Archive: Bad leadership
Obama's and Boehner's Lilliputian budget cuts
At least for now, Boehner and Obama seem content to target discretionary spending alone. Doing so will mark them forever as Lilliputians and leave the nation in complacent comfort that Social Security and Medicare will remain off limits. It is a cowardly decision and should be called out as such.
By Paul Light | February 11, 2011; 11:36 AM ET | Comments (57)
Government Reform: Business unusual in Washington
The federal government desperately needs the same kind of overhaul today. But it cannot be done with a heavy dose of angry rhetoric. Just as Americans want an end to business-as-usual in politics, they also want the federal government to do its job at the lowest cost and highest efficiency. Americans have been watching government rust for 60 years now. It is time for Democrats and Republicans to drop the gloves and start drafting big-ticket reform.
By Paul Light | January 21, 2011; 04:42 PM ET | Comments (5)
The problem with our presidential appointment process
Congress and the Obama administration are both to blame for the slowdown. Senators have no shame holding nominees on stalled pet projects and trivial issues such as taking home-office deductions. The threshold for holds has dropped to new lows.
By Paul Light | January 6, 2011; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (2)
What the next round of federal cuts should look like
Under this more nuanced approach, federal employment just might remain at its current 2.1 million mark, and could even go higher. However, headcount is not the key measure of success. Not only would the personnel budget almost certainly fall, the public would receive much better service. Backlogs would fall, regulations would be enforced, inspections would rise and the public would regain a measure of confidence that the federal government is spending its money wisely to honor the promises it makes.
By Paul Light | December 14, 2010; 09:45 AM ET | Comments (40)
Want to actually trim government bloat? Start with the hidden workforce
Poor leadership is no doubt partially to blame, but so is the bureaucratic sloth, the hyper-inflated performance appraisal process, the absence of encouragement to break the mold and innovate, and the failed disciplinary system that keeps poor performers on the job long after they should have been fired. There is nothing quite so demoralizing to high performers than sitting next to clock-watchers who long ago forgot the public purpose that should motivate them to action.
By Paul Light | November 19, 2010; 09:44 AM ET | Comments (25)
Senior Executive Service: The key to real reform
The President's Office of Management and Budget is trying hard to engage the federal government 8,000 senior executives in fixing the federal bureaucracy. The deputy director of OMB sent a thirteen-page memo to members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) this week outlining its agenda for reform. The memo was gentle but strong. It called on the SESers to do their part in pushing reform. If they don't buy into the administration's effort, there is virtually no chance that the agenda will succeed.
By Paul Light | September 15, 2010; 11:29 AM ET | Comments (1)
Why Democrats are scared of government reform
Big government has become the big issue on the campaign trail as Republicans look for ways of tying the sluggish economy to the Democrats. Yet, Democrats have yet to answer. Their rhetoric about fixing government is tepid at best, nonexistent at worst. They seem terrified to take on the drumbeat of Republican promises for hiring and pay freezes and wholesale dismantling of government agencies.
By Paul Light | August 25, 2010; 09:23 AM ET | Comments (40)
