Who is Saying This?

For John, BLUF:  We need to be careful of the sources of ideas.  The idea is the thing, but we should also judge the source.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

We have run federal agencies. Here’s what the civil service needs.

Here is the sub-headline:

Career civil servants must be able to speak truth to power.  But they must also be held accountable.

From The Washington Post, by Mike Hayden, James Loy, J. Michael “Mike” McConnell, John Negroponte and Sean O’Keefe, 18 June 2024 at 6:15 a.m. EDT.

Here is the quick background on the Opinion Piece Authors:

Mike Hayden was director of the CIA from 2006 to 2009 and of the National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005. James Loy was deputy secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005 and commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1998 to 2002. J. Michael “Mike” McConnell was director of national intelligence from 2007 to 2009 and of the NSA from 1992 to 1996. John Negroponte was deputy secretary of state from 2007 to 2009 and director of national intelligence from 2005 to 2007. Sean O’Keefe was NASA administrator from 2001 to 2005 and secretary of the Navy from 1992 to 1993.

Here is the lede plus three:

Frustrated by what he saw as an entrenched bureaucracy resistant to his policies, Donald Trump as president attempted to remove most of the protections afforded federal civil servants so he could replace them with policy proponents and loyalists. Although his efforts were promptly rescinded by newly elected President Biden, Trump has announced that he would try again if reelected.

We think there is some merit in both points of view. However, as members of a bipartisan group of former national and homeland security, diplomatic, intelligence and law enforcement officials who have served both Democratic and Republican presidents, we think there is a “third way” that preserves all that is right with our civil service but also addresses what almost everyone agrees is wrong with it.

Our experience has shown us that career civil servants are a priceless resource who must be preserved and protected from partisan political influence. Their ability to “speak truth to power” (including to officials like us) without fear of losing their jobs was and is critical — so using political ideology as a litmus test in their appointment or retention, no matter how well-intentioned that might be, presents a dangerous risk to our national security.

However, these employees must also be held accountable for doing their jobs well. As a practical matter, the few bad actors among them are overprotected under the existing system. It is just too hard to ensure that they can be terminated when they fail to meet reasonable standards of performance or conduct — for example, for refusing a direct, lawful order.

Did anyone notice the name at the head of the author list?  Mike Hayden.  There was a time, in the 80s, when I thought he was the epitome of the competent professional.♠  In fact, when my wife and I took a short story writing class at UMass Lowell from Author David Daniels, I used young Mike Hayden as the model for the hero of one of my stories.  Then he became one of the infamous 51, who, at the urging of now Secretary of State Antony Blinken, signed a letter that shaded the truth to influence the 2020 Election.  [DA Alvin Bragg, where are you, or are you just another political hack?]♥ 

In full disclosure, my Father, my two Brothers and my three Children have all been part of the Civill Service.  I am proud of the work each of them has done.  On the other hand, I know who Ms Darleen Druyun is.  Sharp as a tack, bossy and corrupt.  She is the bad side of the Civil Service.  Most are not like that.  Most are people trying to do their job and do it well.  So, we should read the article and consider the points made, but we should keep in mind that at least one of the authors acted to subvert a Presidental Election in 2020.♦ 

We should also keep in mind that one of Former President Trump's complaints against the Permanent Civil Service was the willingness of senior appointees to use their positons and powers to frustrate the reforms he was trying to implement.♣  It should be part of the Civil Service ethos tthat the President was elected by the People to bring, in some cases, change to government.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  He worked for Brigadier General Leonard H. Perroots, a consumate profession, then serving as the Chief of Intelligence for US Air Forces in Europe.
♥  Whispers to readers, "Political Hack."
♦  The Laptop from Hell.
♣  This is someties known as the Deep State.  The Deep State is believed to have epic powers.  British Prime Minister Liz Truss believes she was forced from office by the British Deep State.  I saw the Turkish Deep State approve a new Prime Minister, when the Chief of the Turkish General Staff payed a courtsey call on Ms Tansu Çiller, giving a nod of approval for her appontment as Prime Minister.

