Hillary Clinton wants to start a public servant academy.

The Backlash Cometh

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Sat Jul-28-07 09:15 PM
Original message

Hillary Clinton wants to start a public servant academy.

Edited on Sat Jul-28-07 09:17 PM by The Backlash Cometh

The article is here:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070728/D8QLQ3880.html

This is why it's needed, and, also, why it will fail:

She isn't wrong. We definitely do need public servants who have degrees and who can prove they have been taught the ethical responsibilities needed for a public service job. That will eliminate the bone-head, good ole boy excuse that the local, state or federal government didn't know how to do things the right way, so they did it their way. Which of course means, cronyism. IMHO, her chances for success will be great if she recruits from low middle class to the poor class.

However, it may fail, because under the present political environment, nobody in this country wants to do selfless work anymore because there's no money in it, unless you're corrupt; and no job security, either, unless you can be bought.

Laura Bush, in an interview given during her husband's first term, pretty much illustrates my point. When George Bush was just beginning his first term, there was a teacher shortage. There was a teacher shortage because the economy was still good and teachers were leaving their education jobs to find work in the private sector where they could make more money. So Laura Bush was asked how her husband was going to fill the teacher void, and Laura responded that there were people who lived to do that kind of selfless work and would accept low pay because they did it for the satisfaction of helping out other people. And the interviewer asked her where would they find these people, and Laura Bush said that they could draw those people from the people who were completing their military service. (I guess Laura didn't realize that Georgie already had plans for our servicemen, but I digress...)

The point is, that six years ago when she gave that interview, she basically revealed how she saw everybody's roles: The rich need the rest of us to do the shit work they won't do and, they assume we'll do it because we have a greater need to help humanity, than we have ambition to get a job that pays good money. They count on it. And that is the flaw in the ointment. You aren't going to find a whole lot of intelligent people willing to sacrifice four years of their lives to prepare for a public service job under the present political environment. Not only do the jobs pay little, but public service jobs have been compromised by corporate America's meddling in government affairs. The current political system has been ruthless to good career public servants, who have been weeded out because they know the law and process too well and won't compromise their principles. And as long as this pattern continues, it's going to make other people hesitate from entering into the field.

So, if Hillary is sincere about supporting this public service academy, she should also show an equal interest in destroying the obstacles to its success.