Brain drain hits Homeland Security: Top posts remain empty for months

[DeepModem Mom]

USA Today, pg1: Brain drain hits Homeland Security
Top posts remain empty for months
By Mimi Hall

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department is losing top managers and rank-and-file employees in a brain drain that could affect morale and the nation's safety, according to members of Congress and labor experts.

Homeland Security is “hemorrhaging on the front lines and higher up,” says New York University professor Paul Light, an expert on the federal workforce. The turnover comes amid renewed threats of terrorism and as the department readies itself for another hurricane season.

Key vacancies include top leaders in the department's cybersecurity, technology and disaster response divisions.

The latest high-level departure came last week, when management chief Janet Hale announced she was leaving. She joined an exodus of top officials who have quit recently, many in the aftermath of Homeland Security's failures surrounding Hurricane Katrina last fall....

***

"It can't help morale for the rank-and-file employees when you have so much turnover,” says Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee. “There just appears to be a continuous brain drain out of the agency."...

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060329/1a_bottomstrip29_dom.art.htm

[LiberalEsto]

1. People don't want to work there because it's such a mess

There's a lot of infighting between the different agencies that were merged to form DHS.

[MountainLaurel]

10. Is anyone surprised?

Look at the decades-long pissing contest between CIA and FBI. That's fairly standard when dealing with agencies that deal with related areas, or have different approaches to the same problems (e.g., ONDCP and HHS).

[valerief]

2. Whenever I think of Homeland Security, I think of an army of

Skeletors and it scares me.

[Redstone]

3. When did they ever HAVE any brains to drain?

Redstone

[primavera]

9. That would be back before * replaced the professionals with appointees

Now that any pimply-faced, virginal teenager with a right-wing blog can be appointed head of an agency which once valued professionalism over ideology, you're right, brains are in terrifyingly short supply. But it wasn't always that way.

[zbdent]

4. Probably because

people don't want to be the fall guy for what's coming 11/8/2006 . . .

[Coastie for Truth]

5. Several explanations and exceptions

Exceptions

The Coast Guard has had its lowest attrition (highest retention) in years since Katrina. The local Chief of Staff was telling us that no aviators have left since Katrina. Coasties are strange - they're like Fire Fighters.

Caution: Senator John Ensign (R-NV) is trying to politicize the Coast Guard.

One Explanation

This Administation "requires" political loyalty - and they have left much of thethop levels of "Cyber Security" unfilled because the candidates have all been Democrats. The word out here is Silicon Valley is that Democratic "high tech" executives have a better shot with Gubernator Boobengrabber then with Chertoff.

[MadMaddie]

6. Who would want to work in an environment where you work

for people that are not experts in their field...but party Hacks (Brownie)

You simply cannot do your job.....without support...and I suspect a lot of these people are retiring or simply getting out because they see an implosion and utter destruction of the functionality of these organizations..

The US is in more peril than it has ever been even more the 9/11.

It will take decades to fix or just plain start over with some of these agencies.....

[Trillo]

7. Just walking away, eh? NT

[central scrutinizer]

8. Do the brains circle the drain clockwise or counterclockwise?

And would it be the opposite in Australia?

[jwirr]

11. No one wants to be a nazi enforcer.

[rodeodance]

12. must be difficult to work to these department.

[lakeguy]

13. they need to start teaching the bible in public schools!

if this would have started years ago, HS would have no problems!!:sarcasm:

[truthisfreedom]

14. real brains=liberals.it takes a limited mentality to be a committed bushie

and bushco relies on that.

[SoCalDem]

15. It was created to be "Tommy's Playhouse"..no wonder it's a mess

We don't NEED a "Homeland Security"..we already have one..have had for decades.. It's called The Department of Defense...

Just what had HS accomplished?

raised stock prices for companies that make and process:

tuna
plastic sheeting
gas masks
duck tape
bottled water
peanut butter


it brought out the creativity in millions of people who gleefully "corrected" the kindergarten-ish terror chart.. (why even put blue & green on it, Tommy?)

and it helped destroy lots of union jobs
in the restructuring..


anyone feel safer??

nope

[KansDem]

16. Wha...??? Bush run out of college chums? (eom)

[tanyev]

17. There can't be too many of them.

[Supersedeas]

23. Cronyism does have its limits

[lovuian]

18. I have friends in IT just waiting for good jobs!!!

HIRE THEM or do you want a brain drain!!! who would want to work for you guys!!!

[happydreams]

19. They need more pay.....

You couldn't pay me enough to work for these fascist, so its only logical to conclude these positions are underfunded. :sarcasm:

[54anickel]

20. Gee, you don't suppose now would be a good time to "hit" the US

do ya? Talk about risks and leaks regarding national security and all. :eyes: Is this going to be their next excuse?

[Bush_MUST_Go]

21. Maybe Bush can outsource HS to the UAE? *sarcasm*

[Lori Price CLG]

22. The *brain drain* started w. the White House, after the first Bush...

coup d'etat!

Cheers,
Lori Price

[hedgehog]

24. How many days until hurricane season starts again?

Sounds like FEMA is really going to be up and running this time around!