Reform From Within
I find the speculation on potential GOP presidential nominees disheartening. The discussions have been thoughtful and passionate, but supporters characterize a given contender as an antidote to a disease, a savior to the masses. Conservatives/Republicans sound like liberals/Democrats during the 2008 campaign. They seem to say, "Isn't there someone who can save us?! Where is our champion?!" How easily we forget that the president is just a person, albeit a powerful person. But we cede too much of our own power when we look to some parental-figure to come to our rescue. It's not a president, senator or congressman that is going to fix the fiscal problems facing our nation. It's us.
I heard about a senior executive within the government who recently took the opportunity to tell a bunch of career assistant secretaries how screwed up their agency was. This executive was not a career bureaucrat. A Marine platoon sergeant in Vietnam, he went to college on the GI Bill. Now a self-made millionaire, he saw an opportunity to address major problems within the public sector by accepting a job as a federal employee.
I wonder if these millionaires who have aspirations to run for president, despite never having holding public office, would step away from their podiums and adoring fans to mix it up with career bureaucrats. A futile effort? Not if we had a few senior executives like Herman Cain or Donald Trump. Or, what if Newt Gingrich, after leaving Congress, had worked in the federal sector, instead of as a lobbyist? But fat paychecks and the spotlight are tempting. How far our candidates are from the example set by our first president as a humble servant and dutiful Soldier, the "Cincinnatus of the West."
I understand that unfamiliarity with the federal sector would lead people to believe that the only way to fix things is to put their political party in power, but there's more than one way to skin a cat. One way is to reform from within. Imagine the federal sector overwhelmed by free market conservatives who possess critical skills gained in private industries. They'd agree to work for a few years, a time commitment similar to the one our service members make to our military. They'd reduce waste and fraud, improve efficiency, reduce the federal workforce, expand privatization and reduce taxpayer expense. Our country is in dire straights, and the call to rescue her is not some Herculean task for one man (or woman). It is a call for each of us to use the skills we have to bring about reform. For some of us, I know that calling is within the federal government.
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Comments :
May '11
Re: Reform From Within
I totally agree about the "father figure" thing.. Too much power is already concentrated in the executive branch.
But isn't counting on a "good" president somewhat akin to counting on "good" federal employees to save us? The great thing about free markets is that even nasty people can contribute to society just by pursuing their own self-interest (within a framework of enforced private property rights).
Apr '11
Re: Reform From Within
How easily we forget that the president is just a person, albeit a powerful person. But we cede too much of our own power when we look to some parental-figure to come to our rescue. It's not a president, senator or congressman that is going to fix the fiscal problems facing our nation. It's us.
I don't think conservatives seek a savior for our own lives. Rather, we're in a desperate fight to preserve our right to be left alone to solve our own problems. Unless we take back the presidency we will no longer have that luxury. Lets not forget that Obama is just one court pick away from the effective nullification of the Constitution. The stakes are stunningly high.
As far as the bureaucracy goes, I'd rather keep our great minds in the private sector innovating and creating jobs then see their talents wasted in Washington. Ideally we would elect a president who can simply scrap bloated agencies, or a congress willing to defund them.
Apr '11
Re: Reform From Within
A great quote which I believe came from someone on the podcast:
"The president is not this sort of spiritual or moral leader for America. He is simply the chief administrator for the executive branch of our government."
Mar '11
Re: Reform From Within
In my experience, the institutional federal bureaucracy is largely impervious to change from within. Civil Service rules and regulations, multiple appeal and grievance channels, absurdly complex and disruptive reduction-in-force procedures, employee tenure, and (often on top of it all) collective bargaining contracts all militate against change, even change proposed by a free market agency head. This is not really the fault of federal employees, many of whom try to do the best job they can within the insane system that they have been given. But it's a rare federal senior executive, manager or supervisor who will devote lots of energy trying to reform a system that is effectively controlled from outside his or her agency.
Nov '10
Re: Reform From Within
I share the concern about the federal bureaucracy, but what is very worrisome to me is the ability and the intention of the Democrats/Leftists to implant their adherents in positions in the civil service from which they can "regulate" us into submission.
The great evil genie, I think, is the "delegation" idea that has become endemic ("epidemic" ?) in Congress and in the courts to the effect that power can be delegated to the executive branches and exercised via regulations published by the bureaucracy.
I think that NO regulation ought to become effective unless and until it subsequently is approved by a vote of both houses of Congress and that we ought to adopt a Constitutional Amendment to that effect. The delay and exposure would be unequivocally beneficial.
Apr '11
Re: Reform From Within
From your mouth to God's ears...
Sep '10
Re: Reform From Within
Most people just don't want another Dole/McCain.
I have a vision of Romney as the nominee, on the campaign trail, flipping, flopping, and flailing in an attempt to explain why he doesn't support the Ryan plan to reform Medicare. Please, someone, tell me I am wrong to expect this.
May '10
Re: Reform From Within
There's what the Presidency should be and then there's what it actually is.
We need the Presidency to undo the Presidency as a pivotal force.
Aug '10
Re: Reform From Within
I sympathize, Karen, and wish it were true that we didn't need leaders, but we do. It's a chess game, and their pieces are overwhelming our pieces. There's no time left to cultivate an 'underground'. I've been working on that since the '60's. Ain't gonna happen. To avert the imminent catastrophe we have to have a Reaganesque leader, now. We may not get one. The catastrophe may well come before anyone has time to correct the course of events.
