The Federal Register is the best place to find proposed rulings. It is not visually appealing as it includes texts of proposed laws. Maybe the Federal government needs a PIO providing meaningful and concise info to the general public on a daily basis?
Interesting suggestion! After re-reading and reviewing The Fifth Risk, I'll be looking for more stories to tell about the work being done by the federal government. Our national politics may be crazy, but there is plenty of important work getting done, so I'll be shining a light on that in the new year.
1. Like you, I felt that the Feds were just there, until the last 8 years. I also thought that as long as the Texas legislature met every other year, what harm could they cause. Ha!
2. Below is a link with an update on radioactive waste remediation going on in Hanford. Since the Columbia River is about 10 miles from my home, your article definitely had me searching for more info.
You would think (former) local gov employees like us would more readily appreciate the work being done by our federal brothers and sisters. Clearly, they need to do a better job letting the world know what they do!
Thank you for your insights. This is fascinating stuff. So interesting to learn about what departments of the government actual do. So different from what you would think with so called conventional wisdom.
One of the things my little IT agency in my single county in Ohio has learned lately is we must tell our story.
We must tell people what we are doing, to justify why we have employees, why we spend millions on hardware and software, and why we need more of all of the above to make county operations more efficient, more reliable, and more responsive to the needs of our community.
And when I say "tell our story," I'm starting to think we may literally need to develop true storytelling skills. We need plots and characters. We need heroes that answer the call to adventure and go through a transformation. We need story arcs. We need tension and resolution. That all sounds dramatic (and it is), but it's actually sound logic.
Because if we want to be understood by folks outside our field and who don't see our work every day, we have to make the stories relatable. They have to be engaging. We need the audience to be rooting for us. We don't have to be Tony Stark or build a cinematic universe, but we need to be fellow humans.
It may be government agencies and teams all over need to develop this storytelling skill. Because without it, all the good we do for our communities could be wiped away by adversaries that tell better stories (or lies) about us.
Great points, John. We don't need to write as well as Michael Lewis to be effective (thank goodness!), but we absolutely have to tell our stories in compelling ways. Hopefully you've got a good PIO at the county who can assist you. Trust me, they're looking for good stories to tell. Since IT is embedded in pretty much everything we do in local government -- from dispatching public safety personnel to tracking street maintenance needs -- our citizens absolutely need to understand what's at stake. And we haven't even broached the implications of AI for local gov! That will certainly be a focus for GGF in the new year.
There are so many sources of info today than in the past and more investigative reporting, YouTubes, etc provide info, both vetted and not vetted. I subscribe to four newspapers reflecting viewpoints along the political spectrum yet still centered around the middle During my time as a city separtment head, I would never have had the time to skim them all. And, we were often focused as local government folks about what affects us and our citizens on the local level.
So, I would not know about the sludge in Washington state but I knew what the Manhatten project was. I was aware of toxic sites, usually due to corporate spills, but less about Federal waste, other than the Superfund for toxic waste cleanup. TML (Texas Municipal League) was usually good about keeping local governments aware of state legislation and some federal legislation that would affect cities.
But yes, we generally were not aware of federal decisions impacting areas outside of Texas. I think many of us today are aware of issues due to political polarization, though some issues are valid, others are not. For those of us who are retired, if important info is available and vetted, it may be our responsibility to let others know about federal and state decisions that might affect citizens in our area.
The Federal Register is the best place to find proposed rulings. It is not visually appealing as it includes texts of proposed laws. Maybe the Federal government needs a PIO providing meaningful and concise info to the general public on a daily basis?
https://uvu.libguides.com/government-information/main-sources#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Depository%20Library%20Program%20(FDLP)%20Basic%20Collection%20consists%20of,of%20the%20US%20Federal%20Government.
Interesting suggestion! After re-reading and reviewing The Fifth Risk, I'll be looking for more stories to tell about the work being done by the federal government. Our national politics may be crazy, but there is plenty of important work getting done, so I'll be shining a light on that in the new year.
