![\"Turmoil](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/credit-cbc.ca_.jpg\")
<\/a>Tur\u00admoil at the Depart\u00adment of Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty, an agency estab\u00adlished in response to the 9\/11 attacks, con\u00adtin\u00adued last night when Secret Ser\u00advice Direc\u00adtor Julia Pier\u00adson resigned under fire. [Cred\u00adit: cbc.ca]<\/p><\/div>The house al Qae\u00adda built \u2014 a sprawl\u00ading new head\u00adquar\u00adters for the Depart\u00adment of Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty, an agency cre\u00adat\u00aded in response to the Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 11 attacks \u2014 was sup\u00adposed to open next year.\n
It\u2019s just a bit behind sched\u00adule. Its open\u00ading is now slat\u00aded for 2026, 21 years after plan\u00adning began.<\/p>\n
Despite the project\u2019s glacial pace, it already is 36% over bud\u00adget, bal\u00adloon\u00ading to $4.5 bil\u00adlion from the pre\u00advi\u00adous esti\u00admate of $3.3 bil\u00adlion. Those esti\u00admates, accord\u00ading to the Gov\u00adern\u00adment Account\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty Office (GAO<\/span>), are \u201cunre\u00adli\u00adable\u201d [GAO<\/span> report<\/a>,<\/span> p. 1]. They have not been updat\u00aded to reflect \u201csig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant pro\u00adgram changes, includ\u00ading actu\u00adal costs\u201d [p. 1]. So the actu\u00adal cost of com\u00adplet\u00ading this project over the next 12 years is like\u00adly much more than $4.5 bil\u00adlion. If the facil\u00adi\u00adty is ever completed.<\/p>\n The Depart\u00adment of Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty (DHS<\/span>) is a case study in bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic mud\u00addle. Its Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal archi\u00adtects believed that cre\u00adat\u00ading a \u201csafer, more secure Amer\u00adi\u00adca<\/a>\u201d required gov\u00adern\u00adment to birth a new fed\u00ader\u00adal agency. Al Qae\u00adda inspires ter\u00adror; we con\u00adjure bureaucracies.<\/p>\n Or, more accu\u00adrate\u00adly, we reshuf\u00adfle exist\u00ading bureau\u00adcra\u00adcies. DHS<\/span>, for the most part, doesn\u2019t do any\u00adthing that gov\u00adern\u00adment wasn\u2019t already doing before its cre\u00adation. Con\u00adgress took 22<\/a> dif\u00adfer\u00adent enti\u00adties \u2013 every\u00adthing from the Secret Ser\u00advice to FEMA<\/span> to the Coast Guard to some\u00adthing called the Plum Island Ani\u00admal Dis\u00adease Cen\u00adter \u2013 away from their par\u00adent bureaus and cob\u00adbled them togeth\u00ader into the new depart\u00adment<\/a>. Islamists no doubt quail in fear when they see its orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal chart<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reor\u00adga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion of the fresh\u00adly orga\u00adnized agency soon became a pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpa\u00adtion of a series of DHS<\/span> Sec\u00adre\u00adtaries. Hur\u00adri\u00adcane Kat\u00adri\u00adna rav\u00adaged Louisiana just months after one such reor\u00adga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion<\/a> was announced and the ensu\u00ading bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic bed\u00adlam con\u00advinced the department\u2019s lead\u00ader\u00adship that fur\u00adther reor\u00adga\u00adniz\u00ading was needed.<\/p>\n Agency offi\u00adcials also con\u00adfront\u00aded the daunt\u00ading task of find\u00ading office space for employ\u00adees of the new\u00adly mint\u00aded depart\u00adment. DHS<\/span> head\u00adquar\u00adters employ\u00adees cur\u00adrent\u00adly occu\u00adpy 9 mil\u00adlion square feet of real estate in Wash\u00ading\u00adton and its envi\u00adrons, scat\u00adtered across 94 build\u00adings and 50 loca\u00adtions [p. 4]. Gov\u00adern\u00adment offi\u00adcials plau\u00adsi\u00adbly argued that hous\u00ading much of the DHS<\/span> head\u00adquar\u00adters staff on a sin\u00adgle cam\u00adpus would increase its orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal effi\u00adcien\u00adcy and reduce its real estate costs. They just can\u2019t seem to make it happen.<\/p>\n Plan\u00adning began in 2005. It took three years to select a site: the west\u00adern por\u00adtion of a large prop\u00ader\u00adty that once includ\u00aded the nation\u2019s old\u00adest insti\u00adtu\u00adtion for the men\u00adtal\u00adly ill. Its most famous res\u00adi\u00addent was John Hinck\u00adley, Pres\u00adi\u00addent Reagan\u2019s would-be assas\u00adsin. Bad karma.