Does anyone remember Cassidy Hutchinson, the government employee who told the truth about things happening or not happening at the White House on Jan. 6, 2021?
The title of Cassidy Hutchinson’s book, Enough, is even more resounding today than when it was published in 2023. After the tragic, unjustified shooting by ICE agents Jan. 7 in Minneapolis we need to hear more Americans shouting ENOUGH!
The initial draft of this post focused on public servants, in particular, those who fought against the Jan. 6 mob. Although on the public payroll employed by the Dept. of Homeland Security, calling rogue ICE agents ‘public servants’ borders on obscenity. The following picks up on the original post.
Today and in the future, as we commemorate what happened Jan. 6, 2021, we should remember with gratitude the public servants just doing their job to protect the people, buildings and processes of democracy. Their heroism and the violence they faced is the pinnacle of a universe of service provided by local, state, and federal workers. Cassidy Hutchinson too, who showed great courage in her testimony about Jan. 6.
My experience about 20 years earlier with a business that included some violence against a public employee does not compare with that of Jan. 6. Yet the experience left me feeling unsettled and unsupported, which enables me to gain some understanding of what the capitol police experienced. Perhaps the worst part is the aftermath, or lack of it, in terms of gratitude.
As all public servants must ignore false ridicule about ‘lazy, overpaid’ public employees, those on the frontline Jan. 6 must feel revulsion seeing the pardons of the hundreds convicted of their crimes. At least one showed remorse. Paula Hemphill refused to accept a pardon, and in a hearing Jan. 6, she apologized to a police officer. An Associated Press story reports that the plaque created to honor the Capitol police and staff fighting to defend democracy has never been posted, and is nowhere to be found.
Recognizing public service
This might be a good time to become aware of the Partnership for Public Service. Claiming to be non-partisan, its website states, “We believe that our future and our democracy depend on our ability to solve big problems—and that we need an effective federal government to do so… While others may debate whether government should be bigger or smaller, we focus on making it better.”
Last May during Public Service Recognition Week it launched programming “to support federal employees and raise awareness about attacks on the civil service.” Usually the first week in May, it was “dedicated to recognizing the work of those engaged in public service.” Perhaps the date should be moved to Jan. 6, and instead of focusing on the violent assault on democracy, commemorate the work of all public servants. Maybe that will happen when the adults retake control of Congress and administration.
Government provides the framework for all aspects of society and economy to work together in harmony as much as possible. It is not a zero-sum game; rather, a creative synergy that if fairly applied will produce the best outcome for the majority of people. Citizens need to believe that a majority of government workers are motivated to some degree by a mission of serving the public. It adds meaning to their jobs. These days that ethic must be qualified, adding, service in a positive way, not as ICE thugs.
My June 5 post cites a good book, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service, edited by Michael Lewis (author of The Big Short). A reviewer wrote, “Whether they’re digitizing archives, chasing down cybercriminals, or discovering new planets, these public servants are committed to their work and universally reluctant to take credit.”
Poli Sci 101
My full-time work life was about equally divided between the public and private sectors. Working in a state environmental protection agency, I was surrounded by well-educated, experienced, competent, and dedicated staff. This was essential in a very complex area, the natural environment, which involves every branch of science, including political and social science. Although many of my colleagues could have taken private sector jobs and earned much more, the public service ethic ran deep.
To those who say the government bureaucracy is too large, it is necessary because government provides the goods and services that people want and need, but the private sector is not willing to provide. That is basic political science. In the natural environment, people want clean air, clean water, and waste control. The necessary rules and regulations must come from the government.
However, in the U.S. much of the tools, equipment, and practices that animate the regulations are provided by the private sector, usually at a good profit. This is where the U.S. differs from other major nations in terms of bureaucracy. Overall, the U.S. has fewer government workers per capita because we do more to outsource the work to the private sector.
One problem with outsourcing making headlines these days is fraud. Much of the staff time in government bureaucracies goes to monitoring the work of regulated parties, or the companies that provide those services. The few exceptions where fraud occurs grabs headlines and becomes amplified on anti-government channels.
From the inside, I have observed numerous examples of businesses taking shortcuts or cheating in some way. Despite constraints and limited resources, government agency staff do their best to fight fraud. Yet, when it happens, the government takes the blame. However, when the current federal government is the main perpetrator of fraud, it deserves the blame.
Enough!
