Thursday, August 25, 2011

Unmarried marriage counselors running our government

It's always been a favorite expression of mine and I use it to describe the sheer incompetency of typical management in top-heavy bureaucracies, corporations and organizations.

Perhaps no organization epitomizes this better than the Federal Aviation Administration.

I have some business with them and was trying to trace down the number of the specific "in-charge" administrator I need to talk to. He's a helluva good guy, helluva good pilot and very good at what he does for the FAA, which deals with pilots.

Having worked for the government myself (Department of Justice), I knew the routine--find a main office, grab a number and start calling and asking each de-successive person for the number of the next de-successive person until you get the person you need.

This technique works incredibly well in the government because just as shit rolls downhill, there is nothing a bureaucrat loves more than passing a problem on to the next person below them. That seems to empower them.

Finally, I get the number I'm looking for, but while I was on hold each of the de-successive six times working my way down the typical government flow chart, I got on the internet and looked up the regional directors and read their bios.

Now, keep in mind that in the FAA, the second "A" stands for AVIATION. That means pilots. It means airplanes. People who fly airplanes. People who work on airplanes. People who facilitate airplanes and those who fly them, fly on them and work on them at places called AIRPORTS.

With that in mind, here is the bio of the Southwest Regional director or ringmaster or whatever you want to call her. Note that in the bio, you will see no mention of her credentials as a pilot, air traffic controller, engineer, mechanic, flight surgeon (medical) or anything like that.

What you'll see is what really matters to the government: Diversity and bureaucratic bullshit, of which this woman has a mountain of.

Read for yourself:

In September 2007, Jane Doe was appointed to serve as the Regional Administrator.

In November 2006, she was appointed to serve as the Deputy Regional Administrator for FAA’s Southwest Region headquartered in Fort Worth. The Southwest Region encompasses Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In this capacity, she assisted the Regional Administrator in maintaining oversight and appraising overall mission accomplishments for this 4,600-person region. Additional responsibilities include interfacing with industry, the public and Congressional offices and other government agencies at the regional level. In addition she served as the Regional Emergency Transportation Coordinator for the Department of Transportation, Region VI.

Prior to this appointment, she served as Regional Executive Manager, managing and directing the daily operations of regional headquarters personnel in logistics, financial and information management, operations center, executive staff, charter program office, and runway incursions.

Prior to these assignments, Ms. Doe was Division Manager, Human Resource Management Division, FAA Southwest Region, for 10 years. In this position, she served on many national level teams and actively promoted programs within Human Resource Management Division and the FAA for hiring and career advance for people with disabilities and people of color.

And people wonder what is wrong with our country today? Look who the hell we have administering to our infrastructure! It's no wonder we have a gazillion-trillion dollar debt.

With bozos like this running this large of a region of just ONE of a myriad of government offices, you're going to have problems. I seriously doubt this woman knows the difference between a tampon and a pitot tube or a departure stall versus a power-off stall, but she is administering almost five-thousand other federal aviation staffers, of which I'll also wager that less than a fifth know a damn thing about airplanes, flying them, fixing them, etc.

The bad thing is that at our general aviation airport, I'm constantly running into recently separated military types--pilots and mechanics and controllers, etc--who would love to transfer their military skills and experience into the FAA.

When I ask them how the application process is going, almost every single one of them in the past ten years has thrown up their hands and basically said, "Screw the FAA," and then gone on to work for the airlines or elsewhere in the private sector.

Is it really any wonder, with this head-up-the-ass mentality that we, as a nation, are where we are in the arena of absolute government incompetence.

If you still don't believe me, just take a look at our Chief Executive.

He's the biggest unmarried marriage counselor in the nation.

11 comments:

TXGunGeek said...

"I seriously doubt this woman knows the difference between a tampon and a pitot tube or a departure stall versus a power-off stall, but she is administering almost five-thousand other federal aviation staffers, of which I'll also wager that less than a fifth know a damn thing about airplanes, flying them, fixing them, etc."

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel. Ii have a student worker who just spent the last year fighting with the FAA over his medical. (Blood sugar issues) talking to him and his endocrinologist, the FAA's requirements make no sense about the numbers they want.

Divine Theatre said...

It is highly important tha we fill the FAA with people who have disabilities and those
"of color" so it can be more effective!

Ahahahahahahaha!

I HATE Affirmative Action! Imagine what our GDP would be without such limitations?

An Ordinary American said...

TxGunGeek,

There is no Hell like the one you experience arguing with the FAA on medical issues.

Cubicle doctors will be the ruination of us all and in all facets of our life.

I'm not even sure why people go to medical school anymore. All they do is end being second-guessed and arguing with cubicle doctors who work for government agencies or insurance companies.

I firmly believe you should not be able to render one damned medical opinion, diagnosis, treatment, suggestion, recommendation, etc unless you are a practicing MD with a current patient list.

But again, cubicle doctors are unmarried marriage counselors.

Divine,

Agree. Funny how "grading on a curve," and teaching down to the lowest common denominator came about as the same time as so many other "social equality" programs.

Rather than lifting certain segments of minority communities UP, the liberals want to keep them DOWN and they do that by dragging everyone else down.

After all, a dumb person knows no better. . .

--AOA

Old NFO said...

AOA- All I can do is agree, because if I tried to say what I think, I'd have bleep the whole bleeping thing...

kx59 said...

if you can't cut it in the real world, you can teach, If you can't cut it as a teacher, you can work for the gubmint. If you can't hack that, you can make a cardboard sign and panhandle on the median, and really cash in.
When I saw the post title it immediately brought to mind a psychology major that was an acquaintance in college. She was working towards becoming a marriage counselor. She was married. Her husband was the most miserable person, and the most miserable example of a man I have met yet.
She was a beauty, but boy I pitied that guy, and thanked my lucky stars.
shite floats.

An Ordinary American said...

Old NFO,

I figured you'd appreciate all the ironies that come with "FAA Management." Most aviators I know cringe at the word. . .

kx,

We used to have a saying in the U.S. Marshals: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can do neither end up us government managers."

Don't lump the worker bees in the government in with the bureaucrats/managers. There are some real professionals doing government jobs because they believe in the job and the mission.

I've got friends who are Special Agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who are playing pure bloody hell with both the poachers AND the radical environmentalists who spike trees in order to cause injury or death to loggers, etc etc.

I've got several very good friends who are senior field officers with the CIA in the DO. They are exceptional at what they do and they despise their PC, testicle-less bosses as much as we do.

But "government manager?" That's as big of an oxymoron as "Senate Intelligence Committee."

--AOA

Anonymous said...

I saw one of the typical news ragsheets as I cruised the supermarket. It breathlessly proclaimed, "Meet Your New Boss! She's Twenty-Something, Bold, Blah Blah Blah!"

I know I am a sexist pig, but dammit, I won't work for most women. They are more concerned about office politics and pecking orders than the friggin job most of the time. If you put a 24 year old tart in charge of me I would quit. Been there, done that, and I ain't doing it again.

Divine Theatre said...

Anonymous,
Lest we forget the myriad phonecalls to their unsupervised, fatherless, feral children...

Anonymous said...

You substituted the name "Jane Doe" once, but left "Ms. Bruner" in the last paragraph. Not sure if that was intentional.

An Ordinary American said...

Anon,

Oops. Not intentional. Removing it now. . .

--AOA

IrvineMarriageCounselor said...

It is highly important tha we fill the FAA with people who have disabilities and those
"of color" so it can be more effective!

irvine marriage counselor