Comment Number: OL-10507352
Received: 3/14/2005 10:27:54 AM
Subject: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment
Title: National Security Personnel System
CFR Citation: 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901
No Attachments

Comments:

I have been associated with the Federal government for over 33 years. As a manager and hiring official I am acutely aware of the weaknesses in the present civil service system, which is very much a compromise system. However, by learning its processes, I have been able to hire those employees whom I considered to be best qualified, have been able to reward those who deserved it (albeit not always as much as I wanted to) and have fired those who were not productive (not as quickly as I might have desired but eventually). It isn't a perfect system, but it works. I have observed that those most critical of the present system either never took the time to learn it or were political appointees, who never had the opportunity to master it. Consequently, either category became frustrated with it and vociferously called for change. In many ways the "old system" is the antithesis of popular management philosophy, which is to impose a profit/loss mentality to the business of government, which is a public service enterprise. Hiring and firing, at will, for short term, and often short-sighted goals, is "in." Looking at anything beyond the immediate "profit or loss" is passe. For those who simply pass through government jobs and use them as resume builders, long-term solutions have no appeal. For those left to live with them, short-term solutions often have disasterous long-term consequences. To the extent the new system plays into short-term (short-sighted) approach to government (which I believe it does), I am opposed to it on philosophical grounds. I have additional concerns that the new system will breed cronyism and toadies rather than professionals who have the courage to dissent. 9-11 was a most unfortunate and tragic day for America, but its utilization to "transform" government systems in short-sighted ways, may prove to be even more tragic. I have no confidence that the new system will be a vast improvement over the old or that it is some panacea to what ails government. I do see vast opportunites to use the new system to quash dissenters and those who "dare" not to go along with whichever set of political appointees is in power. The "old" system muted some of the abuses and kept knee-jerk reactions in reasonable check. I suspect, with the change of the next administration, the abuses will have begun to surface and there will be a whole new cadre of critics of what is wrong with the "new" system. At the end of the day, the success of government will depend on the dedication and morale of the work force. I'm afraid I find nothing in the proposals that is going to have a long-term positive impact on morale or dedication.