ronnie2ktraash
Nov 23, 2025
Research Papers / My first research paper about government wastage and how it affects our youth [2]
Hello, I am requesting anybody to review and hopefully provide some feedback for the rough draft of my research paper pasted below, please point out areas that should be worked on and areas that that should be kept as is, thank you!
How Government Waste Is Failing Young Americans
The financial condition of young Americans represents one of the most critical matters to be discussed in America these days. The majority of these young adults have continued to express their heightened level of fear as to if they will be able to attain financial security just as their predecessors have previously accomplished. This fear stems from increased costs involving housing costs, medical care costs, educational costs, food costs, and all other basic costs; despite all these increased costs, workers have not yet seen their wages reflect this inflation value. In addition to these issues, there is yet another profoundly critical issue which makes these young Americans have their own perspective regarding their environment. The nation's debt presently stands above thirty-four trillion dollars; thirty-four trillion dollars make these young Americans question if their government is financially responsible about how it handles these public dollars. The financial struggles these young Americans encounter in their personal lives make it difficult to comprehend and appreciate their frustration over their national government's apparent incapability to make responsible use of public monies. To resolve present issues involving these young Americans, it would be critical if their national government became completely transparent about its financial policies and financial management systems by enabling these organizations to be audited for financial responsibility to their national environment.
The problem of government wastage has long been in place. In fact, it persists from one presidential administration to another and even across several decades. The major body responsible for assessing wastage in government administration is known as the Government Accountability Office. The office is referred to as GAO. Since 1990, one of their tools for monitoring wastage, abuse, and even fraud in government programs is what they call their High Risk List. According to USAFacts, thirty-seven major government programs have been featured in this particular list. These major areas encompass public health issues, environmental issues such as safety measures, defense expenditures, and even federal prisons. One of the alarming things about these areas featured in their high-risk list is their time span as major risks to wastage and inefficiency. Some have remained part of their list for over ten years, and some date all the way back to the early 1990s. The GAO has several criteria in selecting areas to be part of their high-risk list. Some of these criteria encompass leadership's commitment to changing these issues, possession of needed tools to address these matters, development of comprehensive plans to act upon these issues, ability to monitor these issues effectively, and measurable results. All other areas not satisfying these criteria remain part of their high-risk list. Clearly, it shows inefficiency not just in some instances but consistently across several areas.
Through the years, efforts have been made by presidents from all major political affiliations to address wasteful expenditures. They have formed commissions, hired consultants, reorganized bureaus and departments, formulated new policies, and tried to modernize some of these bodies. While these have displayed some assurance of success, none have brought about lasting changes to eradicate wasteful expenditure in the administration. According to The Cato Institute, one key reason for these failed efforts to correct wasteful expenditure in administrations is their lack of competition in their areas. In other words, in business organizations, competition pushes these organizations to optimize their performance and their cost structures to deliver quality services to their clients. If organizations underperform their mandates to serve their clients effectively, clients abandon their organizations; revenues go down; and these organizations have to go out of business. None of these situations exists for organizations within administrative organizations. Even if these organizations do not deliver results to their clients, they receive continued budgetary allocations.
The level of wasteful government expenditure by the federal government far exceeds what some American citizens appreciate. The Foundation for Economic Education highlights several cases to demonstrate how wasteful federal expenditure has reached critical dimensions. One of the most thought-provoking cases related to wasteful expenditure would be the level of expenditure allocated to paying national debt interest costs. In just 2023, the federal government allocated six hundred and fifty-nine billion dollars to cover the cost of national debt interest alone. The said expenditure did not go to construct schools, fix public infrastructure, improve public health care systems, and upgrade educational systems. The expenditure went solely to cover interest costs. Other wasteful expenditures would be grants allocated to fund overseas tourism activities, research not justified to be conducted, and other expenditures that offered little to no value to American citizens.
