Mike Causey

Life beyond the Beltway – is anybody in DC listening?

Is there life beyond the Beltway? Or, do those clowns in D.C. have any idea what they are doing? How well, or not, is your Washington headquarters working with ...

Federal News Network Staff

August 8, 2011 2:01 am

3 min read

True or false: If you work for, work with or deal with the federal government, then Washington, D.C., is the center of the universe?

The correct answer is: Heck Yes! Heck No! Uhhh, Depends!

Those of us who live and work in D.C. might like to think that beyond I-495 (the infamous Beltway) America is populated by good, simple, hard-working and decent people (emphasis on the simple) who just aren’t quite as cool as us. You may have better pizza, knishes, barbecue or grits than we do, but we’ve got a lot more. As in power.

Most Americans, and most federal workers live and work outside the Beltway. They seem to be divided as to whether D.C. is Oz — the Emerald City, a place they must visit, understand maybe even live in so they can get ahead, or…

They see D.C. as Disneyland East, where nutty, politically-sensitive, politically-correct and out-of-touch people — like their Member of Congress or their agency head or boss — live smugly as they pretend to work.

So is Washington where it’s at? Do you feel you have to come here at some point to punch your career ticket?

Does that rare GS 13 in Huntsville, Louisville or Las Vegas have more actual power and the real-world knowledge required to make smart decisions? Or is that sort of wisdom acquired only in D.C. where GS 13s are as common (and often cloutless) as a colonel at the Pentagon?

Is it worth taking a pay cut to move from San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles or Houston to come to D.C.?

If you are beyond the Beltway, do you feel headquarters appreciates your ground-truth knowledge and listens to you, or are you considered the under-achiever at the back of the room because you don’t live and work in the 2000 zipcode area?

We’ve got some answers, comments and observations that may shock, suprise, amuse or anger you. Maybe you — whether at headquarters or on the front-lines — will even learn something. The way to do it is to check out our series,“Talk Back To Washington,” that begins today. It will run all week. It is based on surveys we did, original reporting and talks with people at every level, and in nearly every location, in government.

I’ve only seen small portions of the report and I’m hooked. Try it. I’m pretty sure you’re going to like it. And even better, learn a lot.

To reach me, mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

The nests of the penduline titmouse — an African songbird — are so tightly woven and sturdy that the Masai tribe in Kenya often uses them as purses. They are also sometimes used as children’s slippers in Eastern Europe.

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