Letters

Huff and Puff

I was disappointed with your Sept. 15 issue (Hail to the Chiefs), which highlighted the chiefs of finance, IT, procurement and human resources. How many readers actually would even read 25 percent of the puff pieces written about these individuals? Instead of your usual hard-hitting commentary, we were treated to a rose-colored-glasses tour of people who think they make more of a difference than they actually do. Human resources remains much the same, despite these chiefs.

The "hire my buddy" system still goes on unabated. When the most qualified individual actually gets the job, it is often the exception. Despite the rhetoric, the areas most in need of reform remain untouched.

Recommended Reading

"Completing the Chain" (Sept. 1) has many implications. One that is not talked about is the need for after-action reviews in relation to cost accounting. AARs are necessary for cost accounting and cost management to be more effectively implemented. The books Brian Friel mentioned are the newest. As an old hand in cost accounting, there is a book titled Winning the Cost War: Applying Battlefield Management Doctrine to the Management of Government by Dale R. Geiger (Writer's Showcase Press, 2000) that talked about this before the books in the article were published. There also is a Treasury Agency Services course, Cost Management in Government: Winning the Cost War, that is based on the book. I highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to learn about cost accounting and cost management.

Not the Same

Steven L. Schooner makes some valid points in "Procurement Proper" (Aug. 15). I am of the opinion, however, that his concerns are overreaching and somewhat misplaced. Why? He seeks to lump criminal conduct and ethical conduct into the same category. Darleen Druyun's conduct was a crime, plain and simple. Embezzlement is a crime in much the same vein. All crooks have motives. This is Law and Order 101.

If we are to make any progress in improving ethical decision-making, my vote is to keep the criminal code out of discussions on ethical behavior. Ethical motives for action are not motives associated with criminal acts. To suggest otherwise leaves us in a twilight zone where neither ethics nor crime are well-addressed.

Correction

The "About the Numbers" box in "Guarded Growth," (Aug. 15) on the top 200 federal contractors incorrectly said the data in the issue cover only prime contracts worth more than $25,000. As of fiscal 2004, agencies are required to report all transactions of $2,500 or more.