Conflicts of interest remain a soft spot in the underbelly of politics and journalism. Too many politicians and journalists put themselves and their credibility at risk by failing to anticipate and avoid conflicts, or at least purposefully address and successfully resolve conflicts when they emerge.
Politics Pork Barreling
For ten years, Senator McCain has reviewed the annual appropriations bills to determine whether they contain items that are low-priority, unnecessary, or wasteful spending. In this process, he has used five objective criteria to identify programs and projects that have not been appropriately reviewed in the normal, merit-based prioritization process.
· Oh Barrell [Senator McCain]
Commission Recommends Government Overhaul To Meet 21st Century Demands
The federal government should be overhauled into a handful of super departments, governmentwide pay scales and personnel rules should be thrown out to permit agencies more room to manage their own staffs, and pay should be pegged squarely to performance instead of seniority, a high-powered experts.’
· Low & High Morale [Federal Times]
