Transparency works…unlimited

To say that our government is plagued with questionable, unscrupulous practices is a cliché and for good reason, but one that is all too often and dismissively bestowed on politicians and government workers in general as if by mere association they are suddenly incapable of doing what’s right. The conspiracy theories are endless, but for the most part they exist because of a handful of people in high-level, “connected” positions choosing to do what they know is wrong. Call it corruption, call it incompetence, or call it politics, but please do not presume that everyone in government is dirty. Of course, if the shoe fits then back up and leave your muddy zories out front—but there are plenty of good people in government working to clean up the mess with brand-new quicker-picker-upper mopheads, buckets full of degreasing agents and windshield wipers, so everyone can view the results of their labor.

There is growing talk about the younger generation of upstarts causing the tremor that is to be a cleaner, more open government. The fact is, age has nothing to do with the movement in that direction—there are just as many, if not more, young knuckleheads as there are old ones. Since ever since, numerous people in government have been beating their heads against the same guarded walls of territorialism and other hollow-blocks of self-inflated egos. The endeavor is not new, but if the younger generations are to make any significant headway in the quest for better governance, they will need to connect with and build on existing foundations from the inside out…herein lies part of the problem.

For some insiders, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”… not my words, but relevant in the cases of so many of our pseudo-big-shots who have in some fashion or another made their way to the tops of our public hiring pools and subsequently lost sight of the reasons for their being there in the first place. These are the guys with questionable qualifications and limited skills who surround themselves with yes-men and expect people to bow in honor of their greatness…the same ones who pit people’s jobs against their constitutional rights or people’s fiduciary duties against personal loyalty, and the same ones who have caused a kind of snowball effect in the general negative impressions of our government. You know the type… the ones who get offended if you call them by their names instead of their titles, but can’t or won’t answer even the simplest question about the work they supposedly do and leave you questioning, “How in hell did they get the kinds of jobs they have?” These same guys thrive on perpetuating a climate of fear and uncertainty that keeps even the boldest of bold individuals walking on eggshells as not to risk their jobs. But that’s enough about those guys.

For what its worth, I’m writing to share some thoughts arising out of my involvement in various government boards, including the Council on Developmental Disabilities, the State Rehabilitation Council, and the Interagency Coordinating Council, to name a few. To be clear, I sit on these boards as a representative member for the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc., a non-profit organization also governed by a multi-member board of directors to which I report—not as a representative for myself.

The function of these boards is one of extreme importance in terms of accountability for both the programmatic and the fiscal management of their respective programs. Unfortunately these types of volunteer boards are not always effective in carrying their roles. For one thing, members often get tangled up in contrived, sometimes irrelevant nonsense (i.e., personality battles, contradicting agendas and cultural/personal loyalties) that we too lose sight of the primary purposes at hand. For another, members often don’t know enough about the inner workings of government policies, fiscal management concepts or personnel matters that they blindly accept their directors’ reports with no questions asked. This would be all well and good except that sometimes one of “those guys” gets in and, sadly, you just can’t take them at their word. That being said, you simply are not upholding your fiduciary duty if because you trust someone you (1) do not scrutinize his work and (2) have questions, but you don’t ask.

In the case of the Council on Developmental Disabilities, we find ourselves in the midst of a full-blown investigation into allegations that “there [was] misuse and abuse of federal funds in the programs under our care.” What comes of it, time will tell and hopefully justice will prevail. The good news is that a majority of the Council members did not cower behind cultural or personal loyalties; rather, we united and took specific actions as a collective body to address the issue as best we could. Still, the question remains: Have we learned our lessons clearly enough to be able to prevent such things from ever happening again? The forecast is good, but the final answer remains to be seen and one thing is for sure, if we keep doing the same things over and over again, we will keep getting the same results over and over again.

Whether it’s in [I]search of the rising tide[/I], a conviction to [I]stand strong[/I], or a new [I]blame game[/I], more and more people believe that transparency works…unlimited.

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A quick note about NMPASI and the 15-plus year history behind it: We continue to build upon a foundation that is deeply rooted in the collective efforts of its founders and its earliest employees, all of whom refused to allow disparate treatment of individuals with disabilities. As for transparency and how it applies to us, we practice what preach…there are no juicy secrets or hidden agendas.

For more on programs for individuals with disabilities and about NMPASI, feel free to call us at (670) 235-7273/4 [voice], 235-7278 [tty], 235-7275 [fax] or check us out on-line at www.nmpasi.com.

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