Quick Response

For John, BLUF:  Sometimes we are cranky over the responsiveness of our City Employees, but here is a very positive example of good service.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Within two hours of my publishing my Blog Post "Protecting Elections From Bad Data", last evening, noting that the City's Web Site needed to be update as to the members of the Election Commission, I had an EMail from Mirán Fernandez, Chief Information Officer.  He pointed out that it was the responsibility of the various department heads to update their individual web pages.

I think this speaks well for the employees of our fair City, and their responsiveness (under two hours, on a Saturday evening).

Regards  —  Cliff

Pendleton Passé?

For John, BLUF:  Just another reason why folks are open to another Trump term.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

FAKE NEWS

From Instapundit, by Law Professor Gail Heriot.

Here is the post:

:Before the Commission on Civil Rights releases a report, we try to agree on findings and recommendations.  It’s hard.  But for our report on Anti-Asian Racism, the Commission was able to muster a majority in favor of a limited number of recommendations.  That’s progress–at least for those who like to see a little bipartisanship now and then.  Unfortunately, it hasn’t done us a bit of good.  The Commission’s staff recently issued an “infographic” on the report that lists “Key Recommendations for Action.”  But with one exception, they’re not the recommendations the Commission actually agreed to.  We figured in that it was a mistake of some sort.  But no.  When four Commissioner informed the Staff Director of the problem, we expected he’d fix it quickly.  But he has declined to do so.

The bureaucracy is out of control.

This makes one wonder if The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, from 1883 was a mistake.  The Act, from back when Chester A Author was President. was designed to end the turmoil of the spoils system.  This was strengthened by the 1939 Hatch Act, which was wsritten to kep the Civil Service out of political activity.

During the 2020 election cycle, Federal Executive employees gave $37,368,311 ($27,141,594 to Democrats vs $9,026,820 to Republicans)(72.63% to Democrats and 24.15% to Republicans).

Perhaps we should go back to thee Spoils System, so Republicans, when they gain office, can have a bureaucracy that will support them in executing their program.

Having saiod thsat, I never sensed that my Father, a Civil Service, ever pursued a "politial agenda", nor did either of my two Brothers in the Fedeersl Civil Service.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Trump Taxes Disclosed

For John, BLUF:  I guess, if the data of the President is not secure, my data is not secure.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

TRUMP'S TAXES SHOW CHRONIC LOSSES AND YEARS OF TAX AVOIDANCE

Here is the sub-headline:

Records Obtained by The Times After Years of Secrecy

Source is The New York Times, 28 September 2020.

It is all behind a paywall.  How many paywalls can a middle class person afford?  I have to prioritize, Lowell, Boston, WSJ.  The Old Gray Lady is not one of them.  That said, one of my Brothers sends me select article, to needle me.

How did their Lordships at The Times obtain this data?  Are public officials vulnerable to having their private data released by Civil Servants who lack integrity?  Is this the flip side of the actions of Ms Lois Lerner?

The good news out of this is that apparently there is no evidence of President Trump being linked to Russians in nefarious ways.

I guess there are no concerns about how former Vice President Biden made his millions on the salary of an elected official.  Speaking fees?

Regards  —  Cliff

Shaping the Narrative

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats, as a whole, seem a very embittered lot, unwilling to let go of the past and move into the future, where, if they release their bitterness, they can win again.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

REPORT:  Mueller Hid Evidence Exonerating Don Jr. Over Infamous Trump Tower Meeting

From PJ Media, by Mr Matt Margolis, 3 April 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

Despite the fact that the Mueller report proved there was no collusion between Donald Trump and the Russians during the 2016 campaign, Democrats were convinced that there was more evidence out there, perhaps in the tiny fraction of the report that was redacted for national security reasons, that proved Trump actually did collude with the Russians.

