Nixon's "New Deal"?

In late 2009 the Department of Natural Resources, under the inspired leadership of Nixon-appointees, e-mailed a large number of state parks employees and told them that the DNR was going to try to lay them off. Miraculously, Nixon-appointees with terrible job performance managed to avoid getting tagged.

At the time the DNR wasn't even certain it could fire all of the employees (66 kept their jobs), which makes it sound like one of the worst possible ways to increase employee morale ever. The decision understandably made some people angry, including the State Parks Advisory Board, who were inexplicably kept in the dark.

At the time we said, "That competent and reliable employees are losing their jobs while bumbling and dishonest political appointees keep theirs is a disgrace."

Whether the layoffs were an appropriate response (as opposed to politically motivated) isn't clear: the DNR's constant reversals indicates that administrators don't have a grip on long term planning. First they needed to lay off an eighth of their work force, then they didn't, then they still didn't have enough money, and then they did (and onwards into infinity). For this we can thank Nixon - his appointees really must have the situation under control.

But here's where it gets weird: after firing productive employees, making others take pay cuts and spending months trying to figure out if they're having a budget crisis or not, the DNR is back to hiring. 

Thanks to Federal stimulus money, the state parks system is going to hire up to 1,000 youths, who will be able to earn $7.25 per hour for up to 240 hours. The program is clearly intended to be reminiscent of the Roosevelt-era Civilian Conservation Corps, and apparently we're supposed to forget that they just finished a round of layoffs and that the whole thing is a wash.

It's hard to get your head around, but in the words of Charlton Heston, “they really did it.” Within the space of three months they managed to create two policies that completely canceled each other out. 

What's the net product? Absolutely nothing, unless wasting resources and straining an already demoralized DNR gets you bonus points during budget scoring time.

Comments

[Steve]

THANK YOU for posting this! I really like your blog!!

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