I’m intrigued by the idea of a U.S. Public Service Academy, as described by the Washington Post recently. The idea is to act on George Washington’s proposal that the nation needs a university dedicated to training public servants, in the style of France’s Ecole Nationale d’Administration. I would have loved to have gone to college at just such a place. The university’s backers are asking supporters to sign a petition advocating for the university’s creation.
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Sounds like a good idea, but runs contrary to the concept public service should be something given by those whose professions aren’t exactly government (i.e. lawyers, doctors, teachers, ex-military, businessmen, etc.), and not exactly a profession unto itself.
I would like to think the United States wouldn’t need a crack army of specialized bureaucrats to get government moving… sounds entirely antithetical to the Jeffersonian ideal, IMO. ‘Byzantine’ is the word that best comes to mind.
With the exception of nuclear power and tasteful cleavage I can’t think of anything in France that we need more of here.
Then you ought to get out of your mother’s basement a little more often.
~
I’m torn on the idea of a public service academy. In many ways, we do have a few similar (private) institutions in the Kennedy School of Gov’t or G’town’s Foreign Service school. But they certainly aren’t as accessible as I understand the French school to be, nor are they as focused on generating actual entrance into public service.
I sure would like to send appointees through (at least) six months at a public service academy, though.
Send ’em to Sorenson!
Thanks for commenting on the Public Service Academy, Waldo. This little idea that my friend Shawn Raymond and I have been advocating for the past 18 months has really taken off. Why? Partly because it fills a real need — we face massive and growing shortages in the public sector, and too many of our existing universities, alas, have (with many exceptions) abandoned their traditional role of instilling a sense of civic obligation in their graduates. But it has taken off also because it resonates with young people who yearn for more ways to serve our country, and they recognize the symbolic power of creating a civilian counterpart to our five military academies.
The Public Service Academy is not modeled on the French ENA (though the knee-jerk anti-French strain in American society is rather amusing) but rather on our own traditions. Jefferson, remember, wanted to build a national civilian university even before he built UVA.
I encourage your readers to read our Draft Blueprint:
http://www.uspublicserviceacademy.org/learn
Thanks!
Chris Myers Asch
What’s this country coming to when you can’t even take a shot at the French without drawing return fire?
Seriously though, I can see how the idea for a PSA might appeal to liberals. It would churn out a couple thousand bright-eyed, smart, idealistic young bureaucrats every year determined to increase the size and reach of the Leviathan. Oh, all at taxpayer expense. But what’s another couple billion a year between countrymen?
It was said that “too many of our existing universities, alas, have (with many exceptions) abandoned their traditional role of instilling a sense of civic obligation in their graduates.” Does that mean like how most of the Ivy League bars ROTC from campus?
There are innumerable existing ways that young people can serve their country in a civilian capacity without the establishment of a PSA to catch the overflow of applicants who didn’t get into Harvard, Yale, etc.
Your stereotype is about six years out of date. :)
When I read this:
It would churn out a couple thousand bright-eyed, smart, idealistic young bureaucrats every year determined to increase the size and reach of the Leviathan.
I thought we were talking about Regent and Bob Jones U. My bad, wrong thread. :)
Well who exactly do you think a national government academy would appeal to? A bunch of Tom Coburn clones with a libertarian streak? Come on.
Anybody interested in serving their nation as a public servant. Is that a partisan issue?
If you have any data demonstrating that the great majority of federal government employees are Democrats, I’d be interested to see it.
Yes, yes the federal bureaucracy is a hotbed of rock-ribbed conservatism. That’s why DC along with suburban VA and MD are GOP strongholds.
You know, I think it is. How many decades has the GOP run on the Government is Evil and Public Servants are Lazy platform?
You did go to school at such a place Waldo – Ut Prosim.
Looks like you got a few other skills in the bargain!