My Email to Clay Johnson 6/29/2006

When I first read the memo, I thought it was a draft to be reviewed before issuing, not the final copy see it here. So then I just read that there was another toothless memo issued that reminds folks of the August 7th deadline but provides absolutely no indication of what will happen if an agency does nothing.

So if I am a high level employee, what shall I do? My vote is... Nothing. Not until they give me some specific options on how to address the problem and not until I know what will happen to me. Why should I do anything other than what I'm doing if there are no consequences?

Have a great weekend.

And no, Mr. Johnson did not reply to my email. I get the sense it's like trying to talk a dog off a meat wagon...

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Mr Johnson,

Am I totally naïve or do I not understand why guidance would be issued without guidance on possible solutions that exist in the marketplace? Is it so that any wrong choices don’t come back as a lawsuit down the road?

How are people expected to be held accountable, let alone do the right thing, and implement something that actually works to conform to the guidance issued by your office? Doen’t this have a chance to come back and bite you and your office personally for issuing guidance, with no solution, and another breach happens and it points back to this memo with your signature? I don’t get it.

As someone who keeps firms out of the papers every day, I am having a hard time understanding you issuing a toothless memo, especially when it can and probably will come back to bite you.

Mark