Department of Understatement

Bush's exit to put new e-records system to the test

Surely by now we are all aware that we are dealing with something a lot more, shall we say complicated, then records management? This is not simply an IT task.

I don't envy the technical workers at National Archives. They will have to cope with competing requests from some very nasty disputes in the near future. I have complete confidence in their ability to play it completely by-the-book and totally professional.

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From the Sunlight Foundation: Shredding Party?

Obama's love letter to the civil service

Obama Wrote Federal Staffers About His Goals

In wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election, Barack Obama wrote a series of letters to workers that offer detailed descriptions of how he intends to add muscle to specific government programs, give new power to bureaucrats and roll back some Bush administration policies.

The letters, sent to employees at seven agencies, describe Obama's intention to scale back on contracts to private firms doing government work, to remove censorship from scientific research, and to champion tougher industry regulation to protect workers and the environment.

It is tremendously significant that Obama sent out these letters via the American Federation of Government Employees, the union for the civil service. Ever since Jimmy Carter, American Presidents have used the civil service as a political punching bag. This has not been good for morale. Obama appears to be going in a better direction.

My strong advice for federal contractors is to make change your friend, not your enemy.

Reality based commentary from Defense News

Don't Believe Spending Cut Rumors

The uniformed services are trying to lock in the next administration by creating a political cost for holding the line on defense spending. Conservative groups are hoping to ramp up defense spending as a tool to limit options for a Democratic Congress and president to pass new, and potentially costly, social programs, including health care reform. ...

... There are so many things wrong with this emerging process that it is hard to address the issue concisely. Promoting overspending on defense in order to forestall popular social spending is undemocratic - it creates a false tension between national security and other public policy goals.

The informal alliance between the services and conservative think tanks threatens to further politicize the military. The abuse of national security arguments to win political arguments is both morally suspect and threatens the security of the nation by delinking strategic assessment from public policy.

Ultimately, the most dangerous aspect of this development is the threat posed to civil-military relations.

Never were conservative think tanks less influential with the public. Let the American people think the Generals are deliberately gaming the system for the purpose of stopping health care reform and the negative consequences would be catastrophic. The armed forces are there to protect the nation, they are not for any other purpose.

Blogging the transition

John Kamensky

At least two media outlets have committed to using web-based approaches to tracking what’s going on. They are each worth bookmarking:

Government Executive/National Journal: They have launched a new blog: “Lost in Transition,” which includes thoughtful interviews with government executives, think tanks, and academics.

1105 Government Information Group: They are experimenting with a wiki-based approach to covering the transition: Gov Transition 2009. If you register, you can also add resources directly. The wiki includes articles, opportunities for dialogues on topics of your choosing, an inventory of events, think tanks, and reports with recommendations to the new Administration.