Are We in for a Shakeup?

According to the WashingtonPost today, "the federal government may be headed for a major shakeup, including the reassignment of many middle-managers, a sharp reduction in the number of outside contracts, and new performance standards for workers."

As cited in Barack Obama's plans for Washington, a lot of change is heading our way. A lot of it is for the better. I encourage others to read among the pages of the Blueprint for Change:

• Obama and Biden will create a centralized Internet database of lobbying reports, ethics records, and campaign finance filings in a searchable, sortable and downloadable format.
  
• Obama will use the power of the presidency to fight for an independent watchdog agency to oversee the investigation of congressional ethics violations so that the public can be assured that ethics complaints will be investigated.
• Sunlight before Signing: Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them. As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving
  the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.
• Obama’s Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks by disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with a written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate.
• No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration.
• In an Obama-Biden administration,every official will have to rise to the standard of proven excellence in the agency’s mission.
• Implement Consequences for Success and Failure: Obama will create tools to improve agency performance like sending in performance teams to reform programs; replacing existing management; demanding improvement action plans; and cutting program budgets or eliminating programs entirely.
  Move Workers from Bloated Bureaucracies to the Frontlines: Obama will thin the ranks of Washington middle managers, freeing up resources both for deficit reduction and for increasing the number of frontline workers.
• Google for Government- Americans have the right to know how their tax dollars are spent, but that information has been hidden from public view for too long. That’s why Barack Obama and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) passed a law to create a Google-like search engine to allow regular people to track federal grants, contracts, earmarks, and loans online. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “It would enable the public to see where federal money goes and how it is spent. It’s a brilliant idea.”

What are your thoughts on how this will change Washington? Will it dramatically cut jobs or create new ones? Will government contractors be worried for job security? Will a new generation of innovation be brought to the Capital City? Post your comments and thoughts here. Hopefully, we can start on ongoing discussion.