The challenges faced by young adults in terms of economy can be better understood if one were to examine the data offered by the United States Department of the Treasury. The data offered by the Treasury Department allows for comparisons to be made between young adults and their parents' generation. According to these data, young adults' wages have remained virtually stagnant after adjustments for inflation. At the same time, costs for essential commodities have escalated considerably. One area where young adults undoubtedly encounter serious challenges is in regards to housing. The cost of housing has nearly doubled since the early 1990s. The reality of renting housing is becoming even more challenging for young adults. The possibility of owning property is becoming less feasible for young adults. Healthcare costs form another area where serious challenges have been created for young adults. Many young adults suffer either from inadequate medical insurance or from high deductibles and payments to be made out of pocket. The cost of childcare has also gone up. The Treasury document also points out that this generation of young adults carries significantly more debt than past ones have. One of the sources of such debt stems from student loans. The average young adult starts their life off with student loan burdens of tens of thousands of dollars. The payment cycle for these loans lasts for several decades. Young adults have to deal not only with these student loan issues but also have to make payments regarding credit card bills and automobile loans. A lack of earnings increases and increased costs make it necessary for young adults to borrow money instead of it being their free will. A cycle of increased borrowings hampers their development of saving and makes it difficult to make decisions about their lives. All these issues cause dissatisfaction about how the government fails to control their economy to favor young adults.
Findings from public opinion research prove that there is truth to the assertion that trust in the government is decreasing. According to data from Pew Research Center, most Americans say that the federal government is wasteful and inefficient and always makes things worse instead of better. The numbers hold even greater consequences for young Americans. Pew research suggests that sixty-two percent of Americans aged eighteen to twenty-nine do not think their government can solve big problems.
The loss of trust among these young Americans stems from increased expenses coupled with financial instability as well as dissatisfaction with their perceived lack of attention from their government. The strong feeling of being overlooked pervades American politics. The situation is also brought out by surveys conducted by AP NORC in highlighting the disparity between what the government spends and what the public demands. The results of these surveys indicate that two thirds of all Americans feel as if the government overspends in areas which do not necessarily have any meaning to the public. It also shows that several members of society do not feel as if major areas such as Social Security and public education receive enough allocations. The feeling of not seeing results from public expenditure results in loss of trust. The situation would be even worse for young adults who find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Inefficiency in government also impacts the future of the federal employee population. According to Federal News Network, just fifteen percent of adults under thirty-four trust the federal government. Clearly, this creates major issues for federal hiring. Many young adults do not choose to be federal employees because they do not trust the government to be modern and motivated to make changes. In fact, several young interviewees reported that if federal organizations modernized their systems and created modernistic work cultures, they would be very interested in federal jobs. Otherwise, the federal government faces issues replacing their aging workers who choose to retire.
The financial struggles experienced by young adults have not only impacted their pocketbooks but have also gone on to affect their emotional and mental health. According to the Treasury document, there have been increased numbers of young adults experiencing levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation compared to past cohorts. Financial struggles have been identified as one of the key areas contributing to this situation. Many young adults feeling as if they do not have the ability to fulfill their life goals of things such as acquiring their first home, raising families, and planning for their retirement can have serious emotional consequences. The document also identifies increased death rates from external sources such as drug overdoses. Such forces also come into play in decisions related to marriage and family as well as long-term planning. Many young people have postponed marriage and child-bearing since they do not have enough financial security to provide for their dependents. The cost of housing, college loans, and child care make such decisions even harder. According to data from the Treasury, rates of marriage and births among young people are lower compared to past generations. Some young people choose to live with their parents since it is not financially viable to live alone. Such developments have far-reaching effects for society and the economy and express society's dissatisfaction with government response to such challenges.
To effectively deal with government wastage, it is necessary to have both short-term and long-term strategies. To start with in the short-term strategies, there must be greater transparency. The government must make available reports to aid in understanding how taxpayer money is spent and if it's effectively spent in federal programs. The first step towards greater accountability begins with transparency. The other area to improve in the short-term measures regards greater oversight of high-risk areas. The GAO had identified areas to be concerned about; Congress must demand greater improvement plans. In case there's little improvement, it's time to reassess how money is allocated. Changes in these areas require long-term solutions. The national budget must be reorganized to focus on services for young Americans. Budget allocations related to housing assistance, job training, educational aid, and medical services would provide new opportunities in these areas. Increased apprenticeships and technical education would allow young workers to gain skills to start sound careers. The government must reform its own agencies to streamline their processes. Ineffective technological developments result in limited advancements and reduced efficiency. Overhauling ineffective technological systems and decreasing inefficient paper work would help improve agency efficiency. The Cato Institute suggests better performance rewards would improve agency efficiency as well.
The restoration of trust between the government and young Americans will require time; but if changes start to be implemented by the government immediately, young adults can look forward to brighter days characterized by fairness and confidence in their national leaders. Young adults have financial issues that their predecessors did not have to deal with. The increased cost of living coupled with increased wages and high debts makes it difficult for them to make their way in life. Unnecessary government expenditure makes it even worse for these young adults. All these issues can be remedied by implementing transparency and modern systems in all government transactions to ensure that what amounts to wastage is reduced to zero.
