That Ain’t in My Job Description
This is a guest post by a Delawareliberal reader
This latest State scandal, embezzlement of State funds, is yet another example of the lack of Government accountability in Delaware. People say they want transparent government? How about we make the job descriptions already in place effective? If your position is head of the State Hospital, you are actually responsible for checking on overtime, patient welfare, security, etc. If you are head of DelDot, you are actually responsible to make sure engineering plans and road projects make sense. If you are head of State Finance, keep an eye on the money going out.
Too many politicians and appointees revel in the glory of promoting new laws or new business. Its fun hanging out at Leg Hall hobnobbing with the big shots and letting the lobbyists know where their influence should be pedaled. Unfortunately, this ‘fun’ stuff apparently takes precedence over sitting in your office and paying attention to the state functions you were hired to manage. Where we need you is in your damn office doing the job you were assigned. You think Bill Gates ran Microsoft because he ran an election for leader? Bill Gates was and is Microsoft because he paid attention to the details of the business, and because he was qualified to manage what his delegates were doing every day.
Ever have an employee who constantly came up with great ideas, but never seemed to have time to do his or her job? Creative thinking is great, but if you were hired to watch the cash register, missing money will not be excused by you saying “I was thinking about a new advertising campaign promoting wind power and didn’t have time to do the job I was assigned.”
The day to day grind is not nearly as much fun as getting your name in the paper as an innovator and a mover-and-shaker. But, contrary to popular belief among government officials, government is not “show business for ugly people”. Do you job first, then if you want, go to Leg Hall and name drop. But do it on your time. Our time, the citizens’ time, is required by you to make sure someone didn’t build a pointless $30 million pile of dirt, or rack up $100,000.00 in unauthorized overtime on their state job, or take off with state money.
Go to work already, will you? If you want to bask in the glow of good publicity, go to Hollywood and avoid Britney Spears. If you want to bask in the glow of bad publicity, keep on thinking you’re a celebrity who doesn’t have to show up for work.
And one more thing; when something like a huge waste of taxpayer money occurs, we do NOT want to hear, “We’re all over it!” That doesn’t mean anything. What we want to hear is exactly what happened, what you are doing to fix it, and what you are doing to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Subjective exclamations of pending action only indicates to us, the taxpayers, that you have no idea what’s going on and that you hope it will go away before the next election. Skip the glamour politics; pay attention to your job.
Well stated. While there is nothing here that I think anyone could disagree with, and I think that most would concur with your assessment, there comes the question of what to do.
What will incite citizens to take real action instead of just whining about it? And what should that real action consist of? How should it be organized?
I feel a great deal of frustration in many areas where I try to get involved but it goes to naught simply because people are too lazy and/or stupid to get involved or at least make an attempt to understand an issue. They would rather moan cryptically and anonymously on assorted forums. Does that make them feel better? If so, that is the only thing they have accomplished.
There is only so much effect that a single letter from a lone citizen can have.
What would you suggest?
Shirley, My suggestion would be the golden rule of management: pay attention to the top stars, and quit wasting time on the problems.
As an example, and I hope the example is not taken as partisanship because its not: Matt Denn.
Denn has done a lot of heavy lifting in the Legislature: credit scoring ban, homeowner cancellation, uninsured motorists, health insurance, etc.
But FIRST AND FOREMOST, Denn made sure the Insurance Department was doing its job handling the issues, concerns and complaints of Delaware citizens. It was AFTER he spent 10 hour days running the Insurance Department that he beat on the Legislature to enact protections needed.
This curriculum vitae is precisely what the post was talking about: do the job you were elected to first, then worry about the peripherals.
So my suggestion is that we support politicians like Denn, and get out and vote against those who think elected or appointed office makes them rock stars who delegate all responsibility without accountability.
This is all we need to save the republic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvgBBKIQ_a8
This latest State scandal, embezzlement of State funds
“State scandal?” It seems to me the state is the victim of embezzlement, not the embezzler.
If a guest comes to my house and steals the silverware, is that a scandal on me?
There may well be some scandal here, but until more details come out it is just an ordinary financial crime.
Agree Anon. How are Minner and Carney responsible for this?
You don’t own the silverware; the State’s citizens own it.
Now where the fuck is our silverware, cupcake?
Shirley says, “What will incite citizens to take real action instead of just whining about it? And what should that real action consist of? How should it be organized?”
disbelief says, “Shirley, My suggestion would be the golden rule of management: pay attention to the top stars, and quit wasting time on the problems.”
Both excellent points on an excellent post.
Unfortunately, in either party there are damn few people with a work ethic like Matt Denn, and they each only get one vote, just like the thieves hanging around the bank.
Citizens take action in this day and age, it sometimes appears, only when (A) they can receive instant gratification, as in voting on American Idol or Dancing with the Stars; (B) there’s a handout involved, as in prescription drug plans; or (C) they feel threatened in terms of a particular personal special interest, as in abortion or gay marriage.
My solution–albeit one that revolves around a lot of enlightened self-interest–is to build a new political movement from the ground up with the potential to dismantle the power structure that makes the handouts possible, and prevent anybody from legislating her own special interest into coercive public policy.
That kind of movement might attract the Matt Denns and others like him from a broad range of the political spectrum.
About instant gratification I haven’t got a clue.
Maybe we just need to run Ryan Seacrest for something.
Matt Denn gets my vote. In fact, as a Democrat, I plan to ‘vote early and often’;) (twice for Denn if I could).
Surely, once people look at Blunt they will immediatly turn away: when he ‘announced’ he said (sic)his focus as Lt. Gov. would be education….that joker spent 30 years on Red Clay’s payroll and never effected any discernable change(s).
What proof? Look at city schools. If you can be a school administrator and serve on the local city council, at the same time, you should be able to produce something positive for your district & constituents. Add that to the fact that he ‘locked’ the community out of city hall!!! That’s right…refused to let the very people who pay his salary and pay for the building.
He’s sooooo slimey he’s came here as a registered Rep. when he saw the politics of Wilmington…he changed his party to Dem.
If you worked the election of 2000 in the city you would have been stunned by the number of T-shirt clad, full tummied, lawn chair resting, well compensated voluteers….all from Philadelphia (his home turf).
So, the word on the street is this: we know how many busloads of Philadelphians it took to get him elected to council prez….how many bus loads will it take to lift him into higher, state-wide office?