It's extremely important that the American people see that Democrat 'progressives' are to blame. In that sense a Republican victory may be a negative, as they could be blamed if a collapse happens on their watch.
In the long run, yes, you're right. Like early Christians in the Roman Empire, we'll eventually win. Nature and the accountant's ledger book - which has no agenda - are on our side.
Jul '10
Re: Reform From Within
I don't think people are looking for a savior as much as they are looking for someone who means what they say.
We've alread experienced the first level of Betrayal from Boehner. I defy anyone to find one mention of the words 'Pro Rated' in the campaign promise to Cut 100 billion from the Federal Budget This Year. Not gonna find it.
So what did they do?
They played Go Fish against a team playing High Stakes Poker. First things first. Anyone with a modicum of sense would have known that the democrats were going to resist any and all cuts to the budget. Therfore Boehner should have known that he was going to have to propose MORE than he was going to get. But NOooooo. They went with a pro rata 61 billion and came out with 38 billion both of which are not 100 billion.
We're headed South and we need to head North. Changing course to South South East isn't going to cut it. We need someone willing to turn things around. For Real! Not Blue Smoke and Mirrors.
The need to fix entitlements is Mathematics, not ideology.
We Need Someone REAL!
Jul '10
Re: Reform From Within
I don't think people are looking for a savior as much as they are looking for someone who means what they say.
We've alread experienced the first level of Betrayal from Boehner. I defy anyone to find one mention of the words 'Pro Rated' in the campaign promise to Cut 100 billion from the Federal Budget This Year. Not gonna find it.
So what did they do?
They played Go Fish against a team playing High Stakes Poker. First things first. Anyone with a modicum of sense would have known that the democrats were going to resist any and all cuts to the budget. Therfore Boehner should have known that he was going to have to propose MORE than he was going to get. But NOooooo. They went with a pro rata 61 billion and came out with 38 billion both of which are not 100 billion.
We're headed South and we need to head North. Changing course to South South East isn't going to cut it. We need someone willing to turn things around. For Real! Not Blue Smoke and Mirrors.
The need to fix entitlements is Mathematics, not ideology.
We Need Someone REAL!
May '10
Re: Reform From Within
Exactly! All the more reason to recruit more executives from the private sector. I'm not speaking of only the heads of agencies, most of which are political appointees, but of senior executives as well. I'm not sure what your experience is, but in recent years, some organizations have improved efficiencies through competent executives with private industry experience. They've done this through collaboration with different related organizations. I'm unwilling to just throw my hands up and say, "the federal bureaucracy is hopeless," when there has been measurable improvement and the capacity for more progress, if people are willing to open themselves up to the possibility.
May '10
Re: Reform From Within
Jaydee_007: I don't think people are looking for a savior as much as they are looking for someone who means what they say.
The need to fix entitlements is Mathematics, not ideology.
We Need Someone REAL! · May 28 at 12:56am
I think you might be overly optimistic if you think you'll find genuine authenticity in any politician. Honesty goes against their very nature, at least that of a successful one. That's not to denigrate them, but when you have a large and diverse constituency, you have to make compromises to accommodate voters if you want to stay in office. That's why I'm not betting on a politician(s) to rescue us from our fiscal problems. I'm confident that there are enough patriotic Americans that would volunteer their time and expertise to improve a wasteful and inefficient system.
May '10
Re: Reform From Within
Courtney: I totally agree about the "father figure" thing.. Too much power is already concentrated in the executive branch.
But isn't counting on a "good" president somewhat akin to counting on "good" federal employees to save us? The great thing about free markets is that even nasty people can contribute to society just by pursuing their own self-interest (within a framework of enforced private property rights). · May 27 at 12:58am
Encouraging more pro-free market people to commit time to working in the federal sector would encourage more free market solutions (i.e. privatizing services currently managed by federal organizations). Proposals like Ryan's Medicare reform plan is a prime example. But where his conservative political arguments might falter, as in the Democrats effective Mediscare campaign against it, implementing smaller, yet numerous strategies to transfer more responsibilities to the private sector is still supporting conservative principles. This could be done without the media brouhaha. Liberals have been doing to the federal employee sector what they've been doing to the education system and unions - infiltrating and manipulating them to their will. My suggestion is another way to retaliate against the Left, besides just through the voting booth.
Mar '11
Re: Reform From Within
Karen
Exactly! All the more reason to recruit more executives from the private sector. I'm not speaking of only the heads of agencies, most of which are political appointees, but of senior executives as well. I'm not sure what your experience is, but in recent years, some organizations have improved efficiencies through competent executives with private industry experience. They've done this through collaboration with different related organizations. I'm unwilling to just throw my hands up and say, "the federal bureaucracy is hopeless," when there has been measurable improvement and the capacity for more progress, if people are willing to open themselves up to the possibility. · May 28 at 8:57am
I wish you well, Karen. But I've seen too many bright and shiny private sector management initiatives sink without a trace when applied to the federal bureaucracy and it's inflexible personnel system. I think the root problem is that it takes almost super-human effort simply to fire a nonproductive employee under the federal system. Until that's fixed by Congress, then I fear nothing will change.