Opinion: Federal workforce efficiency – a veteran’s perspective
Ron Cuff.
– The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has garnered significant attention recently, and with good reason. After serving in the U.S. Navy and observing civilian federal employees firsthand, I believe that spending taxpayer funds on non-productive government employees constitutes a gross misuse of public resources. For context, here are my personal experiences with federal employees.
Two segments of the federal workforce: the U.S. Navy and the Veterans Administration have shaped my perspective. During my time at the Pacific Missile Test Center Pt. Mugu, I observed concerning patterns regarding productivity. A significant number of employees demonstrated questionable work ethics. In one particularly troubling instance, a federal employee failed to return over 50 of my professional calls. Her voicemail greeting cryptically stated that she was “making a change” – a phrase that offered no useful information to those attempting to reach her for legitimate business purposes.
On a different occasion while visiting Greece, I encountered four high-level federal employees. While they were pleasant individuals, they struggled to articulate their actual work responsibilities. They could, however, speak at length about their many taxpayer-funded world travels, and their strategies for securing promotion to a higher pay grade. Also, while at Point Mugu, I observed a senior government employee who had effectively retired on the job. He would spend all day everyday playing backgammon with his colleagues. In the Philippines and in Pensacola, I met several government employees who spent their spare time buying new, never used items at government surplus auctions for pennies on the dollar, and reselling them for huge profits.
The Veterans Administration healthcare system presents a mixed picture. Most VA clinicians demonstrate exceptional care, professionalism, and conscientiousness. However, veterans like myself express profound frustration with the VA’s administrative systems. This likely explains the presence of uniformed security personnel at VA medical facilities. Administrative staff members routinely fail to answer or return calls, despite relying on telephone communication for appointment scheduling.
The subject of Government waste, fraud and abuse reminds me of multiple recent email communications from Jimmy Panetta, who serves as our 19th congressional district representative. Since the election, Mr. Panetta’s communications have focused entirely on opposing the administration’s efforts to identify and eliminate government fraud, waste, and abuse. As an attorney, he is leveraging the court system to stop DOGE initiatives.
Mr. Panetta characterizes DOGE as an attempt to “undermine the hardworking Americans of our federal workforce.” He frequently references the plight of “working families,” presumably referring to the many unionized constituencies of his political party.
Mr. Panetta has joined the newly formed Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group, coordinating legal challenges against the administration’s efficiency measures. He notes that he is involved in more than 25 active lawsuits that contest what he terms “attacks” on federal employees.
Americans are beginning to see potential for meaningful reduction in government waste – perhaps the first substantial progress in my lifetime on addressing the $36 trillion national debt, the interest cost on which now exceeds the entire military defense budget.
Rather than obstructing efforts to improve government efficiency, perhaps Mr. Panetta would address other important district issues. For example, the environmental disaster in the Salinas River habitat, where hundreds of unhoused individuals have been allowed to establish encampments. This deserves the EPA’s attention, the same EPA that reportedly awarded 1.9 billion dollars to a brand new NGO formed by Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. It’s also been widely reported that the Social Security Administration made monthly payments to 1.3 million individuals over 150 years old. These two concerning recent discoveries merit bi-partisan investigation, not obstruction.
To be clear, I respect government employees who demonstrate diligence and work hard to earn their compensation. I will respect Representative Panetta more when he decides to cooperate with the administration’s efforts to eliminate government waste, even if it means some of his 19th district constituents might need to transition to private sector employment.
Representative Panetta maintains an office in the Paso Robles train station. The office is well managed by Ms. Diane Zannotti. Both she and the Congressman are accessible to North County constituents. The address is 800 Pine Street Paso Robles Ca. 93446 and the phone is (805) 400-6535. E-mail is Diane.zannotti@mail.house.gov.
I encourage all concerned citizens to call, email or visit their representatives at all levels of government. Creating a more efficient, less corrupt, and less wasteful government should transcend partisan divisions.
Ron Cuff, USN (Ret.)
