A lie? Or a lie about the truth?
Here's an interesting question raised by the actions of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Was Jackson lying when he told a Dallas business group that he rejected a HUD applicant because the contractor had criticized President Bush, or was he lying when he later said his anecdote was a lie? In other words, does he make stuff up to try to intimidate government contractors into muffling any anti-Bush sentiments, or does he brashly warn contractors not to express ant-Bush sentiments by bragging about real instances in which he has rejected an applicant for criticizing Bush? Is one much better than the other? Should he be canned for either? Was the Holy Roman Empire holy, Roman, or an empire?
Discuss amongst yourselves (but on this blog).
posted by Pete @ 5/12/2006 09:18:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
My guess: it's a lie about a truth. That is, he did screw that contractor because the contractor said he didn't like Bush, and when he told the group in Dallas, he wasn't expecting it would ever reach the general public or become a controvery. But it did, and he got yelled at by the Administration for showing the world how they do contract awarding, so he rescinded the story.
I mean come on, who makes up a story like that if it isn't a true anecdote from their own experience?
And, for what it's worth, I'm assuming the Clinton Administration would have done, and probably did do, the same sorts of things. At some level, it's inevitable.
Part of me thinks this is a non-issue. Consider what happened outside of the government context. If you, as a private businessperson, were in a position to award contracts, would you give them to someone who was openly critical of the way you did business? Conversely, if you depend on contract work for a living, isn't there always a little bit of kiss-ass involved, or at least, a lack of bad-mouthing prospective employers? However, can this really be separated from the government context? In other words, should the government be faulted for doing something that any private businessperson would almost certainly do without hesitation and without fear of criticism? Or is there a higher standard because 1) we're talking about public monies here, and 2) the government should be politically unbiased and fair in its dealing with private contractors? Having said that, in my opinion, whether AJ made up the story or not is beside the point.
Dante: My friend is trying to convince me that any contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when the space station was destroyed by the rebels.
Blue-Collar Man: Well, I'm a contractor myself. I'm a roofer... (digs into pocket and produces business card) Dunn and Reddy Home Improvements. And speaking as a roofer, I can say that a roofer's personal politics come heavily into play when choosing jobs.
Well done!
You know they are making a Clerks II? Oh Kevin Smith, why hath thou sold out?
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