Greg Evensen -- American's are Running Out of Road

AMERICAN'S ARE RUNNING OUT OF ROAD

By Greg Evensen

September 10, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

It seems impossible to me that local school boards, councils, commissions and officials across America still don�t get it. It is obvious now, that they never got it in the first place. In fact, I am now convinced -- based on reading these public official�s decisions and agendas--that professional incompetence is now an acceptable resum� heading.

I have had my fill of double-talking, shell-game con artists--that have found their way to the top of, and are warming chairs as members of--county commissions, city councils, and especially school boards. Some are serving as mayors, managers, county administrators, school superintendents, agency heads, and criminal justice system bureaucrats. Understand this, not ALL local leaders are failing, and some are trying very diligently. However, a significant number of elected or appointed men and women have spent tax-payer time and money finding ways to avoid accountability, and are failing badly. These incompetents are counting on hard working men and women not having the time or desire to know what these �leaders� are doing and why. These are highly paid individuals, who are plagued by personal failure or outright incompetence often ignored by employers.

Some do not meet minimal standards set by national or state agencies, let alone possess a successful track record at their time of hire. They are still given substantial pay with benefits and are awarded contract extensions for failed work or poor decisions that put those various agencies and employees at risk. This is made possible by behind the scenes collaboration with incompetent or personal agenda driven boards. Tragically, these boards are in too deep with their mistakes to make changes, or they do not have the courage to replace them for fear they will have to pay out on a poorly negotiated contract. Honesty and integrity seem to take a back seat to the public�s well-being.

Year after year, citizens must endure managers who simply cannot do the job. These people are supported by local �power groups� who influence elections or appointments to these boards in the first place. Worse yet, truly qualified, honest, administrators are NOT hired precisely because they are not seen as �controllable� by the power brokers. Real pros are not willing to do whatever a board or council asks so they can cash the big checks.

So instead of hiring qualified, straight-talking people with REAL ability, we see boards and councils, search for and then hire candidates who have never done the job, failed somewhere else, or are looking for a fresh-start community to victimize. Further, they demand a contract that if ever broken, would cost the community, county or school board its treasury.

Sound familiar? It seems as long as you can soak the taxpayer to death, break the law at the bargaining table, and serve your own ends, then you are well on your way to becoming a public administrator or commissioner.

If you can convince a board that you will do ANYTHING they ask, you are a finalist for hire. In this county, chances are good it will be with the backing of a private �search team� who will contract with local agencies to find the next politically correct, �good old bad boy� the council wants to control. All the while the �search team� will pass by strong, capable and PRINCIPLED candidates who would do the job the community needs done.

Stop accepting this! First, demand that they fire these mistakes. If they will not, then recall them, or vote the offenders out of office. Make (lawful) protests at the monthly meetings and quit allowing it to happen. You are the only ones who can stop this epidemic failure in leadership. Do what is right, do what is needed, and make it so. Vote every election for positive change.

I have personally observed failed leaders rewarded with state or university jobs, further pay increases and contract extensions, based on no success on the job, what-so-ever. I have also been present when the cover-ups for those failures have occurred time and time again. Had bad conduct been dealt with in the public, it should have resulted in those individuals being fired. But today, what is failure? Failure is when you get caught being stupid enough to have been caught being outright stupid. In our district, a local school board was sued successfully for a violation they should have NEVER committed. In addition to this, criminal acts, serious complaints, HUGE administrative failures, just disappear under the board table behind closed doors, with absolutely NO discipline for those responsible. This isn�t the fault of rank and file teachers or public servants. It is the administrators and their boards who are responsible for gross failure.

Perhaps we can be like the DELPHI Corporation CEO who said with a straight face, that he just had no choice but to layoff hundreds of production workers so that management could receive large increases in their wages. Factory production workers took substantial cuts. That�s the type of foolish administrative, or board thinking I am talking about. What a lack of credibility! What happened to leading by example? An uninformed, or �I don�t really care� attitude, can cost all local taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in broken contracts for those who have been negligently hired. Leadership incompetence is costing us community, county, state, and national stability. The future is VERY grim for our schools and government if this tidal wave trend of accepting failure in public government is not reversed. Americans are angry, tired of this mess, and demanding change.

Many at local agencies and schools have asked for this to be addressed. It�s time to get involved. Do not accept simple dismissal of your concerns by people who won�t or can�t defend their outrageous conduct. Hold them accountable until you see competent professionals acting on your behalf. It�s very late, but still possible to correct this course. You must demand change, along with common sense, in how to get the job done right the first time, with the RIGHT people. I will say it again, thank you to those who ARE leading and governing effectively. But to those who are not, be advised: Change your ways or get off the board/council/commission. Get this: You can�t employ a person no matter how �qualified� they appear on paper and say that their character and track record doesn�t count. That�s why America is in such deep turmoil.

We MUST change our hiring, and our leadership expectations. Anything less, is a repudiation of America�s founding principals. If you will remember, leadership at any level was predicated on having morally fit, capable people hold office, swear an oath to serve faithfully, and represent us honorably. The moment we allow anything less, we will most assuredly get it, and it will take us further down the hard, hard road of turmoil and confusion. We are seeing this everyday in Washington, state capitols, your local counties and communities. That is why Agenda 21, the Patriot Act, continuing UN involvement and corruption at all levels is thriving.

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Greg earned a Master�s Degree in Education Administration from Northern Michigan University, and a doctoral degree from the London International University, in Criminal Justice Administration.

He was appointed a United States Secret Service Special Agent with duties assigned to Presidential Candidate Protection, but was budget cut along with his contingent in 1974. Greg also served as a Kansas State Trooper and as a Kansas Marshal.

Greg has called for a national summit of some 1000 American organizations working for constitutional restoration in America. This critical coalition, reflecting the people�s desire to rebuild a nation that has been virtually destroyed by the political sell-outs in our nation�s capitol, will energize citizens to get involved.

Greg Evensen, author of �The Sovereignty Papers� copyright 2006. Please use with permission. Visit www.a4ce.org to download a Kansas City Summit reservation form, and then send it to us as you feel led to participate.

Website: HeartlandUSAparty

E-mail:�gevensen@up.net

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