Fashion Week Flash: Tracy Reese Fall 2012 (PHOTOS)
54 Ways to Say "I Love You" In Africa
I guess there is really nothing wrong with President Obama soliciting ideas from federal workers and businesses on how to save money and make government more efficient as he did in this week's weekly address.
So why do I have this funny feeling in the back of my brain that the president's plea for money-saving ideas is little more than a poorly veiled public relations move to blunt criticism of his federal budget proposal that could result in nearly $500 billion in deficits?
In the same way a frumpy singer named Susan Boyle hit on a billion-in-one chance to achieve international stardom, will a beleaguered federal worker hit upon a cost-cutting idea that will catch Obama's eye? Personally, I'd prefer to hear Obama continue to provide simple, forthright explanations of why we need to spend tomorrow's dollars to save today's economy. If we don't take the drastic measures, the economy may never recover.
Perhaps President Obama's advisers are banking on his popularity with the American public as a key to this outreach. And they may be right. Polls show that as his first 100 days in office near, Obama enjoys immense popularity and a sense that regular folks tie their own successes to his and the nation's as a whole.
However, the image of federal workers and workers in private businesses jotting down their best ideas on how to save a few bucks here and a few bucks there with the hope that these suggestions will somehow make their way to the president's desk leaves me feeling a bit....umm... queasy.
I question whether asking workers for their ideas will get us anywhere. But who knows? Maybe a Susan Boyle story in our federal workforce is waiting to be discovered.
Comments: (7)
Add a comment
By: Fred S. Blake on 4/27/2009 9:21AM
I believe it is good that our president look to those who do good business for answers. The issue is will he take good sound answers and apply them....
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Kalonji T. Olusegun on 4/27/2009 9:19AM
We can save our money and morality by reviewing and altering the immigration laws that obviate our destruction of the economies of Central American countries and force their citizens to attempt entry so that might legally earn a living. The board-line security executed on our “Southern” board is a crime against humanity, Mexico and all non-English speaking peoples. It only amplifies the racial profiling that destroys families here and the growing antagonism against Americans traveling abroad.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Derek on 4/27/2009 11:06AM
Having worked for the government as a contractor my recommendation is simple: use less consultants and expect higher productivity from the federal workforce. I was appalled at how little high priced government workers did for their pay while underpaid consultants did the heavy lifting. The government could shave trillions of dollars by managing their people the same way as any private enterprise.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Myron P on 4/27/2009 2:43PM
If more leaders would allow employees to evaluate whether programs work things might be different. 1st line personnel often see mismanagement and waste that others at the top are shielded from.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: HERNOT VERSAINT on 4/27/2009 4:57PM
ALL ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA, REMINDS ME EPICHARMUS'THOUGHT 450 B.C: A WISE MAN MUST BE WISE BEFORE ACTING, NOT AFTER.. THAT'S MEAN ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE OTHERS'OPINION. THIS A NEW SOCIO-POLITIC PAGE FOR THE NATION, TO ME, ALL OF US SHOULD BE PROUD FOR WHAT WE GOT SO FAR JUST IN ONE 100 DAYS. OF COURSE, WE ARE NOT EXPECTING PERFECTION, BUT DO NOT TRY TO BE TOO PESSIMIST. THROUGH MY LONG-TIME OBSERVATION ON POLITICS, IT'S THE 1ST BAT ON MY PERSONAL OPTIMISM, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE;--FOR INTANCE, ABOUT THE TORTURE TECHNICS, IF WE ALL AS NATION AGREE THAT AMERICA DOES NOT TORTURE, THEN BY NOW SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. NOT ONLY FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE ENTIRE NATION, BUT TO PROTECT OUR TROOPS ARE THERE; IN FACT, TO MAKE A GOOD JUDGEMENT ON WHATSOEVER, WE MUST DROP-AWAY OUR OWN FEELING LIKE IN JURY DUTY. THE IMPATIALITY IS A DEEP TEST AS THE PREAMBLE OF WISDOM.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Miles Ellison on 4/27/2009 4:57PM
Start by cutting Congress' pay to $1. Change the government vendor contracts. They're a license to steal.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: shawn on 4/30/2009 2:29PM
Of course, economy is one of the most important elements contribute to a strong nation. However, when everyone is so focus on the economy, I really would like to bring this element to president attention: Make a nation stronger; quality of our citizen is one of the most important elements. Yes, we have great citizen in our country, they are generous and gentle. However, there are several issues we need address to promote the quality of our citizen, otherwise, down the road, 50 years or 100 years later, our nation will not be most stronger one any more.
1. Government needs to put this in a higher agenda: Nation Wide promotes healthy food with lower cost (Price is the key here). Now the food structure is: any little healthier food, the price is very high. Majority people could not afford. On the other hand, the junk food is cheaper and larger, so people ate more. Buffet is the worst thing and it should be stopped. We have already seen a lot of over-weight caused health problems that will bring our citizen's quality down. In China, poor people can get vegetable with very lower cost though they might not be able to afford too much meat. Japan uses weight watch as one of the hiring criteria, it sounds extreme but it really will benefit to the nation in a long run.
2. Citizen over worked. Many of them worked over 8 hours, two jobs, or... It really runs down the people’s health. I used to hear one of the CEO said: “I would like to see parking log full at morning 6:00 AM and evening 10: 00 PM. I heard that the people in that CEO’s company worked over 10 hour a day plus weekend too. I also don't believe that this will bring productivity. This only brings our citizen’s quality down. We should promote work Six hours a day with 2 hours lunch break.
3. K-12 and Education. Promote math and science advance. At the same time, focus on language, art, and, music that bring up a new developed citizen who is intelligent, cultivated, and excellent. If we neglected the K-12, we will see our citizen's quality go down after 50 or 100 years.
4. College should have more merit scholarship to really bring the best students to the best college. Need based scholarship is very good and important. But merit scholarship really can help nation to produce the best leadership generation and put the best in the best environment and make out the best of them.
5. Citizen’s spending habit. Our citizen needs to learn how to save the money, and spend money rationally. We need to take full responsibility of our economy. We spend what we have and what we need, not what we want. Sometimes, if we can afford what we want, it is not bad thing to buy something, but the way you send money is the way you deal with relationship and social responsibility.
I will stop here.
Reply to this Comment | Report This