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White House Wants To Borrow Tech Workers From Google and Amazon, Says Report (cnet.com)
"According to CNET, TechCrunch and others, the Trump administration reportedly wants tech giants to make it easy for workers to take leaves of absence to help the government modernize," writes Slashdot reader kimanaw. From a report: White House officials on Monday planned to meet with tech giants including Google, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM, to discuss ways to make it easier for employees to take leaves of absence to help with government projects, according to The Washington Post. The administration reportedly hopes tech industry workers will be able to help modernize state and federal agencies and tackle challenges such as upgrading the veterans' health care system. Attracting tech talent may prove difficult for the Trump administration, which hasn't always seen eye to eye with Silicon Valley on issues such as the president's ban on travel from predominantly Muslim countries. However, White House officials believe tech workers are willing to "put politics aside." "This event on Monday is not just about our efforts, it's about our successor, and their successor after that," said one unnamed official, according to the Post. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
Or.. they could just pay the corporations to use their workers? Say like.. contract work? You know.. how capitalism work, and not, dare I say it.. communism?
Government should not use its power to carve out an exception for government with regards to labor. That's really all there is to it. They should work within existing rules. Now government should use its purchasing power to obtain the best deal for taxpayers for whatever is being purchased, that is no different than literally every person/company/etc in the universe. It is also fair game to do the math and estimate whether a foreign purchase really saves money by the time you calculate the money coming back in taxes. That is simply balancing the books.
Basically if government bids out a competition with Google and all the rest for IT help, then that is fair game. If government says, you have to let your workers take a leave of absence at any time to help government, it is not. People are welcome to try to ask their employers for a leave of absence for whatever they want, but employers should be under no responsibility to say yes if it is for government. I don't particularly care if the government is paying the workers or not, as long as they aren't compelled.
One area I might see an exception for is when someone wants to work for a political campaign, and then it would be a once in a lifetime unpaid leave of absence for a reasonable time. My theory there is that there is a prevailing public interest to get average people involved in politics.
Ethically, I don't think anyone should come within a mile of the current government unless they are working to stop the corruption. They are Evil. There is just no other word for it. This level of lies, corruption, threatening journalists, threatening political opponents, more lies, etc, etc is unforgivable, and treasonous by the ordinary definition of the word. (The one in the constitution is pickier, and it would likely not be there.)
In short, the next election is about simply human decency and ethics. One side has it. The other sound shouts loudly from the rooftop that they have it.
We mocked Baghdad Bob before we hired one.
Funny, I remember in school learning how evil it was to black list actors based on their political views. So now IT and Hollywood brag about black listing based on political views.
Interesting.
Silly, it's OK when we do it!
"White House officials believe tech workers are willing to "put politics aside.""
Politics, yes, But not rabid nationalism, raping the environment for personal gain, hating on different cultures/religions/sexual orientations, dumping on women and setting the world on a war footing –NO!
You are 1. assuming what you are trying to prove, and 2. literally engaging in politics.
thankfully
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
However, White House officials believe tech workers are willing to "put politics aside."
Nope. No way in hell I'd do anything to support that evil bastard or anything in his agenda, whether it's good or bad.
- Vincit qui patitur.
The myth that the private sector is made up of wonderfully efficient and capable people is easily disproved. Look at your private sector coworkers, and consider the private sector coworkers you've had in the past. Most likely they were not all paragons of efficiency and virtue.
...compared to most government/civil-service workers? In that light, hell yes they're paragons of efficiency and virtue. :/
I do agree that you can't simply toss money at a group of people and expect them to crap out a perfect vision or solution. Takes a lot of guidance and clear communication along the way. It also takes the removal of the shit-ton of regulatory barriers that most governmental institutions are weighed down with (for even the most trivial of things...)
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?