Justin
July 20th 04, 03:17 AM
wexwimpy > wrote in
:
> When ethical worlds collide
>
> DCF's woes show what can happen when private, public sectors meet
>
> By Diane Hirth
>
> DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU
>
> Dwight D. Eisenhower left the presidency in 1958 with a warning to the
> nation "to guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence,
> whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The
> potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will
> persist."
>
> More than 43 years later, the old general's wariness of powerful
> for-profit interests overtaking the public good seems more relevant
> than ever.
>
> The outsourcing of Florida government under Gov. Jeb Bush is
> accelerating. As major chunks of state agency functions as diverse as
> child protective services and technology purchases are absorbed by
> private companies, the rules over what constitutes appropriate
> behavior and who's influencing whom on procuring contracts have the
> fuzzy outlines of a work in progress.
>
> Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier was rapped
> on the knuckles by Bush's inspector general Thursday for accepting
> gifts from a DCF contractor. Regier apologized publicly for his
> ethical lapses and accepted the resignations of two top DCF
> administrators involved in what the report described as patterns of
> ethical misconduct with vendors.
>
> "We're moving back toward the spoils system," cautioned Lance
> deHaven-Smith, Florida State University professor of public
> administration. "The boundary between the public and private sector is
> blurred."
>
> Adding to the confusion is the collision of different ethical worlds.
>
> In the business world, schmoozing over thick steaks or 18 holes of
> golf is considered standard operating procedure. Hustling for clients
> - also known as "building relationships" - is the norm. Yet in
> government, employees are responsible for taxpayers' dollars and must
> be immune to favors or favoritism.
>
> "That's what causes problems between the public and private companies
> probably, because the history and the context are different," Bruce
> Lamont, chair of the management department in FSU's College of
> Business, said of the ethical divide.
>
> In the corporate world, ethics are anchored by whatever a particular
> company decides is right within legal bounds, he said. Given such a
> free-for-all - and recent corporate scandals - government's ethics
> have to be clearly spelled out and enforced to keep outsourcing clean.
>
> "The values of the two sectors are almost opposite. The public sector
> is concerned about equity and fairness, equal access and rigorous
> obedience to law and rule, whereas the private sector is concerned
My wife and I are in are 30's and are unable to have children. We were
thinking of becoming foster parents, not just for selfish reasons, like
wanting a child, etc., but also because we feel we can provide a nice
home to a child in need: 3 hot meals daily and
structure/discipline/compassion/respect in a clean house. It seems we
have an ideal set-up for fostering. We have a spare bedroom. I have a
degree in education and have worked with kids in the past. I work from
home now(my wife works full time in an office), so there will always be
someone home when our foster child comes home. We haven't talked to the
authorities yet. I was just interested in hearing some basic things to
look out for -- pitfalls, concerns, etc.. Thanks in advance for any
help. We live in Ohio.
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:
> When ethical worlds collide
>
> DCF's woes show what can happen when private, public sectors meet
>
> By Diane Hirth
>
> DEMOCRAT CAPITOL BUREAU
>
> Dwight D. Eisenhower left the presidency in 1958 with a warning to the
> nation "to guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence,
> whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The
> potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will
> persist."
>
> More than 43 years later, the old general's wariness of powerful
> for-profit interests overtaking the public good seems more relevant
> than ever.
>
> The outsourcing of Florida government under Gov. Jeb Bush is
> accelerating. As major chunks of state agency functions as diverse as
> child protective services and technology purchases are absorbed by
> private companies, the rules over what constitutes appropriate
> behavior and who's influencing whom on procuring contracts have the
> fuzzy outlines of a work in progress.
>
> Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier was rapped
> on the knuckles by Bush's inspector general Thursday for accepting
> gifts from a DCF contractor. Regier apologized publicly for his
> ethical lapses and accepted the resignations of two top DCF
> administrators involved in what the report described as patterns of
> ethical misconduct with vendors.
>
> "We're moving back toward the spoils system," cautioned Lance
> deHaven-Smith, Florida State University professor of public
> administration. "The boundary between the public and private sector is
> blurred."
>
> Adding to the confusion is the collision of different ethical worlds.
>
> In the business world, schmoozing over thick steaks or 18 holes of
> golf is considered standard operating procedure. Hustling for clients
> - also known as "building relationships" - is the norm. Yet in
> government, employees are responsible for taxpayers' dollars and must
> be immune to favors or favoritism.
>
> "That's what causes problems between the public and private companies
> probably, because the history and the context are different," Bruce
> Lamont, chair of the management department in FSU's College of
> Business, said of the ethical divide.
>
> In the corporate world, ethics are anchored by whatever a particular
> company decides is right within legal bounds, he said. Given such a
> free-for-all - and recent corporate scandals - government's ethics
> have to be clearly spelled out and enforced to keep outsourcing clean.
>
> "The values of the two sectors are almost opposite. The public sector
> is concerned about equity and fairness, equal access and rigorous
> obedience to law and rule, whereas the private sector is concerned
My wife and I are in are 30's and are unable to have children. We were
thinking of becoming foster parents, not just for selfish reasons, like
wanting a child, etc., but also because we feel we can provide a nice
home to a child in need: 3 hot meals daily and
structure/discipline/compassion/respect in a clean house. It seems we
have an ideal set-up for fostering. We have a spare bedroom. I have a
degree in education and have worked with kids in the past. I work from
home now(my wife works full time in an office), so there will always be
someone home when our foster child comes home. We haven't talked to the
authorities yet. I was just interested in hearing some basic things to
look out for -- pitfalls, concerns, etc.. Thanks in advance for any
help. We live in Ohio.
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