Alternate Employment Procedures

I criticized the corruptive nature of the Profit margins when engaged in Public Service endeavors. This article in the NYTimes highlights exactly what is wrong about total reliance on markets. The worst Problem may be the Ageing of federal Employees while doubling their supervisory duties. Contractors are being given access to sensitive information which possess salable value, access to private files of Competitors, and access to information about Private citizens–which is also salable. Contractors are also being allowed to supervise and evaluate the competency of other Contractors, often when their own competence is in question; competency ratings are also a salable product. The General Accounting Office is also finding that private Contractors actually cost more than federal employees–average Salaries often in the $200,000 range. Some Economists might claim this is good for the Economy, but is it good for Anyone other than Corporate Executives with their manufactured Pay Packages?

I have previously called for a universal Military Draft; now, I would called for a universal Draft for both Military and Civil Service. The Plan has many benefits: centralized Personnel authority which would allocate Draftees to proper Training courses, a centralized Training organization where every Graduate would be able to understand the demands of Supervision, detailed evaluation of chosen leadership elements who could be continuously studied for performance and promotional Training, and unlimited Employee numbers of high quality who could be induced to remain in Service by Incentive Pay. Such a Program would remove excessive reliance on a Collegiate system extremely overpriced, but still usable as Training facilities with Government negotiation and payment of Student fees for chosen gifted personnel. Labor elements for Government service would be of proper Age, adequately trained, and in sufficient numbers to accomplish the tasks necessary.

Government Costs could be curtailed through uniform Training practices, uniform Pay levels, and limitation of whatever Pension and Health Benefits necessary equivalent to Military standards. Individual Service personnel could be ordered to stay in Barrack facilities until they are married, and Married personnel can be ordered to live within Government-owned Apartment dwellings until they reached a certain Rank; obviating a need for excessive Wage incentives. The Draft would be limited in duration, but a Reserve Period would be entailed where they could be activated for Service in their MOS for a much longer time frame; this form of organization causing the least disruption to the American economy. Pay Scales for Draftees and later Incentive Pay for Those retained will not need to be as costly as is the current system, and Contractors with their excessive Cost structures can be avoided. It is a Win-Win situation for Everyone; Draftees get cheap Training for later life, Government get effective Trained cadres to fulfill their governmental functions, and Taxpayers get the cheapest Labor available in paying for Government services (Draftees can even be subcontracted to State and Local agencies). lgl