Date: 2025-08-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027989
COMMENTARY
ROBERT REICH IN 2000.
Robert Reich: Gratitude for our Civil Servants
ROBERT REICH IN 2000.
Robert Reich: Gratitude for our Civil Servants
Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTPxitjylBw
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
I have just viewed this video clip for the first time more than 20 years after it was recorded.
I liked what I was what watching here ... because Robert Reich is a good example of a good leader and manager
But going through my mind was the management style of people like Trump and Musk ... men who have power and use it ruthlessly. It may work for a while but it is not an approach to management that will contribute to result in a broad based 'better world' Trump and / or Musk may think that more wealth into their pockets is a good outcome ... but the rest of us would like some of the value add to end up in our ownership.
In my experience the USA was fairly generous to workers for a period of about 2 decades and WWII ... until the 1970s and specifically 1973 when the OPEC oil shock dramatically changed the global profile of wealth creation to the detriment of the USA.
Under Reagan, and new framing of economic priorities was implemented which was very successful at the national macro-level. The problem ... unaddressed now for almost 50 years is that while the agggregate economic performance numbers are strong, they are ultra-strong for a relative few and essentially quite weak for most of the American population.
People like Trump and Musk are, from what I know, extremely dangerous for American society as a whole. I say this based on about 60 years of post graduate experience around the world ... more than 50 countries and a wide variety of issues to be addressed.The crisis that is emerging with Trump and Musk in positions of power and influence is as dangerous as anything i have seem in my lifetime. These two men are 'clowns', but that does not make them funny but hides how serious and consequential their coup is likely to be.
What to do? Speak up! Act out! Do not 'do nothing' until it is 'too late'. My fear is that 'too late' will come a lot sooner than most people in America are expecting!
Peter Burgess
Robert Reich
1.09M subscribers ... 5,756 views
Feb 8, 2025
When I left the Department of Labor, I shared some parting words with the civil servants who worked alongside me.
These words of gratitude feel especially relevant today.
To our nation's 2.3 million federal employees, I want to thank you once again for your service.
Transcript
- 0:03
- servants have taken a lot of bum wraps
- over recent
- years there is some frustration out in
- the land
- obviously and government is is an easy
- target and I remember when several of us
- gathered
- together after the disaster in Oklahoma
- City I remember
- calling some Department of Labor
- employees who were injured I remember
- calling one Department of Labor family
- who had lost a member in that Oklahoma
- bombing and I remember the shutdowns and
- I remember all the things that you have
- been through and all of the work that
- you are
- doing and I I think that the public is
- beginning and I hope it is beginning to
- understand that it's public servants are br>
- 1:00
- working for the
- public that you are engaged in one of
- the most noble callings there
- is and that is every day every day
- trying to make people's lives better in
- much of an appreciative
- environment I've have often said that a
- large institution like this with 16,000
- people is subjected to Chronic
- underappreciate every one of you here
- every one of you in the Regional Offices
- everybody you're working hard and there
- is no way that you can fully be
- appreciated there's no way that I or
- anybody can fully show appreciation for
- what you are
- doing you are chronically
- underappreciated and yet you are doing
- such important work
- 2:00
- and I do appreciate it and the public
- does appreciate what you are
- doing I am not going right away we will
- have many opportunities to
- talk but I want to tell you that I am
- honored to have been a part of the
- Department of Labor and to have all of
- you as colleagues over the past four
- years thank you