As a newbie in the federal government, I've been learning things that might be obvious to lots of federal employees (or to you!). For instance, remember all that stuff about the three branches of government? Remember the apparantly simple distinction that the legislative folks make the laws and the executive folks enforce them? I realize now that when I heard "law," I was thinking "proscription." Turns out a lot of the laws are directions about how to spend money. Duh. So, as an employee of the executive branch, I'm paid to do things that the legislative branch has decided it's worth spending money to do. But I gotta do only what they say, and I can't do it until they decide (every year) how much money it's worth to do it.
Answer this quickly: how much difference do you see between a law and a regulation? Not much, I'd've said. But, aha! although agencies of the executive branch can't make laws, they can make plenty of regulations. Boy, can they.
Another thing. Any activity that requires spending money will also require hacking through a bristling thicket of paperwork. This results, partly, from very good intentions: not wasting your money, tax money. Unfortunately, the paper hedge seems also to be nourished by a deep, smelly layer of CYA.
Here's a difference between this job and the last permanent gig I had: everyone I work with can easily find out what everyone else earns (within a range, anyway). At MHS, that was such a big secret! Except for the top executives, once a year, when their salaries were published in the Business Journal.
Answer this quickly: how much difference do you see between a law and a regulation? Not much, I'd've said. But, aha! although agencies of the executive branch can't make laws, they can make plenty of regulations. Boy, can they.
Another thing. Any activity that requires spending money will also require hacking through a bristling thicket of paperwork. This results, partly, from very good intentions: not wasting your money, tax money. Unfortunately, the paper hedge seems also to be nourished by a deep, smelly layer of CYA.
Here's a difference between this job and the last permanent gig I had: everyone I work with can easily find out what everyone else earns (within a range, anyway). At MHS, that was such a big secret! Except for the top executives, once a year, when their salaries were published in the Business Journal.
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