Miscellaneous

FOIA, I hardly know ya! (Yearly Report Card on Federal Government’s efforts to track and manage Freedom of Information Act requests)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests are a critical element of business development and capture. This is how you learn about a pursuit’s history and your competition. The problem is – FOIA requests are tricky: They take forever to obtain – so someone needs to carefully track them and follow up relentlessly to getRead… Read more »

Outraged by the GSA spending scandal? Insights from a former GSA Commissioner

The DorobekINSIDER Issue of the Week: The Washington Post has declared that GSA clearly had the worst week in Washington. This week, GSA administrator Martha Johnson resigned amid allegations of excessive spending at a conference. GSA Inspector General Brian Miller issued a report detailing contracting irregularities and excessive spending after a Las Vegas conference. TheRead… Read more »

Challenge: Be Happy at Work

A good friend of mine sent me this article, and thought its recommendations worth trying out for a week: Inc.com – “How to Be Happy at Work”. Here are my top five new rules: I keep my morning hug and kiss from my bride and kids with me all day I count the number ofRead… Read more »

Navy Launches Public Wargame About U.S. Energy Crisis

Mark Drapeau (Washington, DC) — In May 2012, the U.S. Navy will launch a week-long multiplayer online wargame in order to tackle America’s energy crisis as a national security issue. This effort is being spearheaded by the Department of Innovation of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), an academic-oriented applied research facility based on theRead… Read more »

Should Government Reorganize Itself? (Part III)

The political winds are blowing favorably for government reorganization for the first time since Jimmy Carter’s efforts in the 1970s. As a result, the conversation on government reorganization is shifting from “should we” to “how do we” reorganize. What are some of the lessons from past efforts? At one point, the advice was: don’t doRead… Read more »

Why Romney’s Inauthenticity Will Doom Him to Defeat in November

Fresh off of his Super Tuesday “victories,” Mitt Romney was so desperately pleading his case that he was the inevitable winner of the Republican Presidential Primary, yet the results in Mississippi and Alabama reveal that the electorate is not ready to bestow that title upon him. While his wealth and political machinery may provide himRead… Read more »

Parity in Politics—Why Women Don’t Want It

Marking the 20-year anniversary of the Year of the Woman, Karen Tumulty’s front-page Washington Post article details the never-ending challenges of gender parity in American politics. While an informative piece about the United States’ 78th world ranking in woman’s representation in national legislatures, tied with Turkmenistan for those keeping track, it reflects a flawed conventionalRead… Read more »