Hello, I am requesting anybody to review and hopefully provide some feedback for the rough draft of my research paper pasted below, please point out areas that should be worked on and areas that that should be kept as is, thank you!
How Government Waste Is Failing Young Americans
The financial condition of young Americans represents one of the most critical matters to be discussed in America these days. The majority of these young adults have continued to express their heightened level of fear as to if they will be able to attain financial security just as their predecessors have previously accomplished. This fear stems from increased costs involving housing costs, medical care costs, educational costs, food costs, and all other basic costs; despite all these increased costs, workers have not yet seen their wages reflect this inflation value. In addition to these issues, there is yet another profoundly critical issue which makes these young Americans have their own perspective regarding their environment. The nation's debt presently stands above thirty-four trillion dollars; thirty-four trillion dollars make these young Americans question if their government is financially responsible about how it handles these public dollars. The financial struggles these young Americans encounter in their personal lives make it difficult to comprehend and appreciate their frustration over their national government's apparent incapability to make responsible use of public monies. To resolve present issues involving these young Americans, it would be critical if their national government became completely transparent about its financial policies and financial management systems by enabling these organizations to be audited for financial responsibility to their national environment.
The problem of government wastage has long been in place. In fact, it persists from one presidential administration to another and even across several decades. The major body responsible for assessing wastage in government administration is known as the Government Accountability Office. The office is referred to as GAO. Since 1990, one of their tools for monitoring wastage, abuse, and even fraud in government programs is what they call their High Risk List. According to USAFacts, thirty-seven major government programs have been featured in this particular list. These major areas encompass public health issues, environmental issues such as safety measures, defense expenditures, and even federal prisons. One of the alarming things about these areas featured in their high-risk list is their time span as major risks to wastage and inefficiency. Some have remained part of their list for over ten years, and some date all the way back to the early 1990s. The GAO has several criteria in selecting areas to be part of their high-risk list. Some of these criteria encompass leadership's commitment to changing these issues, possession of needed tools to address these matters, development of comprehensive plans to act upon these issues, ability to monitor these issues effectively, and measurable results. All other areas not satisfying these criteria remain part of their high-risk list. Clearly, it shows inefficiency not just in some instances but consistently across several areas.
Through the years, efforts have been made by presidents from all major political affiliations to address wasteful expenditures. They have formed commissions, hired consultants, reorganized bureaus and departments, formulated new policies, and tried to modernize some of these bodies. While these have displayed some assurance of success, none have brought about lasting changes to eradicate wasteful expenditure in the administration. According to The Cato Institute, one key reason for these failed efforts to correct wasteful expenditure in administrations is their lack of competition in their areas. In other words, in business organizations, competition pushes these organizations to optimize their performance and their cost structures to deliver quality services to their clients. If organizations underperform their mandates to serve their clients effectively, clients abandon their organizations; revenues go down; and these organizations have to go out of business. None of these situations exists for organizations within administrative organizations. Even if these organizations do not deliver results to their clients, they receive continued budgetary allocations.
The level of wasteful government expenditure by the federal government far exceeds what some American citizens appreciate. The Foundation for Economic Education highlights several cases to demonstrate how wasteful federal expenditure has reached critical dimensions. One of the most thought-provoking cases related to wasteful expenditure would be the level of expenditure allocated to paying national debt interest costs. In just 2023, the federal government allocated six hundred and fifty-nine billion dollars to cover the cost of national debt interest alone. The said expenditure did not go to construct schools, fix public infrastructure, improve public health care systems, and upgrade educational systems. The expenditure went solely to cover interest costs. Other wasteful expenditures would be grants allocated to fund overseas tourism activities, research not justified to be conducted, and other expenditures that offered little to no value to American citizens.
The challenges faced by young adults in terms of economy can be better understood if one were to examine the data offered by the United States Department of the Treasury. The data offered by the Treasury Department allows for comparisons to be made between young adults and their parents' generation. According to these data, young adults' wages have remained virtually stagnant after adjustments for inflation. At the same time, costs for essential commodities have escalated considerably. One area where young adults undoubtedly encounter serious challenges is in regards to housing. The cost of housing has nearly doubled since the early 1990s. The reality of renting housing is becoming even more challenging for young adults. The possibility of owning property is becoming less feasible for young adults. Healthcare costs form another area where serious challenges have been created for young adults. Many young adults suffer either from inadequate medical insurance or from high deductibles and payments to be made out of pocket. The cost of childcare has also gone up. The Treasury document also points out that this generation of young adults carries significantly more debt than past ones have. One of the sources of such debt stems from student loans. The average young adult starts their life off with student loan burdens of tens of thousands of dollars. The payment cycle for these loans lasts for several decades. Young adults have to deal not only with these student loan issues but also have to make payments regarding credit card bills and automobile loans. A lack of earnings increases and increased costs make it necessary for young adults to borrow money instead of it being their free will. A cycle of increased borrowings hampers their development of saving and makes it difficult to make decisions about their lives. All these issues cause dissatisfaction about how the government fails to control their economy to favor young adults.
