"Only Qualified People Can Come from Industry" Needs to Revolve Out of the Conventional Wisdom

In our recommendations for transition teams, we stressed that one of the key tools for making the government more effective was to make sure that the chosen political appointees would contribute effectively to the missions of their agencies by being well-qualified, but also that these individuals would operate without any conflicts of interest.  Specifically, we stressed that the revolving door between the government and contractors damages the integrity of government.  To quote ourselves:

The revolving door between the government and contractors or regulated industries inevitably creates conflicts of interest and undermines the public's faith in the government.  The revolving door undermines the basic obligations of public service to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws, and ethical principles above personal or private gain.

POGO Recommends: The President should issue an Executive Order that executive branch employees, including political appointees, must consider their position a matter of public trust and service, not a stepping stone for personal gain.  Once they leave government service, there should be a three year prohibition against public employees and officials working for or representing industries or other private interests that they regulated, contracted with, or otherwise oversaw.  Similarly, the President should exercise great caution in appointing individuals with ties to the industry they will oversee.  The Office of Government Ethics and agency ethics offices should be given administrative enforcement power over violations of ethics, as well as the necessary resources to execute this new mandate.

So we have to say that we're excited to hear that President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to bar appointees from working on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years.  An article in today's New York Times ridicules this pledge, saying that it will hamper the administration.  But we think if you look at the history and impact of the revolving door, one might question the value of appointees that see their government position as a stepping stone to private sector gains.

-- Mandy Smithberger

Comments

[Dfens]

Look at the basic assumption behind government procurement today. The government dreams up what it wants, and it is up to industry to make it magically appear. In order to make this wish granting system work, you need a clever "wisher" who knows what to wish for, that is, what is a wish that industry can grant.

There was a time when we followed a different model. Industry invested their own profits in R&D. They figured out what was possible and came to government and told them what they were capable of. In those days the government procurement people needed to be better at the end use of the products they were procuring instead of being masters of how they were produced. It was a better and more successful business model.

POGO wastes a lot of time trying to make a system that won't work work. You can't stop the revolving door in today's procurement system. Why pretend like you can when what you really need to do is fix the system? Is it really that hard to figure out what's gone wrong?

[Axel]

Dear Readers, 11/6/2008

In a supportive and affirmative response within a specific area to this Article in reference to the 'Only Qualified People Can Come From Industry' and in reference to the most effective and mandated by proper and forthright interpretation and application of law would be to immediatley restore the US Democratic Constitutional mandated Federal Employee Whistleblower Protection Restoration Act 2008 in US Senate Bill S1358 in 2003 and Congress Bill HR985 in 2008. Also in procrastinating in the seemingly and hopefully restoration of our US Constitutional Democracy, and in this specific area only of so-called Whistleblower Protections and as US Democratically and Constitutionally mandated, that the Sabersky Plan 'Working Group' appears at this time to be 'a' and 'the' most needed and correct viable option that would allow for Representation of our brave and courageous US Federal Employees to be Represented in their brave and courageous efforts to defend and preserve our great Democracy and Country with Fidelity, Integrity and Bravery.

Again, thank you POGO for your continuing efforts, accomplishments and endeavors towards proper and forthright 'Oversight and Accountability'.

Thank you and all for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Axel