[The following article is quoted from _Public_Sector_Quality _Report_, February 1993 edition] GAEBLER TACKLES THE "WHY" QUESTION In their best-selling book, Reinventing Government, co-authors Ted Gaebler and David Osborne outline a 10-point blueprint for how public sector organizations at all levels should change the way they go about their business. But before some government professionals will embark on "how," Gaebler concedes that they first want to know why? Why must government go beyond business as usual and embrace change? Gaebler suggests the following answers to"why," answers he says might help you convince anyone who might question it -- a colleague, a supervisor, an elected official, a taxpayer -- whether change is necessary right now in your unit of government. The Money Simply Isn't There Gaebler says government managers who are simply "hanging on" to the existing bureaucratic structure and mindset, waiting for the latest recession to pass or the most recent round of budget shortfalls to end, had better not hold their breath. In the U.S., at the federal level, discretionary money is being gobbled up by debt service. In Ronald Reagan's first year as president, annual debt service on the federal debt was $56 billion. Today the number is $342 billion, and might grow to $770 billion by the year 2000. At the state level, meanwhile, at least 44 states have adopted some type of "Proposition 13" property tax limitation, a measure which has cost the state of California alone $120 billion since it was enacted almost 15 years ago. And even at the local level, middle-class income -- a prime source of income tax revenue -- is steadily eroding as large corporations downsize and high-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by, in many cases, lower-wage service jobs. Complicating matters, says Gaebler, is the fact that most cities and counties haven't figured out a formula for raising revenue from what is rapidly becoming a service-based, as opposed to manufacturing-driven, economy. Most service businesses pay minimal, if any, property or sales taxes. Meanwhile, Gaebler says, large corporations are using their high-powered, highly paid tax attorneys to reduce the impact of so-called "nuisance taxes," including sales tax, property tax, business licenses, and other fees -- all important sources of local government revenue. "The corporate attorneys are whipping the socks off our $60,000 attorneys, and we're losing (tax) base," says Gaebler. Consumers Are Losing Their Appetite For Government Services It seems government -- at least the prevailing brand -- no longer "sells" the way it once did. Gaebler cites statistics which show that in Sweden, arguably one of the world's most "governed" countries, the percentage of gross national product (GNP) spent on government services declined from 72 percent in 1976 to less than 50 percent today. France and England have seen similar drops in spending for government services. In the U.S., the percentage of GNP devoted to government services has declined from 38 percent in 1976 to 32 percent (and falling) today. "The question for you is, individually and in your profes- sional jobs, is this a permanent turnaround, or it this just a temporary dip? I think it's a permanent shift. People worldwide are turning away from government as being a sole service provider for quality-of-life services." Why? In large part, says Gaebler, "because we got outcompeted." Private sector competitors have emerged to take "market share" in services over which the public sector once enjoyed monopoly control. He cites competition in police protection as just one example. Of the 3.25 million "cops" in the United Sates, only 1.25 million are sworn public peace officers. "Which means there are 2 million people earning their living in the private-sector cop business, clearly one of the businesses we thought we were in." Indeed, Gaebler notes that the fourth-largest police force in California today is not in Oakland or Sacramento, but at Bechtel Industries. In PR Terms, There's No Place To Go But Up Public opinion polls show government employees rank right down there with newspaper reporters and insurance sales people on lists of unpopular, untrustworthy professions. At least in the United States, Gaebler says, distrust and dislike of government is ingrained, both in the language ("you can't fight city hall," "close enough for government work") and in education. He argues that future U.S. citizens are poisoned against local government because, in the few hours of study they receive on local government civics, most of it is devoted to late 19th-century, Boss Tweed-era scandal and corruption stories. "We have the opportunity to make some change, partially because the citizens don't like us," he says. "There's this collective, unconscious anger against government, and we need to dissipate that or deflect that, not own the anger that they bring to our door. An overall conclusion of our book is that we have good people in government, trapped in bad systems. It's not the people's fault, it's the systems' fault." You Have Permission Gaebler says people, by nature, tend to avoid major change, assuming it's either too risky to attempt or it's someone else's responsibility. But he argues that the continuum of U.S. govern- ment has been marked by "sea changes," including women's suf- frage, the income tax, and the New Deal. "Through the years people like you and me have stepped forward and said, 'It's our turn. The torch has passed. It's our generation's turn to very carefully look at the role of govern- ment and how it's going to be financed and run."' In fact, Gaebler notes that on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., literally carved in stone, permission to occasionally and thoughtfully rearrange the public sector "erec- tor set" is not only acknowledged, but encouraged. Jefferson's quote reads, in part: "I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times." "Thomas Jefferson is giving you permission, if you will, to make change in your government. He expected us to do that," concludes Gaebler. "And I would, again, give you permission to do that. You have lived long enough, you have worked in and around government long enough, you've been part of it and cared for it. If it's not going to be you making changes, who is it going to be?" [For more information or to subcribe, contact: Public Sector Quality Report 17733 Kingsway Path Lakeville, MN 55044-5209 Phone: 612-898-7710 FAX: 612-892-7710]