Shrink Government & Improve Service, Efficiency What a Thought!
Dear America,
The fuel is in the tank (cleaned up tax system), all passengers are accounted for (digital ID), now let’s streamline the drivetrain, cut the drag and get this puppy back on the road. This last bit is likely the hardest thing to do, but if we’re able to get the other 2 right, there is no reason we can’t make our government work for us. If anyone has ever watched a private equity firm strip a company down while boosting productivity, you know that streamlining, cutting and upgrading technology is the easy part. However, most people wouldn’t touch a company that has been revamped by a PE firm, because they know company culture is shot and profit is about the only remaining motive. Don’t get me wrong, there are good firms out there, maximizing capitalism, but this isn’t some consumer product that can be sold to another owner, this is our founding fathers’ legacy, so let’s not screw it up.
While it could take a decade to truly change the culture of our government systems, departments and people, a lot can be done in 4 years, to put everyone on the right path. You guessed it, here are a few commonsense steps that will fundamentally change how our government operates:
Step 1, consolidate and eliminate government agencies, departments where it makes sense. As an example, with a singular government digital ID and a lot of information stored on it, law enforcement can operate much more efficiently. I’m sure the top brass will be able to explain why there are 10+ agencies responsible for the enforcement of federal laws in our country and why each of these agencies need middle and upper management that are fighting for credit and budget. I’m not saying that we need to enforce laws less, but with upgraded and integrated technology, big data analysis and coordinated efforts, there is no reason why entire agencies can’t become departments or teams within a singular agency. This one example, there are several efficiencies to be gained.
Step 2, keep our military strong and fix the VA to honor everyone who has served. Military contracts and budgeting processes are more about keeping the money flowing than keeping our military dominate. If you don’t believe me, ask any pilot why they would ever dump fuel on a training flight, or why spending picks up in the 3rd & 4th quarters in years a department is running under budget. We should always be ready to spend on our military needs, but it should not be a blank check. If we are spending money to keep our military “busy”, we should redeploy them into public works projects in our own boarders, train our soldiers in battle and nation building, keep our money at home. After they have served, the VA should be able to provide real service and healthcare, our debt to our soldiers is great, but our service to them is lacking. If other countries are able to provide adequate public healthcare to their entire population, there is no reason why we can’t do it for those who have given so much to all of us.
Step 3, make our government agencies and employees accountable to the American people. This isn’t about budget accountability or sending the heads of departments to get grilled by congress, only to enrich our elected officials’ social media profiles, this is about providing great service to the American people. There are Yelp and Google reviews for barbers to barbeque restaurants and these people live and die by treating their customers well. We are all customers of our government, yet the service stinks. Our government is the cable company, we can’t get away from them and they don’t have any incentive to do better. Well, remember how streamlining and budgeting needs to be cleaned up, those are 2 great ways to provide real incentives to those who work in our government. The simple equation comes down to how many people did you serve and how well did you serve them. Scores go up, those departments get more budget, to pay their teams, workers get bonuses, the US people get real service. Scores go down, the team gets turned over, budget may be adjusted or just folded into another department, or potentially privatized. Just because our government has provided service in the past, doesn’t necessarily mean they should continue to do it in the future. Now that our government employees are actually incentivized to do a good job and their departments are rewarded for doing a good job, we can recruit great people. Working for our government should be a privilege or at least a great spring board, and if people put in their time, it should result in competitive pay, benefits and their student loans should be paid off.
Step 4, with incentives properly aligned, we can begin to change the culture of our government workers. It should be filled with people who want to help others, serve this great country, and be rewarded in the process. Our nation was founded on the premise of “We the people”, our government is for the people it serves, not those who are elected to it, or the Super PACs that fund campaigns. Culture takes time, but if done right, it can be sustained over centuries.
That sexy Model T I spoke about in my first letter is hiding under our massive Frankenstein monster of an RV, we need to get back to basics with a modern twist. If Ford can nail it with their Bronco rebuild, the American government can too.
Sincerely,
The Middle American
