Political Hacks in charge of our lives

[Birder]

<p>In keeping with my theory that our government carelessly appoints political hacks to CRITICAL jobs, and then lets the people suffer at their hands:</p>

<p>The Boston Herald
Saturday, September 3, 2005 - Updated: 02:01 PM EST</p>

<p>

Brown pushed from last job: Horse group: FEMA chief had to be `asked to resign’
By Brett Arends

The federal official in charge of the bungled New Orleans rescue was fired from his last private-sector job overseeing horse shows. And before joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a deputy director in 2001, GOP activist Mike Brown had no significant experience that would have qualified him for the position. The Oklahoman got the job through an old college friend who at the time was heading up FEMA. The agency, run by Brown since 2003, is now at the center of a growing fury over the handling of the New Orleans disaster. I look at FEMA and I shake my head,'' said a furious Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday, calling the responsean embarrassment.'' President Bush, after touring the Big Easy, said he was not satisfied'' with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina's devastation. And U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch predicted there would be hearings on Capitol Hill over the mishandled operation. Brown - formerly an estates and family lawyer - this week has made several shocking public admissions, including interviews where he suggested FEMA was unaware of the misery and desperation of refugees stranded at the New Orleans convention center. Before joining the Bush administration in 2001, Brown spent 11 years as the commissioner of judges and stewards for the International Arabian Horse Association, a breeders' and horse-show organization based in Colorado. We do disciplinary actions, certification of (show trial) judges. We hold classes to train people to become judges and stewards. And we keep records,'' explained a spokeswoman for the IAHA commissioner's office. This was his full-time job . . . for 11 years,'' she added. Brown was forced out of the position after a spate of lawsuits over alleged supervision failures. He was asked to resign,'' Bill Pennington, president of the IAHA at the time, confirmed last night. Soon after, Brown was invited to join the administration by his old Oklahoma college roommate Joseph Allbaugh, the previous head of FEMA until he quit in 2003 to work for the president's re-election campaign. The White House last night defended Brown's appointment. A spokesman noted Brown served as FEMA deputy director and general counsel before taking the top job, and that he has now overseen the response to ``more than 164 declared disasters and emergencies,'' including last year's record-setting hurricane season.

</p>

<hr>

<p>SO…We have a director. He resigns to work on Bush’s campaign. His reward? He gets to “recommend” his good friend, fired Arabian horse show organizer, Mike Brown to be the new director. Feel safer yet?</p>

[fredo]

<p>Okay, three thoughts immediately pop into my mind:</p>

<p>1) it’s all about who you know</p>

<p>2) I hate politics</p>

<p>3) I wish we paid our appointees more so that we would actually get some really qualified people into those positions. I still find the salary paid to the president MIND BOGGLING considering his (or hopefully her) responsibilities!</p>

[mini]

<p>Yup. The President of the United States believes that the fired Arabian horse show organizer is the single best man to be found in the entire United States to be in charge of protecting your life and those of your children in case of biological or chemical or other kind of attack, an earthquake, or (ahem) a levee break.</p>

<p>Can’t really blame Brown - he was doing his job “to be the best of his ability.” Hmmm…</p>

[citygirlsmom]

<p>The Peter Principal is alive and well in the Bush Administration:</p>

<p>The theory that employees within an organization
will advance to their highest level of incompetence."</p>

[mini]

<p>…or they will be brought in from the outside.</p>

[razorsharp]

<p>Boston newspaper. Now there’s a trustworthy source. Hate to tell you this but it’s the professional staff at FEMA who provide all the direct services not the FEMA head.</p>

[bandit_TX]

<p>The previous head of FEMA was interviewed on this topic. He said that Brown had two years under him in FEMA and was qualified and the logical choice for the job. He may, on paper, have been the logical choice for the job, but I think he has shown that he is not a leader and can’t make decisions. There is no reason to point to the past and try to make a political football out of his appointment, but it is time to replace him.</p>

[mini]

<p>He in fact was the deputy director. He was only a logical choice by virtue of the fact that he was the warm body that happened to be there.</p>

[citygirlsmom]

