No experience required for Trump nominees (Wetli/al.com)
By Clete Wetli
on September 05, 2017 at 8:40 AM, updated September 05, 2017 at 8:41 AM
Clete Wetli is a liberal political activist living in Huntsville and a regular contributor to AL.com. Email Clete at decaturclete@gmail.com or visit cletewetli. com.
Some days it seems like Trump is doing everything possible to destroy 'the administrative state' by nominating leadership with little or no relevant experience. Or, they're completely opposed, perhaps ambivalent to the stated mission of the organization they've been chosen to lead. Trump seems to prize political loyalty and extreme partisanship over relevant, professional experience.
Yet, these organizations are vital to the prosperity and safety of our nation.
He seems to dole out nominations like a feudal lord gives out fiefdoms.
Recently, he's nominated Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine to head NASA and former Iowa Trump Campaign Manager Sam Clovis to run the USDA. Usually, nominations to these posts aren't controversial because historically the people nominated are scientists or subject matter experts with vast experience in their highly-specialized fields. These leadership positions are not supposed to be political, but they are drawing bipartisan ire.
Whatever your partisan leanings, it should be a bit concerning that the future head of the USDA, the agency that ensures the safety of our food, has no formal background in science. He's spent more time with a microphone than a microscope. It should be very troubling that the future head of NASA rejects the findings on climate change that were produced by the agency he'll soon be running. He's run a space museum, not a space program.
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more: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/09/no_experience_required_for_tru.html
Yes, there are activists in AL. But to see what they have to deal with, just check out the totally delusional first comment.