It Never Hurts to Ask

As agency officials continue to grapple with issues such as competitive sourcing and an aging federal workforce, they should keep in mind that an increasing number of young Americans are expressing an interest in public service, according to a new Gallup survey to be released today by the Council for Excellence in Government.

As reported by Stephen Barr in yesterday's Washington Post, the survey found that nearly a third of Americans under the age of 30 would seriously consider working for the government if asked by their parents, a teacher, or the next president.  The only problem, according to 60 percent of respondents younger than 30, is that nobody has asked them.

Patricia McGinnis, president and chief executive of the council, says that the survey underscores the "potential for the new president and administration, especially as we have the retirement wave getting under way, to ask people, not just millennials but older people as well, to serve. There's a sense that many would respond and step up, as they did when John F. Kennedy asked."

We at POGO yearn for an influx of public-minded young people seeking to fill the ranks of the federal government. Our biggest concern is that many see working as a "fed" as nothing more than a stepping stone to making big bucks in the private sector, rather than a opportunity to serve as a guardian of the public trust. We need a leader who will once again instill in young Americans the pride of becoming a civil servant.

-- Michael Smallberg