<\/p>\n It should be not\u00aded that DHS<\/span> chose the site in con\u00adjunc\u00adtion with the Gen\u00ader\u00adal Ser\u00advices Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion (GSA<\/span>), the fed\u00ader\u00adal agency tasked with mak\u00ading gov\u00adern\u00adment pro\u00adcure\u00adments more effi\u00adcient. GSA\u2019s involve\u00adment did\u00adn\u2019t improve things much. From its incep\u00adtion in 2005, fed\u00ader\u00adal audi\u00adtors placed the project on their \u201chigh-risk\u201d list [p. 1]. It has lived down to expec\u00adta\u00adtions. The GAO<\/span> report cat\u00ada\u00adlogs a lengthy list of fail\u00adures by DHS<\/span> and its GSA<\/span> min\u00adders that con\u00adtributed to delays and cost overruns..<\/p>\n DHS<\/span> blames Con\u00adgress for the cost over\u00adruns and decade-long delays. It is cer\u00adtain\u00adly true that Con\u00adgress hasn\u2019t pro\u00advid\u00aded the full amount of mon\u00adey that the agency request\u00aded. Enti\u00adtle\u00adment spend\u00ading pro\u00adgrams like Social Secu\u00adri\u00adty, Medicare and Med\u00adic\u00adaid, along with inter\u00adest pay\u00adments on our $17 tril\u00adlion debt now con\u00adsume 78 per\u00adcent of fed\u00ader\u00adal rev\u00adenues. That leaves lit\u00adtle mon\u00adey for things like the DHS<\/span> con\u00adstruc\u00adtion project, even after account\u00ading for recent tax increas\u00ades and a gov\u00adern\u00adment bor\u00adrow\u00ading binge.<\/p>\n But it is also true that DHS<\/span>\u2019s slop\u00adpi\u00adness, inef\u00adfi\u00adcien\u00adcy and incom\u00adpe\u00adtence have tar\u00adnished Con\u00adgres\u00adsion\u00adal per\u00adcep\u00adtions of the agency, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly since the department\u2019s defi\u00adcien\u00adcies are not con\u00adfined to this one project. GAO<\/span> notes that \u201cmost of DHS<\/span>\u2019s acqui\u00adsi\u00adtion pro\u00adgrams con\u00adtin\u00adue to cost more than expect\u00aded, take longer to deploy than planned, or deliv\u00ader less capa\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty than promised.\u201d [p. 2]<\/p>\n Agency morale fur\u00adther evi\u00addences its malaise. The Wash\u00ading\u00adton Post<\/a> recent\u00adly report\u00aded that near\u00adly one-third of the department\u2019s senior lead\u00ader\u00adship has left in the past four years. The arti\u00adcle attrib\u00adut\u00ades the depar\u00adtures to \u201cwhat employ\u00adees wide\u00adly describe as a dys\u00adfunc\u00adtion\u00adal work envi\u00adron\u00adment, abysmal morale, and the lure of pri\u00advate secu\u00adri\u00adty com\u00adpa\u00adnies pay\u00ading top dol\u00adlar that have pro\u00adlif\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded in Wash\u00ading\u00adton since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n The exo\u00addus has cre\u00adat\u00aded a revolv\u00ading door of tem\u00adpo\u00adrary direc\u00adtors at the high\u00adest lev\u00adels, com\u00adpro\u00admis\u00ading its mis\u00adsion. \u201cThe department\u2019s ter\u00adror\u00adism intel\u00adli\u00adgence arm,\u201d the arti\u00adcle notes, \u201chas cycled through six direc\u00adtors dur\u00ading the Oba\u00adma admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion, dec\u00adi\u00admat\u00ading morale and con\u00adtribut\u00ading to months-long delays in releas\u00ading intel\u00adli\u00adgence reports.\u201d Cyber\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adri\u00adty efforts also have been ham\u00adpered by flag\u00adging morale, accord\u00ading to the report.<\/p>\n It would go too far to sug\u00adgest that what one for\u00admer offi\u00adcial describes as \u201ca tox\u00adic cul\u00adture\u201d is the cause of recent DHS<\/span> laps\u00ades. The list of those laps\u00ades is nonethe\u00adless trou\u00adbling. It includes fail\u00adure to antic\u00adi\u00adpate and respond effec\u00adtive\u00adly to the mas\u00adsive migra\u00adtion of chil\u00addren from Cen\u00adtral Amer\u00adi\u00adca across our bor\u00adder (the respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of DHS<\/span>\u2019s Immi\u00adgra\u00adtion and Cus\u00adtoms Enforce\u00adment), as well as a fright\u00aden\u00ading series of fail\u00adures by the Secret Ser\u00advice, also part of DHS<\/span>, that led to the res\u00adig\u00adna\u00adtion<\/a> of its director.