Bring Back the Bureaucrats | National Catholic Reporter

Bring Back the Bureaucrats | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: There are many contractor horror stories - but many of them predated the decline in the federal workforce.   The AEC and now DOE have always been contractor driven, as have defense contracts for developing and buidling airplanes, tanks and dams.  There are problems with this approach, but I can't see having the Air Force build its own planes.  Financially, health care reform was a game changer.  Because it is based on the Federal Employees Health Benefit program, there will be little difference between government and retiree care and what is available in the private market.  Indeed, most government contracts have exceptional care - and not that different from what the Feds get.  FERS has a small pension, a larger savings plan and mostly Social Security.  Ditto for private contractors.  What insourcing will do is bring in more accountability to the work and more rights for the workers (contractor employees can be escorted out for insubordination when insubordination is simply answering a question honestly).  The real difference is that CEOs in contractor firms make lots and lots of money - although there are caps.  Their job is to market their company to do work.  Insourcing eliminates that need.