Reagan’s ‘RIF’ Song

REAGAN’S ‘RIF’ SONG

Reduction in force: that’s what the Reagan folk have in mind for the Federal Government during the second term. The President’s mandate demands it, they believe. “If Reagan stands for one thing,” avers a White House aide, “it’s shrinking the size of the government, including personnel.” Such astringency will come naturally to Mr. Reagan. As governor of California, the Gipper got hooked on management during his second-to-last year and brought about various retrenchments and managerial modernizations in the state government. Earlier, as an itinerant lecturer for General Electric, he took careful note of how vastly superior the corporate sector’s management was to the public sector’s. During his first term as President, Mr. Reagan issued no fewer than 26 initiatives relating to the hiring, promotion, firing, and management of government personnel. J. Peter Grace’s study of government waste, fraud, and abuse is a favorite of the President, one that he waves around whenever he can, even at presidential debates.

JM

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John McLaughlin

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REAGAN’S ‘RIF’ SONG

Reduction in force: that’s what the Reagan folk have in mind for the Federal Government during the second term. The President’s mandate demands it, they believe. “If Reagan stands for one thing,” avers a White House aide, “it’s shrinking the size of the government, including personnel.” Such astringency will come naturally to Mr. Reagan. As governor of California, the Gipper got hooked on management during his second-to-last year and brought about various retrenchments and managerial modernizations in the state government. Earlier, as an itinerant lecturer for General Electric, he took careful note of how vastly superior the corporate sector’s management was to the public sector’s. During his first term as President, Mr. Reagan issued no fewer than 26 initiatives relating to the hiring, promotion, firing, and management of government personnel. J. Peter Grace’s study of government waste, fraud, and abuse is a favorite of the President, one that he waves around whenever he can, even at presidential debates.