It turns out that the most interesting things about Mueller's investigation were not what was redacted from the report, but what wasn't included in the first place.  According to investigative reporter John Solomon, Bob Mueller hid evidence exonerating Donald Trump Jr. over the infamous Trump Tower meeting, during which Democrats were convinced he had met with a Russian lawyer to discuss dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Another reason to not trust the Feds.  But, at a deeper level, was it Mr Mueller who hid the information or was it one of the Federal Attorneys working for him.

Did the people from Mr Mueller's Investigation think that their bad deeds would never come out?  That Democrats would cover for them for ever, or at least long enough?  This is very disappointing for someone who believes in the integrity of the permanent Civil Service.  If there is not integrity in Government, then we revert to the spoils system and should just abolish the Civil Service and replace it with the friends and sycophants of the incoming President.

A political cartoon in Harper's Weekly of 28 April 1877, by Cartoonist Thomas Nast.  It is President Andrew Jackson riding a pig, which is walking over "fraud", "bribery", and "spoils", and consuming "plunder".

Never talk to the Feds without an Attorney and a tape recorder.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Recognizing the Swamp

For John, BLUF:  This topic seems like it was based upon some Republican master plan.  Sort of like how Republicans view Democrats and Media people and their talking points.  While it may be a Republican "Talking Point" it also seems to conform to what we are seeing ongoing, like former FBI Acting Director McCabe getting a pass after lying, but LTG Flynn and Mr Roger Stone getting a lot of time recommended, and being bankrupted by the process.  It looks bad and it smells bad.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

President Trump Starts to Drain the Swamp, Yanks Liu

From PJ Media, by Correspondent J Christian Adams, 14 February 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

This was the week that President Trump really started to drain the swamp.  It came when he yanked the nomination of Jessie Liu to a Treasury Department post.  The decision was all Trump’s, and occurred after Trump learned details about what was going on when she was United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Though Trump was most aggravated with Liu not clamping down on the outrageous sentencing recommendations of her staff in the Roger Stone case, there was a long list of other concerns that made it clear to the President the extent of ideological weaponization across the Justice Department.

Let’s start with Roger Stone for now.

Liu’s so-called “career prosecutors” devised a sentencing recommendation of nine years in prison for behavior that became commonplace anytime former Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before Congress under oath.

Lest we forget, Holder was found in criminal contempt of Congress in a bipartisan 255-67 vote.  Back then, most House Democrats didn’t find contempt of Congress to be an impeachable offense.  Don't forget, House Democrats marched off the floor during the Holder contempt vote.

This nicely illustrates the central theme that has animated Trump’s impeachment, Justice Department investigations of Trump, Liu’s yank, and the entire political saga of the last three years.

Justice is no longer blind.  Investigations, charges, and even prison terms depend on the ideological views of the targets.

I am sure Ms Jessie Liu is a competent leader, but I can see how the President may have lost some confidence in the impartiality of the Civil Service.  I am not sure he can get it back.  Or if the next Democratic Party President will feel fully confident in the professional advice he or she receives from the non-political staff.

.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sally Yates Fails the Ethics Test

For John, BLUF:  Acting Attorney General Sally Yates failed the ethics test, but so are a bunch of others, including presumable dedicated neutral Civil Servants.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Whistleblowers and the Real Deep State

Here is the sub-headline:

Civil servants too often forget they work for the people and seek to impose their own policy agendas.

From The Wall Street Journal, by Reporter Kimberley A. Strassel, 11 October 2019.

Probably behind a paywall.

Here is the lede plus four:

House Democrats are plowing ahead with an impeachment effort inspired by accusations from an anonymous “whistleblower.”  The lawmakers may allow the witness to testify anonymously, sources who themselves remained anonymous told the Washington Post this week.  It’s as if the whole effort is designed to confirm President Trump’s complaint that the “deep state” is determined to sabotage his presidency.

