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New project aims to reboot American democracy

This week, The Fiscal Times, launched an ambitious new project called, “Reboot America: Reinventing Government for the 21st Century.” It is an effort by the outlet to showcase government reform proposals from across the political spectrum that promote a basic goal: improving government.

“Reboot America” is absolutely worth reading and following. The outlet’s goal is to begin with a large-scale release (launched Monday February 22nd) and to continue adding content over time. Starting a conversation and influencing the process are two difficult tasks, but The Fiscal Times has taken a serious approach by engaging scholars, practitioners and others from a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints “to engage readers by identifying the problem and offering solutions.”

Here at FixGov and the Center for Effective Public Management, we hail efforts like these which often go unseen in a town like Washington that is so powered by advocacy. The goal is not to extract from government everything that suits ones interests—a basic approach to lobbying—but to lobby in an effort to promote government effectiveness, efficiency, function, transparency, and outcomes.

“Reboot America” is wide-reaching, and while its introduction, at times, falls prey to business school or boardroom catchphrases, “…the only way to truly reengineer the federal government is to embrace a cold-eye business model…” that should not detract from the seriousness of the endeavor nor the comprehensiveness of the information contained. “Reboot America” will focus on 10 key areas including government IT, oversight, waste, procurement, personnel/performance, transparency, lobbying, budgeting, regulation, and national service.

By all accounts—and in order for the endeavor to be successful—The Fiscal Times appreciates that their conversation must inform government officials, policy practitioners, interest groups, and the broader public that must demand of its leaders and of its government robust changes. Some of the changes are small, while others are monumental, but none is unimportant. Over time, FixGov will highlight some of the items appearing in “Reboot America” as we work toward a shared goal of improving the ability of government to meet the needs of its citizens.

To see the many pieces already live at The Fiscal Times, visit their “Reboot America” homepage.