Paso Robles, Calif.
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Ron, I appreciate your frustration with the dysfunction/federal red tape. If this was truly about effecency this is not the way to go about it. A perfect lesson was given to me years ago from a well established local aborist. “If you trim this tree so far back it will bolt”. ” Trim it back with thought and care and it will florish and give off great shade.”
It is notable to me that while boasting of years of service, you could cite only a couple of instances of federal employees not doing their jobs. And the issue of not getting through to the Veterans Administration is likely an indication that there are not enough employees there, rather than too many. I think we can all remember individuals who got away with not doing their jobs but still getting paid. I remember a legal secretary reading books at her desk while the rest of us were working our eyeballs out. These things happen. Should someone like that be fired? Absolutely! But a couple of lazy individuals are not indicative of the majority.
Ron, while I wholeheartedly agree that our federal government is bloated and very wasteful; I have serious concerns that the methods being used will truly be of benefit. In my opinion; what was once the government “of the people, for the people,and by the people” has become “of the rich/powerful, for the rich/powerful, and by the rich/powerful”. This applies to all layers of government – federal, state county, city – just to different degrees.
Something has to be done, but throw the “baby out with the bathwater”. Show some empathy and follow some basic rules.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the great letter.
The democrat party will never understand that collective social work habits are terrible for our country. Having a job description that benchmarks and rewards based on activities is foreign to liberals. They mostly follow the work principles of “Parkinson’s Law”. Successful business’s rely on meaningful measuring of job duties and rewarding based on the outcome. I like to think of it as growing a successful garden; you need to fertilize the top, cultivate the middle and weed or fire the bottom. I love what DOSE is attempting to do and realize it will not be easy given the left push back.
Thank you, Mr Cuff, for a well-written and direct letter. Until we hold elected officials accountable, we will continue to see waste fraud and abuse of the treasury, and our nation’s financial circumstances will continue to decline. We need DOGE, and we need it so the Taxpayers are entirely informed as to the dire circumstances we all face if our nation’s finances are not corrected
Ron, I appreciate your frustration with the dysfunction/federal red tape. If this was truly about effecency this is not the way to go about it. A perfect lesson was given to me years ago from a well established local aborist. “If you trim this tree so far back it will bolt”. ” Trim it back with thought and care and it will florish and give off great shade.”
It is notable to me that while boasting of years of service, you could cite only a couple of instances of federal employees not doing their jobs. And the issue of not getting through to the Veterans Administration is likely an indication that there are not enough employees there, rather than too many. I think we can all remember individuals who got away with not doing their jobs but still getting paid. I remember a legal secretary reading books at her desk while the rest of us were working our eyeballs out. These things happen. Should someone like that be fired? Absolutely! But a couple of lazy individuals are not indicative of the majority.
Ron, while I wholeheartedly agree that our federal government is bloated and very wasteful; I have serious concerns that the methods being used will truly be of benefit. In my opinion; what was once the government “of the people, for the people,and by the people” has become “of the rich/powerful, for the rich/powerful, and by the rich/powerful”. This applies to all layers of government – federal, state county, city – just to different degrees.
Something has to be done, but throw the “baby out with the bathwater”. Show some empathy and follow some basic rules.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the great letter.
The democrat party will never understand that collective social work habits are terrible for our country. Having a job description that benchmarks and rewards based on activities is foreign to liberals. They mostly follow the work principles of “Parkinson’s Law”. Successful business’s rely on meaningful measuring of job duties and rewarding based on the outcome. I like to think of it as growing a successful garden; you need to fertilize the top, cultivate the middle and weed or fire the bottom. I love what DOSE is attempting to do and realize it will not be easy given the left push back.
Thank you, Mr Cuff, for a well-written and direct letter. Until we hold elected officials accountable, we will continue to see waste fraud and abuse of the treasury, and our nation’s financial circumstances will continue to decline. We need DOGE, and we need it so the Taxpayers are entirely informed as to the dire circumstances we all face if our nation’s finances are not corrected