Review “Doing the Right Thing” in Chapter 5. Governmental Planning Takes Diverse Forms.

A partial
list of large-scale governmental planning activities would have to include at least the following: (1)
planning for the conservation and use of natural resources, (2) city planning, (3) planning for full
employment, (4) planning for personal and family security, (5) planning for agriculture, and (6)
planning for the improvement of government organization. Provide one example from the case that
addresses one of the five planning activities. Explain the lessons you discovered in this case that could
create additional planning activities.

The activity I would consider is planning for full employment. Over the years with constant debate over
the spending budget of the federal government. Funding is taken from certain areas to give to other
areas and that is the possibility of cutting jobs. In my opinion, there is no economic policy more
important than job creation. The private sector plays an invaluable and dynamic role in providing
employment, but it cannot ensure enough jobs to keep up with population growth or speed economic
recovery—much less achieve the social goal of full employment for all Americans. Thankfully, there is an
alternative: a job guarantee through a government-provided employer of last resort program offering a
job to anyone who is ready and willing to work at the federal minimum wage plus legislated benefits
(Wray, 2011). Though the Employment Act of 1946 committed the government to the goal of high
employment (it was amended by the 1978 Humphrey-Hawkins Act, which targeted a measured
unemployment rate of 3 percent), we act as if full employment would ruin us, destroying the value of
our currency through inflation and depreciation, and weakening the labor discipline that high
unemployment maintains through enforced destitution.

Review “Robin Hood” in Chapter 5. The story stated that the source of revenue (the rich) was
dwindling because the rich were avoiding the forest. Robin considered increasing revenue by
assessing a fixed transit tax. Recommend a contingency plan to increase revenue that would allow
Robin Hood to stay true to his mission. Comment on the use and importance of contingency plans by
public administrators. Provide an example to illustrate.

With not thinking too much into this I would go back to the idea of what most organizations do when
employees have grown beyond the original idea or budget of what they thought they could pay the
individual. The contingency would be to ask the employee to take lesser piece of revenue or send the
individuals off with a stimulus package and layoff the worker with the explanation that salary cannot be
pad.

References

Wray, R., (2011) The Job Guarantee: A Government Plan for Full Employment