On Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 06:42:47PM -0500, Faustine wrote:
Actually Congress is chock full of lightweights. And all their ratty little undereducated staffers who soak up whatever lobbyists and their shoddy two-bit partisan "guess tanks" happen to be shilling for this week. I know plenty of quality analysts who loathe testifing before Congress--quite unlike the faceless horde of guess tank media whores scrambling for the spotlight.
I confess I know many congressional staffers. Alas, what you say is not quite right. Most are over-educated: law degress from decent universities and (this is quite popular) master's and PhDs in "public policy." What they're under-educated about, often, is an understanding of how the world outside of Washington works. It's possible to do an internship in college and move here immediately after graduation and always work in the nonprofit or government sector. Hardly an honest living.
I'll say this much: getting pro-freedom policy analysts in positions where they don't have to scramble to be heard will be the real accomplishment. Not just knocking their heads against a brick wall as per usual.
So what's your plan? -Declan