Washington's rare moment of reform 鈥� for itself
From the IRS abuse to a rise of sexual assaults in the military, Washington is taking time to fix its own problems. A bipartisan effort for reform should apply to fixing the nation's problems.
From the IRS abuse to a rise of sexual assaults in the military, Washington is taking time to fix its own problems. A bipartisan effort for reform should apply to fixing the nation's problems.
Little noticed in the political 鈥渟candals鈥� piling up for President Obama is one bright spot: Washington has finally taken time out from fixing the country鈥檚 problems to fixing its own. To most Americans, that鈥檚 long overdue.
From security lapses in the Benghazi attack to the rise of sex assaults in the military to the IRS abuse, Democrats and Republicans are singing a similar tune about reforming major parts of government. Partisan politics may still intone an off-key note, but at least the incessant gridlock over competing visions of what government should be doing for America has been temporarily usurped by an emerging consensus on what government should do for itself.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e being honest,鈥� Mr. Obama said in a May 5 commencement address, elected leaders should admit 鈥渢he institutions that give structure to our society have, at times, betrayed your trust.鈥�
Indeed, public trust in government is at a near-record low of 26 percent, according to a recent Pew poll. In exit polls during last November鈥檚 election, more than half of voters said government is doing too much.
Obama鈥檚 words, like those of other civic leaders with some humility, reflect the proverbial advice of 鈥減hysician, heal thyself.鈥� The State Department, for example, has admitted to 鈥渟ystemic failures鈥� and 鈥渕anagement deficiencies鈥� leading up to the terrorist attack on American diplomats in Libya last September. A Treasury probe of the IRS targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status found 鈥渋neffective management oversight.鈥� And Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, told the troops: 鈥淭he Army is failing in its efforts to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment.鈥�
Admitting past mistakes is halfway to fixing them. And these institutions have already shown some measure of self-correction. But left unsaid is that the size and complexity of government can sometimes lead to lapses in leadership.聽
鈥淧art of being president is that there鈥檚 so much beneath you that you can鈥檛 know because the government is so vast,鈥� said Obama adviser David Axelrod about these recent mistakes in federal agencies.
In history, advanced societies have often collapsed after adding solution on top of solution to problems, points out Joseph Tainter of Utah State University in his book 鈥淭he Collapse of Complex Societies.鈥� Governments find they have to command more resources just to maintain ever-more sophisticated systems, he found, based on studies of civilizations from the Roman Empire to the Mayan civilization.
In today鈥檚 world, mature democracies are in trouble over their governance abilities, warns the think tank Transatlantic Academy, an initiative of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. In a report, it states: 鈥淒emocratic governments often seem crippled in their capacity to deliver what their people want and need. They are neither as responsive nor as accountable as they need to be in an era of hard choices....鈥�
Mending government鈥檚 mistakes requires a humility to recognize them, a new appreciation for simplicity and innovation, and an occasional timeout from the normal business of social reform. Such moments also offer a rare opportunity for bipartisan momentum. Perhaps that spirit can last when Washington resumes debates on matters like immigration and background checks on gun purchases.