COFFEE & BISCUITS

My various conversations with people who have worked on the Hill all point to one fact: staffers on the Hill have to make snap decisions all the time.  They don’t have time to analyze the issues carefully; consequently they have to call up think tanks or whatever sources they can find to base their decisions.

This calls to my mind an article I read a year or 2 before about a twenty-something political appointee who was appointed to go to Iraq and design a functional stock market system. 

The appointee was trained as a lawyer and had absolutely no experience in finance.

The consequence is disastrous, as every sane person could imagine.

I just came back from a panel on National Security, and the panel consists of both young and senior people working in various national security agencies.   As I listened, it struck me that some of them had to actually do tasks that are important and unfortunately they also have to make snap decisions.  Sort of like MBAs–decision making becomes second nature to you.

Whether those decisions are wise or not, you don’t have time to ponder over.

That’s why being an academic is nice, as I can dwell over the rigor.

But I wonder:  if we allow all government agents to randomly make decisions, what would the world be like today? 

Could it actually be better?

P.S.  I am depressed the whole day.  Don’t ask.