Government at the Breaking Point

Erstwhile Government Executive columnist, professor and all-around gadfly Paul Light has a new book out on the state of the federal establishment. His take? Things are not going well. At all. In this regard, you can judge the book by its title: A Government Ill Executed.

Here's what Light wrote in a piece in The Politico this week:

The problem is that the federal government is perilously close to the breaking point. Unless the next president takes the lead in fixing government, he or she will preside over a string of meltdowns that will make the federal response to Hurricane Katrina look like a minor mistake.

Light's litany of problems the government faces includes:

• Agencies have missions that extend well beyond their resources.
• The federal establishment is "governed by a chain of command that defies logic."
• Political appointees are "selected through a process that guarantees delays, vacancies and embarrassment."
• Many federal employees are "motivated more by pay and compensation than the chance to make a difference."
• The growth in the government contractor establishment has diffused accountability for results.