly just let them die. So what do you do? I certainly have no earthly clue.

I think that the goverment dosn't even run the militiry well. Look at Irak and Aghanistan , what a joke? Hundreds of soldiers and billions in dollars dieing out there for what? Oil? Foreign peace? Domestic peace? Well the fact is that oil prices are high, economy is at a all time low and foregin peace? It's highly unstable.