<\/p>\n DHS<\/span> dys\u00adfunc\u00adtion is a cau\u00adtion\u00adary tale for those who believe in the capac\u00adi\u00adty of gov\u00adern\u00adment to achieve its stat\u00aded objec\u00adtives. Cre\u00adat\u00ading an agency, entrust\u00ading it with a sweep\u00ading and impor\u00adtant mis\u00adsion, and endow\u00ading it with tens of thou\u00adsands of employ\u00adees and a size\u00adable bud\u00adget is risky busi\u00adness. We should not expect effi\u00adcien\u00adcy from gov\u00adern\u00adment because it is a monop\u00adoly. It has no com\u00adpeti\u00adtors and needn\u2019t per\u00adsuade you to part with your mon\u00adey. It can there\u00adfore be expect\u00aded to behave as a monop\u00ado\u00adlist: it will be prof\u00adli\u00adgate, clum\u00adsy and cost\u00adly, regard\u00adless of the nobil\u00adi\u00adty of its mis\u00adsion and the puri\u00adty of its intentions.<\/p>\n In mat\u00adters of nation\u00adal secu\u00adri\u00adty, we must resign our\u00adselves to this inevitabil\u00adi\u00adty. Pro\u00adtect\u00ading its cit\u00adi\u00adzens is among government\u2019s core func\u00adtions, even if it does not per\u00adform these func\u00adtions opti\u00admal\u00adly. But gov\u00adern\u00adment does not lim\u00adit its diet to core func\u00adtions. Its appetite to spend is omniv\u00ado\u00adrous, and it often spends on friv\u00ado\u00adli\u00adties. Wit\u00adness the gov\u00adern\u00admen\u00adt\u2019s patron\u00adage of the turgid\u00adly named musi\u00adcal, \u201cThe Great Immen\u00adsi\u00adty<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Financed by a $700,000 grant from the Nation\u00adal Sci\u00adence Foun\u00adda\u00adtion, the musi\u00adcal report\u00aded\u00adly fea\u00adtured a char\u00adac\u00adter named Karl, who aban\u00addons his wife and his sweet gig with \u201cShark Week\u201d because the pro\u00adgram devotes too lit\u00adtle atten\u00adtion to glob\u00adal cli\u00admate change. The play chron\u00adi\u00adcles his wife Phyllis\u2019s search for her hus\u00adband, who thought\u00adful\u00adly leaves behind a jar of his frozen sperm, since the cou\u00adple had been plan\u00adning to start a family.<\/p>\n Karl, mean\u00adwhile \u201cdis\u00adap\u00adpears with a 15-year-old \u2018Earth Ambas\u00adsador\u2019 for the UN<\/span>, Julie, who con\u00advinces him to stage a kid\u00adnap\u00adping of young chil\u00addren dur\u00ading a glob\u00adal cli\u00admate sum\u00admit, on the emi\u00adnent\u00adly ratio\u00adnal assump\u00adtion that such an event would make the world act on glob\u00adal warm\u00ading,\u201d accord\u00ading to an account pub\u00adlished in the Wash\u00ading\u00adton Free Bea\u00adcon<\/a>.<\/p>\n With such a com\u00adpelling sto\u00adry line, how could the Nation\u00adal Sci\u00adence Foun\u00adda\u00adtion not have green-light\u00aded this cre\u00adative effort to win souls to faith in cli\u00admate change? And yet, the play died after just one night in Kansas City, the first leg of what was to have been a nation\u00adal tour.<\/p>\n Tales of improv\u00adi\u00addent gov\u00adern\u00adment spend\u00ading fill vol\u00adumes<\/a>. So long as there is gov\u00adern\u00adment, its waste will con\u00adtin\u00adue to flow. Gov\u00adern\u00adment is not a busi\u00adness and it is unrea\u00adson\u00adable to expect it to func\u00adtion like one. Busi\u00adness\u00ades face exis\u00adten\u00adtial threats. Even large and suc\u00adcess\u00adful com\u00adpa\u00adnies fail. They must com\u00adpete and evolve to sur\u00advive. Gov\u00adern\u00adment faces no such threat, nor do mil\u00adlions of its employ\u00adees face the real\u00adis\u00adtic prospect of being fired. Watch\u00addog agen\u00adcies and inspec\u00adtors gen\u00ader\u00adal can iden\u00adti\u00adfy some inef\u00adfi\u00adcien\u00adcy and waste. Effec\u00adtive admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtors might reduce it, but they can\u00adnot elim\u00adi\u00adnate it. Gov\u00adern\u00adment will con\u00adtin\u00adue to squan\u00adder resources that would oth\u00ader\u00adwise have been put to more pro\u00adduc\u00adtive use.<\/p>\n To lim\u00adit its waste, we must lim\u00adit its scope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The house al Qae\u00adda built \u2014 a sprawl\u00ading new head\u00adquar\u00adters for the Depart\u00adment of Home\u00adland Secu\u00adri\u00adty, an agency cre\u00adat\u00aded in response to the Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 11 attacks \u2014 was sup\u00adposed to open next year. It\u2019s just a bit behind sched\u00adule. Its open\u00ading \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading