The Government Mechanic

Episode 10 looks under the hood at the US Department of Veterans Affairs with Steve Sanson, Co-founder and President of Veterans in Politics International; Kathleen Monahan, an organizational consultant with 40 years of federal government experience and volunteer with homeless vets; and Dr. Lynn Sandra Kahn, organizational psychologist in the federal government for more than 35 years and host of The Government Mechanic. The conversation begins with a discussion of the new VA mission adopted in 2023. Since 1865 the VA mission has been to “to care for he who has borne the battle, his widow and his orphan.” The new mission seeks to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers and survivors. Sanson describes some excellent VA experiences and also calls on military men and women to gather updated medical records before leaving the military to expedite VA benefits. “Be an advocate for yourself” says Sanson. 

VA Strategic Plan: https://department.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/va-strategic-plan-2022-2028.pdf

Website: https://veteransinpolitics.org

YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/stevewsanson/videos

Episode 9 is the first of our special episodes called “Under the Hood” where we look at the key elements of any organization: mission statement, strategic goals, priority actions, performance metrics and even communication style. In this episode, looking under the hood of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is Brenda Cochran, a dairy farmer for 50 years; Kathleen Monahan, an organizational consultant with 40 years of government experience; and Dr. Lynn Sandra Kahn, organizational psychologist in the federal government for more than 35 years and host of The Government Mechanic. The conversation concludes that family farmers are not represented in the USDA strategic plan at all and the plan itself is poorly written. Where, we asked, are the performance measures?

USDA Strategic Plan

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-fy-2022-2026-strategic-plan.pdf

Website - https://www.farmwomenunited.org

Episode 8 focuses on small-scale fisheries and reveals similarities with family farming and traditional ranching. Our special guest is Niaz Dorry and we talk about fishing, farming, ranching and America’s food supply system. Niaz Dorry has been a community organizer for over 35 years. Now she is both the Director of the North American Marine Alliance (NAMA) and the Director of the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC). These two organizations together are the largest voice for grassroots communities of fishermen, farmers and ranchers -- what they call the first set of hands that touch our food.  The two organizations began a shared-leadership model in 2018, cementing the connections between land and sea, between a land-based food system and a sea-based food system. The episode starts with Dorry describing 2024 life for America’s fishers and family-owned, small-scaled fisheries. Then Dr. Kahn asks about NAMA’s article that begins: “In a big win for oceans, a federal court struck down the decisions of the US Army Corps of Engineers that approved permits for industrial fish farming in federal waters.” The episode concludes with Dorry’s conclusions about what people can do differently tomorrow to support our family fishers, farmers and ranchers.

For more information: 

North American Marine Alliance (NAMA) https://www.namanet.org

National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) https://www.nffc.net

Episode 7 could also be titled Do You Know Where Your Hamburger Comes From? This is the third of five episodes about our food supply system here in America. The   accomplished and surprisingly talented guest is Marty Irby, the director of the Organization for Competitive Markets based in Lincoln Nebraska, though he works and lives in Washington, D.C. Marty Irby was born in southern Alabama and grew up on a farm with horses, cattle and other animals. Flash forward to 2024, Marty is a lobbyist in Washington DC, demanding our elected officials do the right thing. For example, he helped pass 42 different federal and state laws, including the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Before two wonky questions – about corporate food monopolies and government agriculture agencies – Dr. Kahn asked about Irby’s 2021 film showing American wild horses being eradicated from federal lands! Then they discussed concentration in the food industry and how that impacts choices for the average consumer, and the roles of the US Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Irby closed with some advice for grassroots organizations who want to lobby Congress for changes to specific legislation and then how consumers and shoppers can help farmers and ranchers.

For more information:

Website https://martyirby.squarespace.com

Episode 6 is the second of five episodes about America’s food supply system. The special guest is Sherry Bunting, investigative reporter extraordinaire, an independent agriculture journalist since 1981. She was born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she now lives and works. She has worked on dairy farms, milking and feeding cows, sometimes as a relief milker called in at the last minute. Now, she is a farm and food policy expert, publishing weekly in the Farmshine newsletter. The conversation started with questioning why it is illegal to serve whole milk in our public schools in America. Yes, it’s illegal to serve healthy, fresh, nutrient-dense, good tasting whole milk in public schools. Then Bunting described the progress of the grassroots effort generally called 97milk.com to bring whole milk back into schools. Finally, Dr. Kahn asked about the hurricane damage in North Carolina and the farmer-to-farmer network of volunteers, donations and hay drives. Bunting closes by noting the connections between farming, food and national security, then talked about how consumers and shoppers can help farmers.

For more information:

Website: Farmshine.net

Blog: https://agmoos.com

Episodes 5 through 8 are all about farming, ranching, fishing, and our food supply system here in America. The special and outspoken guest on Episode 5 is Brenda Cochran, co-founder of Farm Women United. Cochran has been a dairy farmer for nearly fifty years; her husband was born and raised on a dairy farm; and they are now farming in Pennsylvania. Together they raised and homeschooled 14 children. Cochran has a lot to say about the struggles of dairy farmers, the destructive policies of the US Department of Agriculture, and the future of our food supply here in the United States. 

