Softball Question (interns squatting on fields to ensure they are reserved

[The Straight Story]

Softball Question

The Washington Times reports today on the rift that has opened up between two House softball leagues over the issue of how playoffs should be run. Included in the piece is a detail always included in reports about softball on Capitol Hill: Since playing space on the National Mall is scarce, congressional offices dispatch interns to spend entire afternoons squatting on fields to ensure they're reserved for evening games. And reading this, I wondered what I always wonder:

How come no one ever questions the ethics of using interns who are supposed to be getting experience working in the federal government for this purpose? If a federal agency used its interns (even unpaid ones) to reserve softball fields, wouldn't somebody be crying waste, fraud and abuse? (Federal agencies don't do this...right?) I actually don't think it's that big a deal to use interns as field placeholders, I just think there's something of a double standard at work.

http://www.govexec.com/fedblog/#1751

[hobbit709]

1. They ARE getting experience

in the way our government works.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Since they don't get paid, how is it waste? They're doing what interns do.

Whether it be government interns or Dave Letterman interns or interns anywhere else, mostly what interns do is shit work - running for coffee, taking the boss' car for a wash, running errands, and blah blah blah.

Is it unjust? Is it wrong? Hell, I don't know - it's the way it's been for generations, and it seems to work just fine.

So it is my opinion that this is perfectly fine - it's the way things have been done, it's the way things will be done, and, quite truthfully, a lot of things that happen in this country couldn't possibly happen if it wasn't for interns doing shitwork like this; shitwork that is shitwork, but, at the same time, gives these interns some invaluable experience, a chance to meet a lot of important people, and a chance to see how things work.

In my opinion, it's a beautiful and wonderful system that I would never give up.

[Vidar]

3. Squatting in fields could be valuable practice for WH interns.

I miss Clinton.