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A friend of mine in 18F was just telling me awesome stories of what they're doing. I remember reading horror stories on Slashdot a dozen years ago of how gover

A friend of mine in 18F was just telling me awesome stories of what they're doing. I remember reading horror stories on Slashdot a dozen years ago of how government IT contractors were paid so much and did all the work because full-timers were supposedly incompetent and wishing there were some way this could change. I'm very happy to see this administration making some proactive changes to attract talented people. 18F is rapidly becoming a highly regarded entity and I believe they give dignity to the term government service, as it should be. I'd rather the contractors have to fight hard to earn my tax dollars. Yes, the contractors have to jump through extra hurdles, but too many take advantage of their position. Yes, it's hard on those who have jumped through many hurdles to now have to contend with a changing landscape, but why should government contracting remain a cushy gig when the rest of us in the private sector have to rapidly adapt all the time? Not all contractors are bad, but it's nice to know 18F is raising the bar for them.

afarrell 10y ago
If you care about 18F's ability to continue to do their work, please please please contact your representative about it.
- thebenedict 10y ago
  Do you know if there is a specific bill or other measure that needs to be supported? Is it useful to write a general message in support of 18F?
  - stephenhuey 10y ago
    Good question. Maybe someone else here knows more, but the first thing that jumps out at me is to ask your Congressman not to listen to lobbyists that are against the 18F for no valid reason. Whereas some government workers may be hard to fire and take it too easy on the job (a stereotype, I know, but mentioned in case this is a concern for you), the 18F members serve for only a 2-year term which can be renewed once. Performance is high and they've been very busy helping many government agencies in their first couple of years and as far as I can see the agencies need them to really continue pushing a culture change towards more rapid innovation of business processes, etc.
pmorici 10y ago
"I remember reading horror stories on Slashdot a dozen years ago of how government IT contractors were paid so much and did all the work because full-timers were supposedly incompetent and wishing there were some way this could change." I think this is an often repeated phrase that amounts to a political talking point used by people who want the government to outsource more work to private contractors than might otherwise be fiscally prudent.
- stephenhuey 10y ago
  Yes, I definitely don't want to reinforce that and I do agree that narrative is used to give work to more contractors than necessary (I was just using that to paint a portrait of how people perceive contractors versus government employees). Someone in the Marines isn't paid a lot in cash for what they do, but they do enjoy well-deserved honor and satisfaction in serving in a mission and other intangibles. I know there's a big difference between military and other government workers (members of the military put their lives on the line a lot more), but I do think that just as a Marine enjoys dignity in their work, it is possible to shift the perception of other government workers and give the positions more dignity by raising recruiting standards, empowering the workers to take on more responsibility and playing a stronger role in fulfilling the mission.
  - maxxxxx 10y ago
    It's probably hard to be proud of your work when you know that at least half of your bosses (congress and a lot of political appointees) passionately hate that the fact that your job exists. I doubt that the quality of people the military hires is much different from the quality but military people know their service is appreciated.

afarrell 10y ago

If you care about 18F's ability to continue to do their work, please please please contact your representative about it.

thebenedict 10y ago
Do you know if there is a specific bill or other measure that needs to be supported? Is it useful to write a general message in support of 18F?
- stephenhuey 10y ago
  Good question. Maybe someone else here knows more, but the first thing that jumps out at me is to ask your Congressman not to listen to lobbyists that are against the 18F for no valid reason. Whereas some government workers may be hard to fire and take it too easy on the job (a stereotype, I know, but mentioned in case this is a concern for you), the 18F members serve for only a 2-year term which can be renewed once. Performance is high and they've been very busy helping many government agencies in their first couple of years and as far as I can see the agencies need them to really continue pushing a culture change towards more rapid innovation of business processes, etc.

pmorici 10y ago

"I remember reading horror stories on Slashdot a dozen years ago of how government IT contractors were paid so much and did all the work because full-timers were supposedly incompetent and wishing there were some way this could change." I think this is an often repeated phrase that amounts to a political talking point used by people who want the government to outsource more work to private contractors than might otherwise be fiscally prudent.

stephenhuey 10y ago
Yes, I definitely don't want to reinforce that and I do agree that narrative is used to give work to more contractors than necessary (I was just using that to paint a portrait of how people perceive contractors versus government employees). Someone in the Marines isn't paid a lot in cash for what they do, but they do enjoy well-deserved honor and satisfaction in serving in a mission and other intangibles. I know there's a big difference between military and other government workers (members of the military put their lives on the line a lot more), but I do think that just as a Marine enjoys dignity in their work, it is possible to shift the perception of other government workers and give the positions more dignity by raising recruiting standards, empowering the workers to take on more responsibility and playing a stronger role in fulfilling the mission.
- maxxxxx 10y ago
  It's probably hard to be proud of your work when you know that at least half of your bosses (congress and a lot of political appointees) passionately hate that the fact that your job exists. I doubt that the quality of people the military hires is much different from the quality but military people know their service is appreciated.