Thinking about something else I remembered—being older than you—that for the International Geophysical Year we were developing the VANGUARD space launch system. Its series of failures led to the proposal to renamed it Civil Service. I heard this, as a teenager, from a Civil Servant. The idea being you couldn’t fire it, you couldn’t make it work. I say this in all due respect. The Civil Servant was my Father. My two Brothers were Civil Servants. My three children have all been Civil Servants at one point and one still is. He claims he gets more done working from home than when in the office.
Totally agree with your perspective. And...like others, I learned more than I knew about how government service came to be. I've been mentored and inspired by countless civil servants in my career and value their years of experience and expertise. Unfortunately, I've also encountered many who have "tenure" in the Government Service system. Despite their lack of work ethic, proficiency or dedication, it was almost impossible to have them removed. Also unfortunately, too many supervisors just moved these non-performers to other positions to become someone else's headache and sometimes through a promotion action. These are the same individuals who knew the system and would file a grievance at the drop of a hat knowing that the long process to fully adjudicate the grievance would probably last longer than the supervisor they filed against. It was frustrating. But the great ones stand out and make our organizations better!
All this time I thought the Assassin had been seeking a job in Customs, in New York. I am now better informed.
You mention Congress and the President making laws and regulations, but I had come to believe many of the rules we live under are given to us by the bureaucrats. Yes, they are the experts, but we are a democracy and even if wrong, our desires should be reflected. It is like H L Mencken said…
Thanks for this history lesson and clear justification for a civil service. A clear outcome from what you describe is a disincentive for any who have other options to work in the federal government in the future, which will negatively impact the critical services the federal government provides for years. As suggested in your column, a partisan workforce also opens up opportunities for misuse of positions and creates potential for fraud and abuse. I also like the way you clarified the role of Congress in determining and authorizing the functions performed by federal employees. A lot of people (in the current administration, the media, and the public) seem confused (or have forgotten) that part of our governing process.
Thinking about something else I remembered—being older than you—that for the International Geophysical Year we were developing the VANGUARD space launch system. Its series of failures led to the proposal to renamed it Civil Service. I heard this, as a teenager, from a Civil Servant. The idea being you couldn’t fire it, you couldn’t make it work. I say this in all due respect. The Civil Servant was my Father. My two Brothers were Civil Servants. My three children have all been Civil Servants at one point and one still is. He claims he gets more done working from home than when in the office.
Cheers — Cliff
Totally agree with your perspective. And...like others, I learned more than I knew about how government service came to be. I've been mentored and inspired by countless civil servants in my career and value their years of experience and expertise. Unfortunately, I've also encountered many who have "tenure" in the Government Service system. Despite their lack of work ethic, proficiency or dedication, it was almost impossible to have them removed. Also unfortunately, too many supervisors just moved these non-performers to other positions to become someone else's headache and sometimes through a promotion action. These are the same individuals who knew the system and would file a grievance at the drop of a hat knowing that the long process to fully adjudicate the grievance would probably last longer than the supervisor they filed against. It was frustrating. But the great ones stand out and make our organizations better!
All this time I thought the Assassin had been seeking a job in Customs, in New York. I am now better informed.
You mention Congress and the President making laws and regulations, but I had come to believe many of the rules we live under are given to us by the bureaucrats. Yes, they are the experts, but we are a democracy and even if wrong, our desires should be reflected. It is like H L Mencken said…
Regards — Cliff
Thanks for this history lesson and clear justification for a civil service. A clear outcome from what you describe is a disincentive for any who have other options to work in the federal government in the future, which will negatively impact the critical services the federal government provides for years. As suggested in your column, a partisan workforce also opens up opportunities for misuse of positions and creates potential for fraud and abuse. I also like the way you clarified the role of Congress in determining and authorizing the functions performed by federal employees. A lot of people (in the current administration, the media, and the public) seem confused (or have forgotten) that part of our governing process.