What will the Trump administration do with our government? They have threatened to “destroy the administrative state.” What that means remains to be seen. The actions of many of the high rollers influencing the Trump administration have implied that significant staffing reductions create efficiency. Radical Republican leadership has acted as if decimating government bureaucrats is the solution to perceived problems.
What they do not value in this approach is that the federal government is not a business, and these actions affect the lives of many millions. The federal government is not a for-profit entity. The federal government exists to protect and serve the American public.
It’s my belief that even liberal Americans want our government to become more efficient. Improving government efficiency is not a new concept.
The U.S. Postal Service is an example of an organized attempt to improve the efficiency of an agency. It was created as a quasi-government agency to replace the Post Office Department. Modern management practices of the time were introduced, firm service objectives were established, a large cadre of recently graduated advanced degree students were offered internships to learn how the postal office runs; and then assumed leadership positions. The growth of new operating procedures, new technologies and new management philosophies resulted in the U.S. Postal Service becoming the most efficient mail service in the developed world. That has since changed.
All Americans are affected by the Postal Service and are keenly aware that the Postal Service never achieved its potential and is currently struggling to define its place in today’s communications, package delivery and advertising business. The Postal Service does provide an abundance of documented changes which were implemented to make it more effective, and they can be analyzed to decide what worked and what didn’t work. This offers a blueprint for improving efficiency in government agencies while also improving completion of their primary mission.
The low-hanging fruit in reducing federal government waste lies in the special program funding attachments to legislation passed by our Congress. Considering the proclivities of the leaders assigned to improving government efficiency, we should be concerned about these individuals simply rushing to judgment and ending research and social projects currently in place.
Undoubtedly there are ridiculous expenditures for capricious projects that need to be ended. It’s important, however, to realize that the American government has funded exceptionally rewarding research in both the private and university environments. Simply taking an axe to all expenditures would be a fool’s errand. Let’s hope they aren’t fools.
David C. Misner, Holladay
