Last month, President Obama signed into law a bill that tells Uncle Sam to speak and write plainly. The bill echoed Obama’s executive order in May instructing agencies to write job announcements in clear language.
Unfortunately, one smart-ass TSAer at BWI airport didn’t get the memos. Happily, her supervisor did. The New York Times reports:
The many people in line, grim-faced but uncomplaining, were met first by Jennifer Adams, 33, who assessed each traveler with a smile and a subtlety that suggested she was merely an official greeter. She joined the T.S.A. eight years ago, after earning a college degree in communications management, and has risen to become a supervisory behavior detection officer.
What does that mean?“I’m entrusted to report here and protect the homeland,” she said.
“Give a real answer,” Mr. Burdette advised.
“I look for anomalies in the behaviors of the flying public,” Ms. Adams said. A coat too heavy for the season. Averted eyes when asked about carry-on luggage. “Anything that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” she said.
That’s awesome – plain language
Too funny. Couldn’t have said it better.
I would love to just see a website with a similar description for every federal employee job. It would be a lot of work but a gov jobs dictionary written plainly could be an awesome resource.