Holding Back....

Yes, I am holding back. I know that there are those of you who are wondering why you haven't heard from me in a couple of weeks. I have been in the government service for many years now, longer than most marriages last. I came from the private sector, running my own business. I now know why so many people who work for the government become nothing but 8-5 bureaucrats. The reason is that so many of the people in charge (not all) are bureaucrats that don't care about doing a good job. All they want to do is get to retirement and along the way promote other bureaucrats that know more about kissing !## than kicking it.

It is a shame. With the creation of DHS and the nebulous result, you really need leaders to bring the agencies out of the mire. We just don't have very many real leaders. The same is true with CBP, and it hurts. I guess that I haven't made it to bureaucrat yet, because it really hurts. I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine a couple of years ago. We hold the same values about the use of common sense and the importance of interdiction. We agreed that it would be very hard to leave the agency after 9/11. We were both doing important work to protect the nation and felt that we were making a difference, leading others in a good direction. I am not so sure that I feel that way anymore. The bureaucrats keep throwing up roadblocks and this is not a fiction novel where the good guys always win. I believe in shooting straight and telling the truth. I was raised that way and I sleep well at night because of it, but it affects my career and the stability of my family... and not always in the best way. Like I said, it hurts.

BT