Oxygentax.com

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=1e7e4c69-144b-...

Some would say "no, you don't have to agree with the government". Some would say "Yes, fundamentally you do".

Know what I think? No, you don't have to agree with the government of the day to work for or within it. EXCEPT...

With the announcement of firings of some 70 civil servants, some firm NDP supporters, some with no political affiliation, one might question, "Why these 70?"

And the answer is likely that philosophically they don't have to agree with the government, but they have to be willing to work with it, and they have to be willing to adjust how they think to solve problems in the way that the Saskatchewan Party would like them to.

There is a cry of outrage that some civil servants of 30+ years were let go in this batch of firings. These are people who began their careers with the Blakeney government of the 70s. They were likely middle managers in the Devine government of the 80s, and continued to move up the chain in the 90s and new century. But just because they survived the Devine years does not necessarily mean that they agreed with the Devine government, nor that the Devine government necessarily solved problems differently from its predecessor or successor. What it means is that they learned how to solve problems largely under the guidance of NDP governments.

Now say what you will about party affiliations, if there is anything that the last two election campaigns have done, it's shown that there IS a difference in problem solving. One side of the spectrum believes in government intervention, the other believes in allowing the market to solve the problem. One side believes in planning, the other believes in reaction. One side believes in efficiency, the other believes in expediency. Pat on the back for those who can identify which is which.

The point I'm making here is that even without political affiliations, some of these firings may have been warranted, not because they didn't share the SK Party's philosophies, but because they didn't agree or comprehend with the new government's way of doing things and getting things done.

It could also have been that those unfortunate 30+ year veterans were let go to make room for new ideas and new leadership in the civil service.

Just a few thoughts.