Federal management styles | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Jim Bispo's column appears in the Beaufort Observer.

    Times change. Things change. In the old days government employees who violated their trust got fired. No "ifs", "ands", or "buts". Fired!

    Today, apparently government employees don't get fired. They get placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation. A lot of long suffering taxpayers surely think that people can be and are actually fired. They are wrong!!

    After all, didn't the State Department recently announce the "removal" of several employees. That's what they said. Unfortunately, it seems that almost everything anyone in the anointed One's Administration says needs to be carefully parsed. In this case they said several folks had been removed from their position. What they failed to tell us was that they were placed on "administrative leave" (i.e. leave with pay). After being on paid administrative leave for six months or so, they were brought back to work and placed in other (different) positions than those from which they were "removed". They were not fired for their transgressions, they were reassigned. And even at that, they didn't lose a bit of pay in the half year (or so) that they were on "leave".. We didn't even hear if any of the folks who were removed from their positions were placed into lower paying positions when they were returned to duty.

    And how about the IRS?? Somebody clearly violated clearly stated Agency Policy (if not the law) when they transmitted some taxpayer personal information (via an unauthorized personal e-mail account) to an "outside" organization. And how about requesting all manner of uncalled for information from all those applicants with conservative sounding names,. At least two "sins here: one using the personal e-mail account for government business and, two divulging personal taxpayer information to otherwise unauthorized people. I would think, hope, and expect that there is nothing more sacrosanct at the IRS than personal taxpayer information. And yet, reportedly they asked for all the personal types of information from the conservative organizations may not have been illegal, but it sure left a lot to be desired from an ethical standpoint.

    And then there is the VA. Like all other organizations, the VA is made up of "workers" and "watchers". As their names imply, the workers "work" (i.e. do the jobs for which the organization was established) and the watchers "watch" (need I say more?). I have not heard anything that leads me to believe that the "workers" (i.e. the physicians, nurses, orderlies and other folks who actually performed the VA's work) were guilty of "cooking the appointment books". It sounds more like it was the "watchers" who cooked up the scheduling scams (perhaps in order to realize the goals thrust upon them by the Headquarters and thereby earn a bonus at year end - or whenever.)

    It would seem that the Anointed One has not even tried to explain away the situation with what Thomas Sowell generously calls "plausible lies". What we have gotten is what seemed to be feigned outrage and promises of "fixes" and accountability for all who "crosses the line". It never fails to amaze me what great sounding things we hear coming out of the mouth of the Anointed One as he reads his speeches off the Teleprompters. The things he says often sound as though he has come to his senses and is really beginning to care about the folks. Unfortunately, that's where all the good sounding stuff normally ends. He seems to be able to read all those good things off his Teleprompters but doesn't seem to have any idea as to how to go about making them come true (assuming he believed them to begin with - which would not likely be a very good bet).

    In the olden days federal employees did get fired for violating their trust. I am reminded of a time in 1981 when the Air Traffic Controllers' Union (PATCO) were so sure that they were going to be able to extract higher wages and what they called "improved working conditions" from the recently elected administration. They called for, and actually went on strike against the government. On Aug. 3, 1981 they walked off the job just as they had been threatening to do for months. Up to that time, every time the union "rattled the cage" (sponsored a "sickout" or otherwise poked their finger into the American taxpayer's eye), the FAA "gave in" and conceded whatever they wanted - so they were used to winning. In 1981 we had a new President who was not about to cave. When PATCO led their troops out on strike on Aug.3,1981, the new Prez ordered the illegally striking controllers ( see 5 U.S.C. (Supp. III 1956) 118p) back to work. He warned that any who did not promptly return would be fired.. About 11,300 did not heed the warning and they were summarily terminated on Aug. 5,1981. And they stayed fired!! No administrative leave with pay. No reassignments. Nothing but a "pink slip". And that was that. The FAA scrambled for a time to keep the nations Airspace operating safely and efficiently and they succeeded.

    Unfortunately that was a long time ago.

    We had a President who didn't find out about the strike by reading about it in the Washington Post; a President who didn't need an "investigation" to know what happened; a President who had a spine; a President who knew exactly what needed to be done and did it. Ronald Reagan (RIP) was his name. Would that we had a President now with even half the gumption.

    D'ya Think??