There was a lot of good nuggets shared in this discussion. Notably, recognition that a strong industrial base and leading edge equipment serves as deterrent to conflict. Teddy Roosevelt had it right, to paraphrase, walk softly and carry a big stick. I also was glad to hear someone acknowledge that border security and immigration policy a…
There was a lot of good nuggets shared in this discussion. Notably, recognition that a strong industrial base and leading edge equipment serves as deterrent to conflict. Teddy Roosevelt had it right, to paraphrase, walk softly and carry a big stick. I also was glad to hear someone acknowledge that border security and immigration policy are two different things, a large swath of the people today are completely missing that critical distinction as we endure the largest unabated (maybe assisted) influx of people across our borders. No wonder many immigrants who followed the rules and are here legally are furious with this administration.
Lastly, wrt why the Govt/DoD lacks the ability to hire top notch talent. The best and brightest college students don't want to take (and probably can't afford to take) a GS-7 or GS-9 ($50-60k) salary, and countless attempts at "pay for performance" have been disasters. Also the retirement system (FERs vs CSRS) has made Govt less attractive for the last 40 years (with further retirement eroding changes in last 10 years). As one of the podcast guests noted, once everyone within the system, especially the hiring managers, are 3rd and 4th tier talent, it is near impossible to recognize anything but the same. Again, a worthwhile listen and glad to hear young and talented individuals calling out important problems and hopefully starting a groundswell to turn things around.
The real shame was the immediate (in Jan 2021) reversal of border security policies that were starting to work. Meanwhile, CBP and ICE (and the prior administration) are the "villains". Then we use our active duty personnel (and government civilian volunteers that were still paid by their agencies/departments), to try to manage the border. Border security should be a top priority for every administration.
There was a lot of good nuggets shared in this discussion. Notably, recognition that a strong industrial base and leading edge equipment serves as deterrent to conflict. Teddy Roosevelt had it right, to paraphrase, walk softly and carry a big stick. I also was glad to hear someone acknowledge that border security and immigration policy are two different things, a large swath of the people today are completely missing that critical distinction as we endure the largest unabated (maybe assisted) influx of people across our borders. No wonder many immigrants who followed the rules and are here legally are furious with this administration.
Lastly, wrt why the Govt/DoD lacks the ability to hire top notch talent. The best and brightest college students don't want to take (and probably can't afford to take) a GS-7 or GS-9 ($50-60k) salary, and countless attempts at "pay for performance" have been disasters. Also the retirement system (FERs vs CSRS) has made Govt less attractive for the last 40 years (with further retirement eroding changes in last 10 years). As one of the podcast guests noted, once everyone within the system, especially the hiring managers, are 3rd and 4th tier talent, it is near impossible to recognize anything but the same. Again, a worthwhile listen and glad to hear young and talented individuals calling out important problems and hopefully starting a groundswell to turn things around.
yeah I thought the point about immigration policy and border security being different things was excellent.
Of course the problem is the Dems have been WAY to willing to sacrifice border security because they can't get the immigration policy they want
The real shame was the immediate (in Jan 2021) reversal of border security policies that were starting to work. Meanwhile, CBP and ICE (and the prior administration) are the "villains". Then we use our active duty personnel (and government civilian volunteers that were still paid by their agencies/departments), to try to manage the border. Border security should be a top priority for every administration.
Yeah Biden messed up