Agency Popularity Contests
I'm always both interested in and annoyed by Gallup's annual survey that seeks to measure how Americans view different parts of the federal government. It makes sense to me that the military is held in high esteem, if only because Americans are generally fond of their homeland, and even if they aren't fond of how the military is used, no one can really deny the sacrifice that members of the military make that most of us wouldn't. But I also think the fact that most Americans have no direct experience with the military or intelligence agencies (which also scored high this year) actually makes it easier for Americans to think highly of them.
Think of it this way. While Americans may have complex feelings about issues like the treatment of detainees, it's not an issue they're directly affected by. The Central Intelligence Agency isn't coming after you because they think you owe more taxes than you do. They aren't taking longer than you'd like to remediate a former industrial site you think might make a dandy playground for neighborhood kids. You never have to stand in line to mail a package to your aunt at a CIA field office. It's much harder to have a personal good experience of an institution you never interact with, but it's impossible to have a bad customer service experience with an agency that's totally inaccessible to you.
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Government Executive Editor in Chief Tom Shoop, along with other editors and staff correspondents, take a fresh look at news affecting the management and operations of the federal bureaucracy.
the agencies that rank highest with the taxpayers also work 24/7 don't worry about overtime and the words "its not my job" don't exist
dan m ketter Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2009 11:16 PMNot certain your analogy works. No, many Amaericans will never have contact with the CIA and therefore will be unable to ascertain their customer centric capabilities, what we do know is that the CIA and services like them can be graded on effectiveness of delivery. i.e. we haven't until recently been attacked here at home by extremists. The CIA goes out of its way to maintain a less than public profile while everybody knows a young man or women who is in uniform. Every day we're inundated with information on our service men and women while the CIA is silently going about its business of gathering intelligence and acting upon threats in a smaller more direct way. Our military is used to kill people and break things, and they do it better than any other service in the free world. Our CIA is used to gather intel, break things and kill people in a more personal direct way. Each has its uses and drawbacks. Both shouldn't be subject to a beauty contest. Both should be heralded for their contributions to a free country. While the IRS has a job collecting blood from a turnip, they also have an image problem that they in turn create. When your direct contact with the IRS, Social Security, or medicare representative leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, effective remediation on the part of the offender is seldom forthcoming. In all these situations Americans have opinions based both upon perception and reality. While perception can be directed, reality, i.e. 100 yr. old granny's house is taken for back taxes...reality sometimes leaves something to be desired.
Rick Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:10 AMI'm a 27 year retired veteran and also had fours in intel. Writer of this article is full of it. What a stupid thing to say.
JV Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:39 AMMs. Rosenberg, your rambling is inaccurate and irrelevant. The military and the intelligence agencies are held in high regard because Americans value the freedom they enjoy. Every American benefits directly from the existence and professional performance of our military and intelligence communities. Recommend you do your homework.
American Posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:06 AM