By “deep state,” Mr. Trump seems to mean any current or former federal employee who works to undermine him.  I find that definition too broad, and it misses an important distinction.  Officials like James Comey and John Brennan, respectively former directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, were appointed by politicians and are subject to some public scrutiny and political accountability.

The “deep state”—if we are to use the term—is better defined as consisting of career civil servants, who have growing power in the administrative state but work in the shadows.  As government grows, so do the challenges of supervising a bureaucracy swelling in both size and power.  Emboldened by employment rules that make it all but impossible to fire career employees, this internal civil “resistance” has proved willing to take ever more outrageous actions against the president and his policies, using the tools of both traditional and social media.

Government-employed resisters received a call to action within weeks of the new administration.  Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates became acting attorney general on Mr. Trump’s inauguration and Loretta Lynch’s resignation.  A week later, the president signed an executive order restricting travel from seven Middle Eastern and African countries.  Ms. Yates instructed Justice Department lawyers not to defend the order in court on the grounds that she was not convinced it was “consistent” with the department’s “responsibilities” or even “lawful.”  She decreed:  “For as long as I am Acting Attorney General, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the Executive Order.”

Mr. Trump fired her that day, but he shouldn’t have had to.  Her obligation was to defend the executive order, or to resign if she felt she couldn’t.  Nobody elected Sally Yates.

Every subordinate owes his or her boss a "But, sir".  However, after that "But, sir" one is obligated to execute or resign.  To stick around and sabotage some project of the boss is not just unethical, it is destructive of the idea of our form of Government.  It returns us to 1880, to the time before the Pendelton Act and a professional Civil Service, in the wake of the assassination of President James A Garfield.

But, the neutrality of the Civil Service was questioned before the Administration of President Trump.  There was the IRS and Ms Lois Lerner, working against the Tea Parties, and other groups, including those oriented toward Democratic Party themes, by denying tax except status in an effort to thwart those political factions.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Apparently You CAN Get Fired From A Federal Job

For John, BLUF:  A sort of underground journalism, doing the jobs credentialed journalists won't.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

DSA Resistance Leader Allison Hrabar 'No Longer an Employee' at DOJ

DSA Is Democratic Socialists of America.

From PJ Media, by Ms Debra Heine, 24 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

The far-left Department of Justice employee who was caught on video saying that she couldn't get fired, apparently got fired.

In an undercover Project Veritas video, resistance leader Allison Hrabar admitted that she does research on the home addresses and license plates of private individuals so she and her socialist comrades can harass the individuals at their homes.

I hate to see someone fired.  On the other hand, I dislike people taking taxpayers' money under false pretenses.  And especially annoying is having folks occupying a desk, subverting the office mission, while denying a possible serious worker a job they would be happy to do, and do well.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Our Government Helping Us

For John, BLUF:  Maybe these folks think that Government is about taking taxpayer resources to allow them to conduct their own brand of political propaganda.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

O'Keefe Video:  DOJ Resources Used by Socialist DOJ Employee to Target GOP

From PJ Media, by Reporter J. Christian Adams, 19 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

The latest video from James O'Keefe's Project Veritas captures a Department of Justice employee admitting that she does research on the home addresses and license plates of private individuals who are then targeted for loud protests at their homes by socialist demonstrators.  Other socialist protesters familiar with the process for discovering home addresses of targets strongly infer that Justice Department LexisNexis accounts are used by a socialist Justice Department employee to identify home address of targets.

The Justice Department employee, Allison Hrabar, organized a loud heckling protest of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen while she ate a private dinner at a D.C. restaurant.  Hrabar was able to locate Nielsen on a Tuesday evening last June.

The question, after the first question♠, is if Socialists are abusing their positions in the US Government, why would we believe the Democrats aren't also?

When asked directly by one of O'Keefe's undercover journalists whether she uses her DOJ LexisNexis account, another comrade of Hrabar's, Natarajan Subramanian, who appears familiar with her activities and works for the Government Accountability Office, says:  "I mean she has used it, she uses it probably on her work computer ... we are all walking a line in a lot of ways."

The Government Accountability Office (GAO)?♥  These are the folks who are supposed to be Congressional Watchdog.  These are the folks who go out and investigate the activities of other Government Employees and Contractors, to ensure there is no fraud and a minimum of incompetence in the execution of federal operations.

If I wasn't me, this would make me very cynical.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The first question is why these folks can't be fired for the abuse of their position in the Civil Service?
♥  Back in the old days this was the Government Accounting Office, after their function of doing accounting.  The US Congress is supposed to be the Government Accountability Office.  That is why they have the power to hold hearings and call witnesses.

President Moves to Reform Civil Service

For John, BLUF:  The change you have been looking for.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Trump Moves to Ease the Firing of Federal Workers

From The Old Gray Lady, by Mr Noam Scheiber, 25 May 2018.

Here is the lede plus two:

Seizing on a longtime ambition of many Republicans, President Trump on Friday overhauled rules affecting at least two million federal workers, making it easier to fire them and rolling back the workplace role of their unions.

Mr. Trump, furthering a goal cited in his State of the Union address this year, signed a series of executive orders affecting disciplinary procedures and contract negotiations and limiting the conduct of union business on government time.

Andrew Bremberg, the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said the president was “fulfilling his promise to promote more efficient government by reforming our Civil Service rules.”

Back when I was in High School the space race was just breaking out and the Soviets were ahead.  President Eisenhower insisted the US shouldn't militarize the space race and thus the US tried to use the Vanguard research rocket to put satellites into orbit.  It had a number of failures, leading to a 1950s joke that it should be renamed Civil Service—it didn't work; it couldn't be fired.  Yes, a bit of a stretch, but it was the 1950s.

Then Maryland's Senator Chris Van Hollen speaks up:

But Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, said in a statement that if the administration were truly interested in restoring public trust in the federal government, it should rein in the excesses of some of its senior appointees, not politicize the Civil Service.

"Politicize the Civil Service"?  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says that 97 percent of Justice Department donations went to Hillary Clinton, and 99 percent of State Department donations went to the same place.  How is Mr Trump politicizing the Civil Service?

The big problem here is that Mr Trump is raising the expectations bar.  He is doing what he promised when he was out on the hustings.  How can other politicians compete?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Investigations of Investigations

For John, BLUF:  Perhaps this annoying law suit, and others like it, will help to keep Mr Mueller on the straight and narrow.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

DOJ Is Sued For Records Of Official Linked To Dossier

That would be Mr Bruce Ohr

From The Daily Caller, by Mr Chuck Ross, 5 March 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch is suing the Department of Justice for records regarding Bruce Ohr, the recently-demoted DOJ official who met with dossier author Christopher Steele prior to the 2016 election.

Judicial Watch seeks records of Ohr’s contacts with Steele as well as with employees of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that commissioned the dossier. ` Fusion worked during the presidential campaign for the Clinton campaign and DNC.

This is sad.  A dedicated Civil Servant, caught up in the sordid Steele Dossier imbroglio.  He probably thought he was doing the right thing.

On the other hand, it is also sad that a civilian group is having to sue DOJ to get at what was happening.

I shudder to think that while the administration changed, Main Justice did not.  Makes one wonder about going back to the spoils system.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff
-, Fri 4.0

Cleaning Up Veterans' Health Care

For John, BLUF:  There was a joke, when I was young, that the Vanguard Project should be renamed Civil Service.  The argument was that the rocket couldn't be fired or made to work.  Today that seems a little odd in construction, but it made sense at the time.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

VA firings spiked after Trump signed the new accountability law last year

From The Military Times, Reporter Leo Shane III, 8 January 2018.

Here is the lede plus four:

Employee firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped in the second half of 2017 after new accountability legislation was signed into law last summer, results that administration officials insist show a renewed commitment to cleaning up the agency.

But critics say more firings don’t mean better results for veterans, and the rising rate of dismissals may not be significantly different than past years for the massive government bureaucracy.

“I don’t think this has accomplished what they want it to accomplish,” said Marilyn Park, legislative representative for the American Federation of Government Employees.

In June, President Donald Trump signed into law the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, legislation he has subsequently touted as one of his biggest accomplishments during his first year in office.

Among other provisions, the legislation shortened the appeal time for VA employees protesting their dismissals and expanded VA leadership’s ability to remove most workers, including senior executives, for misconduct or poor performance.

It will take more than a year to tell the full results.  Part of the issue is that there is also Balkanization in the VA, with each Hospital its own fiefdom.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Resistance In Action

For John, BLUF:  Didn't President Obama say elections have consequences.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

“Democrats’ #Resistance is creating a genuine constitutional crisis”

Posted by Professor William A. Jacobson, at Legal Insurrection, 12 December 2017.

Here is the lede plus four and a Tweet:

Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett had a tweet on December 5, 2017, that I’ve been meaning to write about.

It reflects a subject I, and others, have been focusing on since election night — the refusal of Democrats and #NeverTrump Republicans to accept the outcome of the election not just emotionally, but as to the transfer of power that continues to this day, over a year since the 2016 election.

Here is Prof. Barnett’s tweet, referencing the attempt by outgoing CFPB Director Richard Cordray preemptively to install Leandra English as Interim Director over the objections of the Trump administration.

The tweet references a separate tweet from law professor Josh Blackman about attempts of the CFPB bureaucracy to subvert the authority of Mick Mulvaney, the Interim Director appointed by Trump:

Democrats’ #Resistance is creating a genuine constitutional crisis in which governmental power is not allowed by them to be peacefully transferred after a lawful election.  The potential for escalation is very very dangerous.

I would have thought that the example of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, with regard to judicial appointments, would have informed Democrats about the dangers of upsetting precedents.  Not even the Franklin Roosevelt Democratic Party reign lasted for ever.  Unless they turn the nation into a banana republic or a dictatorship there will always be a reversal of fortunes, with consequences.

We could go back to the old spoils system.  It might, in fact, be better.  Just harder on the incumbents.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Civil Service and Government Performance

For John, BLUF:  Is the Civil Service a "Fourth" Branch of Government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

If you want checks and balances, vote Trump

This OpEd is by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds and it appeared in 8 September edition of USA Today.

The focus of this OpEd is the US Civil Service and the role it plays in making Government work.  With the bonus that it helps him decide who to vote for on 8 November.

Here is how Professor Reynolds ends his OpEd:

So if the choice in 2016 is between one bad candidate and another (and it is) the question is, which one will do the least harm.  And, judging by the civil service’s behavior, that’s got to be Trump.  If Trump tries to target his enemies with the IRS, you can bet that he’ll get a lot of pushback — and the press, instead of explaining it away, will make a huge stink.  If Trump engages in influence-peddling, or abuses secrecy laws, you can bet that, even if Trump’s appointees sit atop the DOJ or FBI, the civil service will ensure that things don’t get swept under the rug.  And if Trump wants to go to war, he’ll get far more scrutiny than Hillary will get — or, in cases like her disastrous Libya invasion, has gotten.

So the message is clear.  If you want good government, vote for Trump — he’s the only one who will make this whole checks-and-balances thing work.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Doing Good

For John, BLUF:  Psychic Income is sometimes as important as the money.  We are, after all, humans.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

There is good news tonight.

I have been a little hard on the IRS in recent blog posts, and not without some reason.  Their inability to produce internal EMails and Instant Messages has been incredible.  Almost like a coverup.

But, I was talking to the couple next door, who are getting married next month, and she said that the IRS is helping with the wedding.  It seems she made a math error a couple of years ago.  It was in the Government's favor, and they caught it.  It took them two years to track her down, but they did, and returned $900, plus $75 in interest payments.  This is the Abe Lincoln kind of story I like to hear.  And, the money went to purchase invitations to the wedding and reception.

I actually have a fairly high opinion of the Civil Service.  My Father made GS-13 and I have two brothers, one of whom made SES and the other GS-15.  Each of my three children have been a Civil Servant at one time or another.  My Daughter worked for the Department of Agriculture and my oldest Son worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency.  Today my youngest Son works for the Marshall Service, as a lawyer.

I like good news stories from the Civil Service.  They are fellow citizens trying to do good for all of us.  On the other hand, there isn't usually much praise for doing your job correctly.  Too bad.

Regards  —  Cliff

Woodrow Wilson

For John, BLUF:  President Wilson was not such a great man.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

From The Instapundit:

APRIL 11, 2013

PROGRESSIVE RACISM:  On this day in 1913, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson segregated the Civil Service.

Prior to the segregation of the civil service in 1913, appointments had been made solely on merit as indicated by the candidate’s performance on the civil-service examination.  Thereafter, racial discrimination became the norm.  Photographs came to be required at the time of application, and African-Americans knew they would not be hired.  The existing work force was segregated.  Many African-Americans were dismissed.

Woodrow Wilson and Che Guevera.  A lot alike.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Helping The Water Works Along

The Wednesday, 5 September 2012 issue of The [Lowell] Sun has an above the fold headline for an article noting that City Councilor Rita Mercier is "seeking an investigation of the city [Water] department.  The reporter was Mr Lyle Moran.

I believe Ms Mercier is correct in doing this, thus giving support to the City Manager in helping bring along the Lowell Regional Water Utility, following the trial of a former employee over the theft of gas.  Organizations sometimes drift a bit and need help in coming back in line with good, professional operations.  In my mind it isn't about firing people so much as it is about everyone being on the same sheet of music as to what may and may not be done at work and with public resources.

And, maybe someone will explain why the Headquarters, out on VFW Highway, flies one American flag and two Commonwealth flags, but not a Lowell flag.

Thanks

Regarda  —  Cliff

Value for Taxpayers

This AM I was at Dunkin Donuts on Route 38 here in Lowell.  I was in my car, about to pull out of the parking lot when I noted a silver Honda next to me with white smoke pouring out from the front hood area.  The young lady driving the car had gotten out and was looking at it, but without an apparent plan.  I got out of my car, wondering where my fire extinguisher was, when I notice a Lowell "Emeergency Management" SUV parked next to me and the driver walking toward the building.  I said "Excuse me." and asked if he had a fire extinguisher and noted the white smoke to the gentleman.  He said he did not, but immediately got on the horn and within 90 seconds there was a fire engine there and firemen checking the car.  Ninety seconds later a Police Cruiser pulled up and the officer stepped out.

Turned out the radiator had boiled over.  Good news for all.

I was impressed by the quick response, but also by the very positive and friendly attitude off all the Lowell emergency response personnel.  Made me proud as a citizen and made by feel my tax dollars are being well spent.

Regards  —  Cliff

This is Rubbish

The Janesville (Wisconsin) Superintendent of Schools Karen Schulte is against publishing salaries of employees of the PUBLIC School System.  It is public money and it is for a public purpose.  Of course there should be full and open accounting for the public.  Otherwise we don't know if things have gone off the rails in the school system.  This all came up when someone started passing this information around a few days ago.

Yes, this is a reversal from my normal mode of lauding Janesville, and especially its attention to having long term city managers, people with competency, continuity and strategic vision.

And, it isn't like the information isn't in the public domain.  It is just that the School Department and the Union object to people actually looking at it.

Strange.

And here is the Althouse blog post on the issue, with comments.

We need to learn to be honest and open with ourselves.  Yes, in private industry it is all very hush-hush, but this is not private industry.  It is public service.  Fair and open.

Regards  —  Cliff