Posted on 05/04/2012 8:54:01 PM PDT by Lmo56
It’s not an illusion.
Just weeks after the General Services Administration sparked controversy for hiring mind readers and clowns to take part in a lavish training event in Las Vegas, it turns out that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted, and has now cancelled, an ad seeking a magician motivational speaker for a June leadership conference.
The agency’s ad, which was cancelled after news of it appeared in Government Executive magazine and was criticized by lawmakers, called for “physical energizers, magic tricks, puzzles, brain teasers, word games, humor and teambuilding exercises.” The performer was asked to create “a unique model of translating magic and principals of the psychology of magic, magic tools, techniques and experiences into a method of teaching leadership.” An NOAA spokesperson told the Post that no speakers had been confirmed or hired and that the “process surrounding the solicitation” had been referred to NOAA officials for review.
What’s most remarkable about the listing is not the cost, even if critics of government waste might balk at the price tag for the magician, which has been reported as $3,500 and $5,000. That’s not that much money for a training program, at least in comparison to the GSA event. And it’s not the sheer absurdity of deciding to hire a magician for a government leadership conference in the wake of the GSA scandal, even if that’s pretty astounding, too. (One would think the opprobrium the GSA has experienced would stop any thoughtful meeting planner, at least for the foreseeable future, from trying to hire someone for a government leadership conference who combines motivational speaking with anything other than, well, speaking — but the ad was reportedly placed on May 1, weeks after the GSA scandal erupted.)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Down here at the worker bee level where I am, we find these actions absolutely intolerable. They tell us we have to suffer cuts to critical systems and mission essential manpower, then they turn right around and do stuff like this.
Now if that magician could make upper management disappear, it would be money well spent.
And these are the “leaders,” heaven help us!
IMO all travel and meetings by all government employees should be cancelled until further notice. If there is something everyone needs to know, send an email or a fax. The other thing that needs to happen is to immediately cancel all credit cards issued to all government employee. If Congressmen need to visit somewhere just one needs to go and they can come back and report to the rest of the group. All of this is just absolutely ridiculous. They may be morons but they have been getting away with this for a lot of years.
Wow! They made the magician disappear.
Senators and Congressmen travel on fact-finding missions to Paris, London, Jamaica, Brazil, and Thailand each year. It’s the same issue with these guys.
“IMO all travel and meetings by all government employees should be cancelled until further notice. If there is something everyone needs to know, send an email or a fax. “
The company I work for, like virtually every company anyone owns, manages, or works for here, has tightened the belt considerably, and travel is approved ONLY when there is no other choice. We do this, so that these M#@-$#$%$ can do “Important Govenment Work” with our savings.
On another subject - pity the poor magicians and mind-readers. What are they going to do for a living now????? I suspect that ANY company will consider such entertainment “frivolous and wasteful” from here on out.
Senators and Congressmen travel on fact-finding missions...”
This is one of the issues that has always really irked me. I worked for a large corporation where I had to travel from Monday to Friday and now own a small business so know quite well the costs associated with business travel. Most facts can be found by means other than traveling to the site given today’s technological advances. It is just another way for Senators and Congressmen to travel on my dime and game the system. I don’t even want to think about how much money BO and the first family waste on their constant traveling.
“Leadership conferences” and various other types of “conferences” are a perquisite of the upper echelons of the Nomenklatura. As an example the US justice department spent $121m on more than 1,800 conferences in 2008 and 2009. It spent $600,000 just on planning for five conferences. Multiply that by hundreds of other departments and agencies. There is no problem with this spending because it is not their money. Besides it stimulates the economy. I am sure an economics expert like Nancy Pelosi could determine that $1.00 in “conference” expenditures generates $1.86 in economic activity. These “conferences” accomplish nothing. They are just an excuse to party. When light shines on these activities the roaches head for the cracks in the wall. It will not last. As Jeff Neely, GSA Regional Commissioner, pointed out, “why not enjoy it while we have it and while we can. Ain’t gonna last forever.”
Not all government workers are morons.
I are one.
I are one.
One what?
I wouldn't be surprised to find that the ad was cover to get competitive bids for some crony that they have already chosen. I'll bet he's already hired. He may now tone down his act to down play the magic part.
If they need a magician, they could hire Michael Mann. He can make data appear and disappear at his command. He was even able to hide the decline. And if they need a clown, there’s a guy named Hansen who works for NASA.
Most middle management is a part of the problem and needs to be eliminated.
In our organization we eliminated meetings simply by eliminating almost all middle managers. All that was left was workers who had real work to do.
If senior management needs data they have to get on the computer system and find it for themselves.
One what?
Exactly
Thanks for the information. I have had some rather heated discussions with Pete Olson our Rep re how one goes about cutting expenses and prioritizing. Seems the general thinking is that the “small” stuff doesn’t matter and so they focus on the “big” stuff. Huge philosophical differences in how one balances income versus expense and how you establish spending priorities. But then most of us in the real world have to do this every day to one extent or another.
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