http://www.thebostonchannel.com/helenthomas/2453058/detail.htmlThe Bush administration is evoking "national security" as a powerful weapon to accomplish its twin goals of privatizing thousands of federal jobs and taking a whack at government unions.
The administration's sales pitch is to raise the specter of terrorism and 9-11 -- a surefire way to scare Congress into backing plans to gut the Civil Service system.
Congress passed the Civil Service Act in 1883 to end the spoils system, which based federal employment on nepotism and cronyism.
The bad old days may be returning. I note the lack of competitive bids on some government contracts to rebuild Iraq and the appearance of favoritism in the administration's decisions to award contracts to politically influential companies.