The discussion is wide-ranging and deeply emotional as Cochran details how USDA policies have made it impossible for farmers to cover their costs of producing the food that America needs. 

For more information:

Website - https://www.farmwomenunited.org

Episode 4 brings back Steve W. Sanson, co-founder and president of Veterans in Politics International. Steve served in the United States Marine Corps from 1985 to 1991 and in the United States Army from 1992 to 1998. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He has advocated for veterans for almost 25 years, testifying in front of the Nevada state legislature on issues from veterans’ cemeteries, to keeping nuclear waste out of Nevada, to printing the word veteran on Nevada driver’s licenses, and fighting to change police policies when dealing with veterans who might have PTSD.

In Episode 4, Sanson describes the efforts of Veterans in Politics International to educate political candidates on veterans’ issues, which is how he and Dr. Kahn met in 2016. Veterans in Politics International is a non-partisan group that invites all political candidates running in the State of Nevada to participate in interviews and discussions, all open to the public. The veterans that attend are outspoken about their needs. Candidates listen and then have an opportunity to speak.

Sanson has written two books:

How to Collect on Your Bad Debt Accounts in Clark County Nevada (2005) available on Amazon

How to Navigate Nevada’s Family Court System (2024) available on Kindle on Amazon

For more information:

Website: https://veteransinpolitics.org

YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/stevewsanson/videos

Episodes 3 and 4 feature Steve W. Sanson, president of Veterans in Politics International. Steve served in the United States Marine Corps from 1985 to 1991 and in the United States Army from 1992 to 1998. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He has advocated for veterans for almost 25 years, testifying in front of the Nevada state legislature on issues including veterans’ cemeteries, keeping nuclear waste out of Nevada, printing the word Veteran on Nevada driver’s licenses, and fighting to change police policies when dealing with veterans who might have PTSD.

In Episode 3, Sanson describes challenges faced by veterans, especially those serving after 9/11. The episode then focuses on Sanson’s 20-year effort to establish Veterans Courts in Clark County, then throughout Nevada and now beyond. Veterans Court gives veterans a chance for treatment instead of incarceration, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder. The treatment program is 18-months long and usually overseen by local judges.

Sanson has written two books:

How to Collect on Your Bad Debt Accounts in Clark County Nevada (2005) available on Amazon

How to Navigate Nevada’s Family Court System (2024) available on Kindle on Amazon

For more information:

Website: https://veteransinpolitics.org

YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/stevewsanson/videos

John Kamensky is the featured guest in Season 2, Episode 2 where he describes government reform efforts over the last 35 years. Kamensky is currently a visiting lecturer in the School of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is also an emeritus fellow at the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Washington, D.C. and a Senior Fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration. He started working on government reform at the 1974 Texas Constitutional Convention. He served in the Clinton-Gore Administration as a deputy director of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government in the Office of the Vice President, and as a special assistant to the Deputy Director for Management at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Dr. Kahn describes John Kamensky as “very precise, very thoughtful, and committed to creating a government that gets results, measures performance, works in partnerships, and delivers outstanding government services to the American public.”

Their discussion begins with reinventing government and then Kamensky gives his observations about the legacy of reinvention such as agency strategic plans and annual reviews, the Government Performance and Results Act, the structure of the President’s Management Agenda, the idea of customer service, and the importance of cross-agency coordination. Dr. Kahn adds “cross-government coordination is a key issue in all my consulting work including juvenile justice reform. Reinvention called them Senior Policy Groups and that’s what I call them, too.”

Find Kamensky’s weekly summary of government news related to performance and measurement on his LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-m-kamensky-9981301/

Season 2, Episode 1 features Dr. Lynn Sandra Kahn and Kathy Monahan talking about their 2016 campaign as independent candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States. Kahn is an organizational psychologist with over 40 years’ experience as a strategic planner specializing in government reinvention and transformation. Monahan is a strategic planner and management consultant also with more than 40 years’ government experience, often focused on performance measurement. Together, they worked inside the federal government at the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Border Patrol, Defense, and the Department of Justice.

Their campaign stretched from coast to coast, along the Great Lakes, through major mountain ranges, the southwest desert, and more. They had a clear platform: Fix Government, Build Peace with a 7 Track Plan to do just that. They listened a lot and found that people wanted to talk, people wanted to be heard. And there were a few Irish bars.

Dr. Kahn’s books are available at Amazon:

Performance Networks: Transforming Governance for the 21st Century (2009)

Results at the Edge: The Ten Rules of Government Reform (2003)

Peacemaking: A Systems Approach to Conflict Management (1988)

Kathy Monahan’s books are available online at Books A Million:

The Government Manager’s Guide to Strategic Planning

Balanced Measures for Strategic Planning