YETMO

WELCOME TO UNDERSTANDING GOVERNMENT: THE FORUM by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:01AM (PST) You've come at a propitious moment for UG:TF. It's our first online chat. You're invited to join us Mondays at noon when we talk to civil servants, journalists and others interested in how we can work together to help all Americans understand their government and make it better. If you'd like to participate, please just sign on (remember you can sign on to participate anonymously) or send an email to cbeach@understandinggov.org. To keep up with the conversation, keep hitting your refresh button. Let's begin.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:03AM (PST) I'd like to welcome our guest this week, Fred Apelquist, known to many of you as YETMO. Fred, you should probably explain YETMO to our readers.

Untitled by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:05PM (EST) Hi, Carol -- It's a pleasure and honor to participate in this online chat. YETMO was a weird acronym I penned years ago when I started freelance writing. It stands for You're Entitled To My Opinion. So what, right? Who cares?

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:06AM (PST) Fred, you've been in the federal workforce for 34 years -- list the agencies you've worked for.

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:07PM (EST) I've worked for the IRS, Department of the Interior, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:07AM (PST) Did you ever consider leaving the government?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:08PM (EST) Yes, thought about it many things. Guess I act slowly at times (ha-ha).

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:09AM (PST) Was it the high pay and the respect accorded you by your friends that kept you in the federal workforce?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:10PM (EST) You betcha! Actually, during my career I've seen the stature of federal employment rise and fall. Being a government employee wasn't always viewed negatively, just most of the times.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:12AM (PST) Can you pick out a time when your stature rose or fell with things that were going on in the country?

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:14AM (PST) The american people are not particularly trusting of journalists at this moment in time. How would you describe Americans' feelings toward civil servants now?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:14PM (EST) Great question. A tough one to answer. Nixon was President when I first starting with the feds. Carter followed. I know a lot of people thought his low-key, down-home approach to government was silly. He even cut off the hot water in the rest rooms to save money. Was that when folks viewed us as unnecessary baggage? Hmmm. I wonder.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:15AM (PST) and now?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:16PM (EST) Strangely enough, despite all we've said so far, I believe Americans "trust" the average civil servant. I believe they know that she or he doesn't have an ax to grind, a financial interest to protect, and political agend to fulfill, etc.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:18AM (PST) Don't you worry, though, when someone like Mike Brown at FEMA appears so completely clueless about his responsibilities and the responsibilities of the entire federal government?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:21PM (EST) Yes. Michael Brown, of course, is a scapegoat of sorts. I believe most anyone in charge would have been overwhelmed by Katrina. I think that terrible example does show that the work of the federal government is bigger than a bread box and can be extremely difficult to execute well. But we the people need to understand that better, and that's why there's an Understanding Government web site, right?

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:25AM (PST) Absolutely, that's an important point and one I'll let you run with. If there's one thing you'd like journalists to know about you, the places you worked, or your colleagues, what would it be? To put it another way, if there's a story to be written about Fred Apelquist and his career, what is it?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:26PM (EST) Wow! Journalists writing about Fred Apelquist, the dashing, intelligent, resourceful, James Bond-like bureaucrat who can write memos with astonishing speed. You mean THAT Fred Apelquist?

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:28AM (PST) That's the one. Let me narrow the question even further. You were involved in a service at the IRS called ETLA. Why don't you talk about that?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:31PM (EST) ETLA was a great experience. Thanks for asking about it.

The best of times and the worst of times – to some extent – occurred while I was working on the program at IRS where taxpayers could ask and receive tax law or procedural assistance via e-mail. The program was loved by the 80-100 managers and assistors who were participating in it. It was a “skunk works” operation. Management knew about it, but it was left to its own devices and was operating on a shoestring budget ($25,000 – 50,000 contractor support cost, which is dirt cheap for providing a nationwide – actually WORLDwide – service).

The best part was that we were all enthusiastic, committed to success, and understood our mission. Program changes were made nearly daily, i.e., how the system interfaced with taxpayers, content we would pre-package for customer self-service, reports to capture key performance metrics, etc.

The worst part was that we were a skunk works operation and once the taxpayers who were asking the questions – and getting quick (24-48 hour) answers -- were getting excited and their numbers increased, there was alarm: this must be a “new taxpayer demand” for service. IRS was already having difficulty answering the phone calls coming into the 800-TAX-1040 number and being bombarded in the press about poor customer service. Any new demand would drain resources from our flagship taxpayer service effort to some veritable babe-in-the-woods deal – and that wouldn’t be cool.

