Civil servants

To the Editor;

I find it almost comical that Scott K. Fish chose to reference Hugh Hewett in his Jan. 10, 2020 column about a modern government workforce as someone we should take to heart when critiquing civil servants. In state, local and federal government there certainly is room for improvement, but why would we seek answers from an individual who has made a living promoting an agenda that has nothing to do with the working class, instead focusing on advancing hypotheses that ignore science while willfully promoting debunked theories in order to obfuscate the truth, all under the guise his Christian faith affords him a platform to educate the public while sharing his opinions which predominantly adhere to party lines, even at the cost of him being hypocritical.

It is interesting Mr. Fish goes back nearly 30 years ago for an example to chastise state employees, his description of them bringing to mind ungrateful animals at feeding time with their unruly behavior such that it is etched forever into the minds of the public. He suggests that these civil servants sacrificed the good will of the public, but I saw no mention of the sacrifices state workers endured when being subjected to 20 furlough days (forced days off without pay) or that essential personnel had to work three days without being paid under the justification that compensation for those hours of labor would come at the end of their employment. Good luck doing that in the private sector. 

Needing to read between the lines, due to Mr. Fish’s vagueness of the serious accusation of a Presidential Coup D’etat, he suggests the need for a reboot of government employees. It is troubling that a handful of FBI employees foolishly shared their less than flattering opinions in emails concerning then candidate Trump, but I will question the motive of anyone using this as a tool to condemn an organization that employs over 35,000 thousand people, none the less the government workforce as a whole. Of course I saw no mention of how our president recently referred to FBI employees as SCUM, which I’m sure will have noaffect on the quality of future applicants desiring to work for our nation’s highest law enforcement agency. 

What game plan should our federal government follow to bring its work force into the 21st century to ensure that they are as efficient and productive as possible when its chief executive officer constantly demeans them, is it possible that changes need to start at the top first? When broaching a complex subject does it behoove one to begin with pointing out all the negative aspects needing to be addressed, or would there be better results if all angles were presented including what has been working well if meaningful modifications to current practices are the desired outcome? 

Unfortunately government workers have been and always will be first in line to be negatively affected when fiscal woes come about and they have to work in an environment forever changing in order to meet the goals of the current administration’s vision for the future. Comparing civil servants to private sector workers is a favorite subject for many, but keep in mind the private sector’s goal is profit while government positions should be the opposite when it comes to providing services, such as placing a vulnerable child in a safe home, allowing an elderly couple options other than just going without heat or medications they might need and a multitude of other services many of us do not even think about. 

David Richards

Dover-Foxcroft