It seems we have more egregious examples of how politics erode common sense. During the past five months three important heads of national agencies have resigned or been urged to resign when mistakes or unacceptable actions were made by employees in these agencies.
These highly esteemed and capable people — Eric Shinseki, secretary of Veterans Affairs; Julia Pierson, director of the Secret Service; and now the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden — could all needlessly be cast out in order to make a statement? Only a political statement as far as I can see.
Individuals who commit acts of illegal, unethical, immoral, or neglectful behaviors should be held accountable for their actions, and for allowing, covering up, or abetting these behaviors. What baffles me is booting out the head of an entire agency who had no personal involvement in a malfunction. This would be like firing the superintendent of a school district because a teacher abused a student. Only where politicians get involved would the head of the entire agency get the ax.
Where is the sanity in punishing bosses’ bosses who were outstanding people doing really complex jobs really well, completely innocent of involvement, corruption, or cover-ups? Prudent decision-making has been swept aside in the inane war between Republicans and Democrats.
