In a Gallup poll released on August 27, only 29 percent of Americans had a positive view of the federal government, compared to 52 percent with a negative view. The federal government ranked lowest of 25 business and industry sectors, four percentage points below the often-hated pharmaceutical industry.
Hurricane Harvey had hit Houston the day before this poll was released, and Irma hit Florida two weeks later. Both natural disasters have now provided a useful lesson in why federal bureaucrats deserve a bit more appreciation than we normally accord them. Our gratitude is due, of course, to the legion of state and local government employees and first responders (as well as ordinary citizens and nonprofit groups) though polls show they are traditionally viewed much more positively.
The "feds" are not asking for thanks. I was one for 38 years, and I neither expected nor sought any appreciation from my fellow citizens. My goal - and honor - was to serve them. My colleagues then, and now, take abuse from politicians and a host of groups and individuals. But we understand this is the price we pay in a governmental system founded on distrust of centralized, far-away authority. The patriots in 1776 were, after all, rebelling against the King of England and his minions, not their colonial legislatures.
What Harvey and Irma remind us of is that the "feds" often play an important, even lifesaving role. When the floodwaters of both storms subside, we will no doubt hear criticism: why were their predictions not more accurate as to storm track and severity? Why did it take too long to render assistance to some? Such criticism is healthy as well as expected. Finding where you failed is the necessary prerequisite to getting better. But we should also look at their successes.
NOAA and its National Hurricane Center studied and tracked the storms and issued life-saving predictions and updates. NASA satellite imagery aided these tasks. The Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force gathered essential information from inside the storms to improve these forecasts.
FEMA managed two epic disasters at the same time, its staff working immense hours under great pressure and often away from their own families for days on end. Their efforts saved lives and will offer essential services that help people recover and rebuild their lives, homes, and communities.
The Coast Guard (like FEMA, part of the Department of Homeland Security) rescued people from boats and rooftops. The FAA helped civilian aircraft evacuate as many as they could, while the Department of Energy ensured that additional gas was routed to areas where people were evacuating by car.
The EPA continues to monitor air and water quality and Superfund waste sites to alert people to and mitigate conditions that pose threats to public health.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is assisting those displaced from public housing, offering foreclosure relief as well as making mortgage insurance available for those who lost their homes and need to rebuild or find new ones. The bureaucrats at the Small Business Administration will be providing home and business loans to help Americans recover. Even the "feds" at the Department of Agriculture are playing a role, through their Livestock Indemnity Program.
And, for all those who found their way or guided people to them through GPS, it's worth remembering that the Air Force developed this technology, just as it is worth remembering that it is the Department of Defense, civilian and military, that have been participating in rescue, supply, and recovery operations.
This is not an exhaustive listing of federal agencies and programs. Indeed, the ways the "feds" help their fellow citizens are often unknown. That such assistance is there and even taken for granted is a sign that the federal government is working, an accepted and essential part of the governance system in America.
For decades, it has been fashionable to rail at the federal government. Many recall - and subscribe to - the words of President Reagan in his first inaugural address: "In this present crisis," he said, "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Yet they do not recall what he said later in the same speech: "Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work - work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back."
In the last few weeks, the federal government has worked with us. It has stood by our side. That's worth remembering the next time a politician, pundit, blogger, or even our neighbor invites us, once again, to act as if the "feds" are a nuisance at best and the enemy at worst.