1. Like you, I felt that the Feds were just there, until the last 8 years. I also thought that as long as the Texas legislature met every other year, what harm could they cause. Ha!
2. Below is a link with an update on radioactive waste remediation going on in Hanford. Since the Columbia River is about 10 miles from my home, your article definitely had me searching for more info.
Thx!
https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.cleanup&id=1001114#:~:text=Cleanup%20activities%20completed%20to%20date,fuel%20and%20associated%20waste%3B%20and
You would think (former) local gov employees like us would more readily appreciate the work being done by our federal brothers and sisters. Clearly, they need to do a better job letting the world know what they do!
Thank you for your insights. This is fascinating stuff. So interesting to learn about what departments of the government actual do. So different from what you would think with so called conventional wisdom.
Now that you have given me awareness
of the crucial work of government agency employees,
I see even more clearly how high a risk it is to our wellbeing
that Trump will fire the lot and hire only his own toadies if he wins.
We NEED free thinking individuals--both liberals and conservatives--
in ALL those positions!
I don't know what the balance is right now, but we need both.
That is the only way we can hope these agencies will have the wisdom
to deal with issues as complex and dangerous
as--for example--whether to pay huge sums to Iran
in a deal they have no intention of keeping.
Party lines on such issues do not help us thread that needle.
A takeover of the workings of government by either Party
is a disaster for our democracy and for our wellbeing.
Thank you, Will, for your important writing
raising the vital work of government employees to our awareness!
Appreciate that, Dr. H. There is important work -- that isn’t political at all in nature -- that needs to get done.
One of the things my little IT agency in my single county in Ohio has learned lately is we must tell our story.
We must tell people what we are doing, to justify why we have employees, why we spend millions on hardware and software, and why we need more of all of the above to make county operations more efficient, more reliable, and more responsive to the needs of our community.
And when I say "tell our story," I'm starting to think we may literally need to develop true storytelling skills. We need plots and characters. We need heroes that answer the call to adventure and go through a transformation. We need story arcs. We need tension and resolution. That all sounds dramatic (and it is), but it's actually sound logic.
Because if we want to be understood by folks outside our field and who don't see our work every day, we have to make the stories relatable. They have to be engaging. We need the audience to be rooting for us. We don't have to be Tony Stark or build a cinematic universe, but we need to be fellow humans.
It may be government agencies and teams all over need to develop this storytelling skill. Because without it, all the good we do for our communities could be wiped away by adversaries that tell better stories (or lies) about us.
Great points, John. We don't need to write as well as Michael Lewis to be effective (thank goodness!), but we absolutely have to tell our stories in compelling ways. Hopefully you've got a good PIO at the county who can assist you. Trust me, they're looking for good stories to tell. Since IT is embedded in pretty much everything we do in local government -- from dispatching public safety personnel to tracking street maintenance needs -- our citizens absolutely need to understand what's at stake. And we haven't even broached the implications of AI for local gov! That will certainly be a focus for GGF in the new year.
Being an Ohio girl from one little county
(Lake --known as the bellweather)
I totally believe the story of a single county counts.
And that it inspires others.
The local folks, and the not so local ones,
will all be fascinated
to learn what you really do!
There are so many sources of info today than in the past and more investigative reporting, YouTubes, etc provide info, both vetted and not vetted. I subscribe to four newspapers reflecting viewpoints along the political spectrum yet still centered around the middle During my time as a city separtment head, I would never have had the time to skim them all. And, we were often focused as local government folks about what affects us and our citizens on the local level.
So, I would not know about the sludge in Washington state but I knew what the Manhatten project was. I was aware of toxic sites, usually due to corporate spills, but less about Federal waste, other than the Superfund for toxic waste cleanup. TML (Texas Municipal League) was usually good about keeping local governments aware of state legislation and some federal legislation that would affect cities.
But yes, we generally were not aware of federal decisions impacting areas outside of Texas. I think many of us today are aware of issues due to political polarization, though some issues are valid, others are not. For those of us who are retired, if important info is available and vetted, it may be our responsibility to let others know about federal and state decisions that might affect citizens in our area.