Progressive Government Is Obsolete

The Wall Street ^ | MARCH 18, 2011. | STEPHEN GOLDSMITH

[Scanian]

Across the country, the interests of organized labor, elected officials and taxpayers are colliding over wages, work rules and the astronomical costs of retiree pensions and health care. As important as these specific issues are to resolve, there is another, more fundamental problem causing so many Americans to lose faith in their government: It is not government unions per se but progressive government itself—long celebrated in Wisconsin, New York and elsewhere—that no longer produces progressive results.

In the early 20th century, the progressives championed a rule-based approach to public-sector management that was a big step forward from the cronyism and corruption of Tammany Hall. Today, however, the very rules that once enhanced accountability, transparency and efficiency now stifle the creativity of public-sector workers and reduce the ability of public investments to create opportunities for citizens—outcomes precisely the opposite of those intended by Progressive Era reformers.

New York City has more than 300,000 employees who work under more than 100 collective-bargaining agreements, along with layers of bureaucratic state civil-service laws. State law mandates that over 1,500 job titles must be filled through competitive written exams, specifically ignoring an employee's actual performance or qualifications. We are even required to administer a civil-service test for the head of our Police Department's counterterrorism unit! (We found a way around it.)

Seniority rules require that layoffs are based on date of hire, not merit. These rules also prevent any significant rewards for outstanding performance and make dismissing bad apples in the Big Apple all but impossible. Even asking employees for their ideas can be against the rules.

[Iron Munro]

Progressive Government Is Obsolete

Progressive government might be obsolete but the lefties haven't gotten the word yet.

They are still in the majority in Washington and many states; they still have the balance of power, the keys to the treasury and are still very effectively destroying the country.

It is an open question if we can return to a constitutional government or not. The trend is still in the other direction. The republicans are complicit and do not seem to have the resolve to even put up a good fight.

If Obama gets re-elected there will be no hope of turning the country from the racist based socialism he and the democrats are imposing on us.

[Para-Ord.45]

bm

[wiggen]

I think its a fine idea and no method of restoring sanity should be left off the table.

[TopQuark]

The idiots that negotiated these agreements ‘on my behalf’ as a taxpayer should pay for these salaries and bennies.

They are not idiots. These people are hired and appointed by elected officials. And voters in New York are overwhelmingly liberal. Don't blame people doing their jobs for the wacko choices of the American public. Lay blame where it belongs.

[wiggen]

Gracious benefits including, in many cases due to how overtime rules were written, six figure pensions were granted merely to secure votes. I remember mayor Lindsay negotiating and granting much of whats in place now.