We Were Auditors Once, and .... (Part 5)

We were auditors once, and contractors were seldom excited to see us coming. We understood the feeling. There was always the chance that after we left, contractors would be a little poorer. Our jobs were to make sure that the dollars being transferred from taxpayers to contractor bank accounts were proper. We got called a lot of things and maintained an aloofness rooted in trying to maintain independence in fact and in appearance. We brought some disdain upon ourselves when we had t-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with the phrase: "In God We Trust, All Others We Audit".

Its a myth however that auditors dislike contractors. Contrary to appearances, we really liked 99.99 percent of the contractor personnel we dealt with. Under different circumstances, we might be playing golf, attending family birthday parties, or enjoying a dinner on the town together. But it wasn't to be. Independence trumped friendship, as it should have. We admired and respected the people who took some risks, started companies, filled needs, created jobs, and hopefully at the end of the day, made a buck or two.While we were neither advocates nor champions for their causes, we always wished them the best.