Findings from public opinion research prove that there is truth to the assertion that trust in the government is decreasing. According to data from Pew Research Center, most Americans say that the federal government is wasteful and inefficient and always makes things worse instead of better. The numbers hold even greater consequences for young Americans. Pew research suggests that sixty-two percent of Americans aged eighteen to twenty-nine do not think their government can solve big problems.
The loss of trust among these young Americans stems from increased expenses coupled with financial instability as well as dissatisfaction with their perceived lack of attention from their government. The strong feeling of being overlooked pervades American politics. The situation is also brought out by surveys conducted by AP NORC in highlighting the disparity between what the government spends and what the public demands. The results of these surveys indicate that two thirds of all Americans feel as if the government overspends in areas which do not necessarily have any meaning to the public. It also shows that several members of society do not feel as if major areas such as Social Security and public education receive enough allocations. The feeling of not seeing results from public expenditure results in loss of trust. The situation would be even worse for young adults who find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Inefficiency in government also impacts the future of the federal employee population. According to Federal News Network, just fifteen percent of adults under thirty-four trust the federal government. Clearly, this creates major issues for federal hiring. Many young adults do not choose to be federal employees because they do not trust the government to be modern and motivated to make changes. In fact, several young interviewees reported that if federal organizations modernized their systems and created modernistic work cultures, they would be very interested in federal jobs. Otherwise, the federal government faces issues replacing their aging workers who choose to retire.
The financial struggles experienced by young adults have not only impacted their pocketbooks but have also gone on to affect their emotional and mental health. According to the Treasury document, there have been increased numbers of young adults experiencing levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation compared to past cohorts. Financial struggles have been identified as one of the key areas contributing to this situation. Many young adults feeling as if they do not have the ability to fulfill their life goals of things such as acquiring their first home, raising families, and planning for their retirement can have serious emotional consequences. The document also identifies increased death rates from external sources such as drug overdoses. Such forces also come into play in decisions related to marriage and family as well as long-term planning. Many young people have postponed marriage and child-bearing since they do not have enough financial security to provide for their dependents. The cost of housing, college loans, and child care make such decisions even harder. According to data from the Treasury, rates of marriage and births among young people are lower compared to past generations. Some young people choose to live with their parents since it is not financially viable to live alone. Such developments have far-reaching effects for society and the economy and express society's dissatisfaction with government response to such challenges.
To effectively deal with government wastage, it is necessary to have both short-term and long-term strategies. To start with in the short-term strategies, there must be greater transparency. The government must make available reports to aid in understanding how taxpayer money is spent and if it's effectively spent in federal programs. The first step towards greater accountability begins with transparency. The other area to improve in the short-term measures regards greater oversight of high-risk areas. The GAO had identified areas to be concerned about; Congress must demand greater improvement plans. In case there's little improvement, it's time to reassess how money is allocated. Changes in these areas require long-term solutions. The national budget must be reorganized to focus on services for young Americans. Budget allocations related to housing assistance, job training, educational aid, and medical services would provide new opportunities in these areas. Increased apprenticeships and technical education would allow young workers to gain skills to start sound careers. The government must reform its own agencies to streamline their processes. Ineffective technological developments result in limited advancements and reduced efficiency. Overhauling ineffective technological systems and decreasing inefficient paper work would help improve agency efficiency. The Cato Institute suggests better performance rewards would improve agency efficiency as well.
The restoration of trust between the government and young Americans will require time; but if changes start to be implemented by the government immediately, young adults can look forward to brighter days characterized by fairness and confidence in their national leaders. Young adults have financial issues that their predecessors did not have to deal with. The increased cost of living coupled with increased wages and high debts makes it difficult for them to make their way in life. Unnecessary government expenditure makes it even worse for these young adults. All these issues can be remedied by implementing transparency and modern systems in all government transactions to ensure that what amounts to wastage is reduced to zero.
