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5 Fallacies of Government?

October 23, 2009 - 5:00am

Go to any conference and listen to different speakers, or hear what those in Congress say and invariably someone will perpetuate a stereotype of the federal government. The government wastes money when it buys goods and services. Federal employees don't work hard. Several thousands of federal employees will walk out the door in the next year or two or five. These are among the most common observations made about the federal government. And over time, these statements have developed their own lives. But are they really true? Or are they just fallacies, like urban myths, no one has ever tried to prove wrong? FederalNewsRadio is taking on these perceptions to once and for all see if these stereotypes are indeed fact or fiction. All this week, we go myth busting and will analyze five common observations about the federal government and let you decide if the depictions are deserved.

Monday: The government is a terrible buyer
The $500 hammer. The $1,000 toilet seat. These are among the most criticized examples of government spending. But are they the rule or the exception? And are higher costs justified? The government engages in millions of transactions every year. In our investigation, we interview former GSA executives responsible for setting acquisition policy, industry experts whose goal it is to help government get the best deal and current contractors who sell their products to the government. We also hear from the head of the Federal Acquisition Service about his thoughts on the value in the deals government makes.

Tuesday: Federal employees are clock watchers
The stereotype of a federal employee can be unflattering; "bored at work", "a clock watcher", "wasting time until retirement". What data is there to support the theory that federal workers are in an out in eight hours? None. The federal workforce is vast and varied with many opportunities for idleness or industriousness. So we took it upon ourselves to find out what the reality is. We've surveyed hundreds of government employees, spoken with their bosses, compared the work hours with private industry employees and spotlighted some specific federal jobs that require going above and beyond. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey has spent his career watching the federal employee and has some thoughts of his own.

Wednesday: The federal retirement wave is coming
For more than a decade, agencies have been told that thousands of workers one day will get up and walk out the door. This "retirement tsunami" has turned out to be nothing more than a drip. Even so, experts continue to prophesize the exodus and warn that agencies remain unprepared for the "brain drain". What contributes to this foreboding? We ask current and former OPM officials about retirement projections, experts who study employment trends across all sectors, how agencies are planning to replace those who do retire and what it takes to create a cohesive workforce with an influx of people who have never known life without Web 2.0 and the expectation of staying in one job forever. We also heard an interesting theory from our own Mike Causey.

Thursday: The federal hiring process must be slow, arduous
The federal hiring process long has been derided for its inefficiency and frustrating rules and requirements. Take the Knowledge Skills and Abilities. Entire industries have developed around helping people write their KSA's for federal job applications. Once KSA's are completed, there is the interminable wait for an agency response, nevermind the additional hoops and waiting time if the job requires a security clearance. But does the hiring process need to be so tough? Federal News Radio speaks to people who are making the current hiring system work for them expeditiously and the people who are making recommendations to make it even quicker. And some of the most interesting thoughts come from Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

Friday: The government is behind the technology curve
What is the real state of government IT? Why do some agencies and some programs require the use of MS-DOS, Windows 95 or any other outdated technology? Which agencies employ the developers who will revolutionize IT? We'll speak with the people who make the technology decisions, the private sector supplying the technology and hear from one agency funding and developing technology that is on the leading edge and being used to secure the nation.

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