EEO Issues

The El Paso Times has an article on the concerns of Hispanic farmers with USDA programs: farmers talking with the new Assistant Secretary for EEO, Joseph Leonard, and some words from the attorney running the lawsuit on behalf of Hispanics that parallels the Pigford suit.

Foodies Will Win Gradually

They'll win on at least some issues, such as some animal welfare concerns, as shown by this Brownfield note saying the American Veal Association is moving away from individual pens to "group housing" (though they have to deal with "bullies"). The bottom line is that, because farmers get a small share of the price of food at the margin, pressure groups who are able to legislate higher standards will be able to enforce their will. Consumers won't notice the additional price. (It's the same economic logic as farmers have been using for years.)

Government Doubles Its Productivity

Or, at least that portion of the IRS devoted to processing tax returns. "During that same period, the number of staff-years required to process returns has dropped from about 4,600 to about 2,225, although the overwhelming majority of time still is devoted to paper returns." From a Government Computer News piece.

Government Organization

The Post has an op-ed by Max Stier arguing it's more important to get good people in government than to worry about government reorganization, because most mergers/reorganizations fail. He's got a point. I think I've noted the ASCS/FmHA reorg in 1994 still hasn't erased all past lines. But...

Back in the day, Harry Truman thought it was nonsense for us to have 3 air forces (Army, Navy, Marines), two armies (Army and Marines), etc. so he was pushing for one armed service. Of course he got shot down. For 30 years or so the Joint Chiefs were rather powerless. In 1986 Goldwater and someone else got reform legislation passed, essentially saying to the four services--if you want to hit the top ranks, you've got to spend time on the Joint Chief staff. (All my details are suspect, but the general idea is right.) That apparently has, over time, improved the coordination among the services.

The 9-11 Commission noted the divide between the intelligence and law enforcement communities, which their recommendations hoped to redress. The divide reminds me of the divides among the services.

My point is leadership needs a long range perspective. In the short term, Mr. Stier is right--focus on the people, not the organization. But for the long term it's important how you're structured, more so than who the people are. For example, look at GM. It was formed by the combination of different companies (i.e., Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, etc.), most of which became divisions of the company, each with its own dealerships, supply chains, etc. Although GM worked toward consolidation, in the long run that organization wasn't able to compete with companies like Toyota, with just two lines. Certainly the organization wasn't the only problem, but it was a big part of it. There were good people in GM (the company, UAW, dealers, etc.), but they were handicapped by the organization.

The Grim Reaper and the Dems

Not to be gloomy on a bright June day, but I'd just note these ages, from Wikipedia:

Robert Byrd	(D-WV)	91	November 20, 1917(1917-11-20)
Frank Lautenberg	(D-NJ)	85	January 23, 1924(1924-01-23)
Daniel Inouye	(D-HI)	84	September 7, 1924(1924-09-07)
Daniel Akaka	(D-HI)	84	September 11, 1924(1924-09-11)
Arlen Specter	(D-PA)	79	February 12, 1930(1930-02-12)
Jim Bunning	(R-KY)	77	October 23, 1931

As it happens, Senator Byrd has been in the hospital for 3 weeks for a staph infection. The Reps have a crack at taking the governorship of NJ and they hold the governorship of Hawaii. But I'm relieved to find that the governor of WV is a Democrat (must have won last year).

D-Day

In the "I didn't know that" category is this" "70,000 Normans were killed or wounded during the Normandy campaign – more than the number of Londoners killed or wounded during german bombing on the capital from 1940 to 1944." From Dirk Beauregard. Interesting for those of us who grew up in the shadow of WWII.

Kudos for CDC

CDC is doing what all government sites should: publish their metrics. (Are you listening, USDA?) That's one small step for an agency; one giant leap for good government.

[Updated--Though I'd like to see more than 1 month's data, which is all CDC is showing.]

Food Poisoning at the Inaugural Dinner

Yes, and someone died! I'm sure the food system was to blame. Of course, this was in 1857, based on a couple sentences in this blog post and it was Buchanan's nephew. (Interesting cemetery in Lancaster).

Have Any Architects Ever Gardened?

Here's a sentence from a proposal for a Dallas project,which is supposed to be "economically, environmentally and socially sustainable": "Some of the unusual features to be included in the 2.5 acre block include enough garden space to feed around 300 inhabitants, 40% affordable housing, an educational element that serves all of the residents and fully renewable, off-the-grid energy." That's roughly 350 square feet per person. Not sure how you do much meat off that area, so presumably these are 300 vegans. And I personally doubt the ability of 350 square feet to provide all the fruits and vegetables for a person, much less the grain.

[Some may say I'm willfully misreading the description, that "sustainable" doesn't mean self-sufficient. That may be true, but still a reasonable modesty in claims would be fitting.)

The Amish Head West

That's the lead from this MSNBC story--driven by the rising cost of farm land, Amish are now in Colorado.

A professor is quoted as saying the average size of their families is 7 children, meaning a doubling every 20 years. (I would have thought more.)

That means:
230,000 Amish in 2009
460,000 in 2029
1 million in 2049
2 million in 2069
4 million in 2089
8 million in 2109