<p>It is the time, because if we don’t then we will just accept another person who can’t do the job. We need to trust that people are given jobs they can do, not just because of who they know. He had little experience in the sphere until he was hired by his friends. </p>

<p>If we don’t look at how people are chosen and vetted, well, we are fools.</p>

[tsdad]

<p>Now you know why I retired from the Feds at the first opportunity. Imagine how the career people in FEMA feel working for such a yahoo.</p>

[weenie]

<p>One thing I think is intersting about this: Read FEMA’s announcement of Brown’s appointment, at <a href=“http://www.fema.gov/about/bios/brown.shtm[/url]”>http://www.fema.gov/about/bios/brown.shtm&lt;/a&gt;. Funny, there’s NO mention of his longest stint - the horse show job (not to mention having been “let go” from it). But, evidently, the guy is SUCH a superstar that he rises to the top of that huge agency in a mere 1 1/2 years! </p>

<p>I know people want to complain it’s “fingerpointing” - but we can’t just let this prevailing incompetence go, can we?</p>

[mini]

<p>We can’t let it go because it calls into question the entire library card examination apparatus.</p>

[tsdad]

<p>When I first came over to the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education during the Reagan years, the lower level political appointee who I nominally reported to as a special assistant had been a used car salesman just prior to his appointment.</p>

[mini]

<p>We have a joke (based on experience, but it is stereotyping) about our work with the Bush admin. substance abuse/mental health and housing folks in DC, when we go to working sessions in Bethesda. The session is almost always opened by a Black woman Ph.D., usually one who worked her way up from the trenches. She introduces her boss, who is a white woman Ph.D. who left academia to make more money. She introduces her boss, a white man M.A./M.P.A. type policy wonk, usually well-spoken, if a little shallow. He then introduces his boss (who is always late), who was a used car salesman. It is literally true that at the last working session I attended, the top guy didn’t know what meeting he was at.</p>

[itstoomuch]

<p>Political Appointments are political leaders that have shown loyalty and committment to the party (patronage) The PA sets the tone, direction and leadership of the department as directed from the top party leaders. PA’s get the fame of success and the pain of failure. </p>

<p>Off with his head!. Else the blame goes higher. But the problem is that if he loses his head, then the blood in the water will draw more sharks who are looking for even bigger targets. GWB is being boxed.</p>

[alongfortheride]

<p>“it’s the professional staff at FEMA who provide all the direct services not the FEMA head.”</p>

<p>I didn’t see them either. Nor, apparently, did the desperate people in downtown NO. </p>

<p>Today Bush said that it was no time to point fingers. Perhaps he’s afraid that one of those sharks that itstoomuch referred to will bite it off!</p>

[poetsheart]

<p>Obviously, there’s no earthly way to credibly defend the incompetence of Michael Brown. That he would to claim to have no knowledge of the situation at the New Orleans Superdome, while literally half the rest of the planet watched the goings on on television, is something that defies belief. He should resign immedicately. Failing that, Bush should fire him. But I doubt that will happen until Brown becomes too great a liability.</p>

[coureur]

<p>It was the same story over at Health and Human Services. The cabinet Secretary used to be Tommy Thompson, another political appointee with no expertise in the field. When the anthrax attacks happened in 2001 it was frighteningly clear that he was in way over his head.</p>

[fundingfather]

<p>I agree, I never had any confidence in either him or Tom Ridge. Both were empty suits.</p>

[bandit_TX]

<p>

We have a joke (based on experience, but it is stereotyping) about our work with the Bush admin. substance abuse/mental health and housing folks in DC, when we go to working sessions in Bethesda. The session is almost always opened by a Black woman Ph.D., usually one who worked her way up from the trenches. She introduces her boss, who is a white woman Ph.D. who left academia to make more money. She introduces her boss, a white man M.A./M.P.A. type policy wonk, usually well-spoken, if a little shallow. He then introduces his boss (who is always late), who was a used car salesman. It is literally true that at the last working session I attended, the top guy didn’t know what meeting he was at.

Always been that way, always will. Political appointments are the victors spoils. Remember Hillary firing the travel office?</p>