From 'Cool' to Freezing

In the Washington Post this weekend, Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service wrote that President Obama "has yet to deliver" on a promise to "make government cool again." Instead, he writes, "a federal worker pay freeze, the prospect of a federal hiring moratorium and deep across-the-board budget cuts ... could hamper the ability of government employees to effectively carry out the nation's policies and deliver vital services."

Stier argues persuasively that the success or failure of federal programs is strongly dependent on having a qualified, energized workforce to implement them. Unfortunately, he notes, when it comes to this particular lesson , "we always learn the hard way" -- from Katrina to the financial meltdown to the Gulf oil spill.

I'd be inclined to agree with that, if not for one thing: I'm simply becoming resigned to the fact that we don't actually seem to be learning at all.