However, the metrics we collected and analyzed told quite a different story, of which I could never convince management. As one would intuitively imagine, customers used e-mail INSTEAD of calling the TAX-1040 phone number. Hordes of people were not idly standing by awaiting interaction with the IRS once it offered e-mail. But, alas, the case couldn’t be made despite the customer satisfaction survey results which showed 98% of e-mailers used this new service instead of the phone and that 97% were satisfied and would use it again.

But there was one final, positive turn. Unbeknownst to me, one group of employees from a participating office submitted this program as a candidate for a model program. As a result, the Public Roundtable designated the IRS Electronic Tax Law Assistance (ETLA) Program the Best Federal Program for 2000. That moment was – and has remained – the single greatest accomplishment in my career and the most personally satisfying. And it wasn’t because of me. It was because the project was a true team effort, which is why it worked so well. IRS still offers e-mail service but you have to really search for it on www.irs.gov.

Some things take a while in the federal government. I first launched this service to taxpayer at the end of March, 1996 – nearly 10 years ago!!!

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:38AM (PST) Congratulations! I believe 2005's Civil Service employee of the Year was an IRS employee. Anything special about IRS?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:42PM (EST) Yes, IRS is a very special place. If you and the readers of this online chat know about the Myers-Briggs test, most IRSers would likely be ITSJ people. Introverted, numbers-oriented, by the book. Given that IRS collects the money, it stands to reason that folks have to count and keep track and evaluate how well the tasks are being performed. I know many folks at my last job (NGA) had never seen an IRS person before and didn't know quite how to take me. In sum, I suppose it is the reliance on data to help make decisions and choose courses of action. Besides, IRS employees always get a percentage of incoming revenue. Only kidding!

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 09:45AM (PST) After 20 years at the IRS, why did you move to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 12:51PM (EST) Like so many other Americans stunned by the events on September 11th, 2001, I wanted to get a little closer to the action -- and help in any way I could. Besides, NGA was a Department of Defense Agency and part of the Intelligence Community. It provided an opportunity to see an entirely different aspect of the executive branch. I learned a lot there, came to respect many people, and also concluded how little I really knew after all. Our tasks in this government are so astounding, it's amazing we, as a society, can tackle as many issues as well as we do. We may not always be johnny-on-the-spot in all circumstances, but I've learned that there are millions of federal employees, and contractors supporting them, who are doing what they can to make a better America. That’s pretty heady stuff and it fills me with pride whenever I think about it.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 10:00AM (PST) Fred, what did you do at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (and what does the agency itself do?)

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 01:05PM (EST) I was Chief of Staff for the Security Office. NGA supports our troops around the world. It grew out of the Defense Mapping Agency a few years ago (about 9 - 10). Given that I held a Top Secret clearance with access to Sensitive Compartment Information, I can't talk about any of the particulars of my job or the agency's overall mission, which I mentioned briefly above. Having been at NGA, I'm very conflicted about the latest NSA surveillance activities that have hit the newspapers. I can see both sides of the issue. As with so many things, these are not black and white issues.

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 10:03AM (PST) Fred, I love your optimism and your devotion to civil service. Before I ask you if there's life after government, tell me what role an organization like UG can play in helping Americans understand their government better -- and does it even matter whether they do or not?

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 01:08PM (EST) The role UG "could play" is a wide and wonderful as the entire government. One of UG's biggest challenges probably will be to clearly define what its areas of focus should be. The link with journalists is key, of course, as they can follow-up and delve into important programs and policies that others may not have the time or ability to do. I'd like to see UG become know as the place that takes the pulse of executive branch operations -- what's hot, what's not, what's working well, what's bombing out?

UG by Understanding Government on January 9, 2006 10:09AM (PST) Fred, I want to congratulate you on your years of service. We're all lucky to have people like you working for us (smile). And I hope you'll continue to contribute to The Forum -- we're lucky to have someone with an insider's viewpoint. I'll give you the last word.

YETMO by YETMO on January 9, 2006 01:13PM (EST) Thanks, Carol. It's been a pleasure having this chat with you. Thank you for the opportunity -- and the last word. I hope young people choose the government as a career. The country needs their energy and expertise. I realize that the current career trend is towards multiple employers during one’s career. The old one employer for 30+ years may be a thing of the past. Yet, the government can offer job stability, the importance of which can’t be overstated, so perhaps government service can help staunch that likely employment development, which I’m not altogether certain would be very healthy for employees, employers, or consumers.

Thanks again. And remember, if you want my opinion, just ask. Heck, you don't even have to ask. You're Entitled To My Opinion. YETMO signing off...........

© January 9, 2006