In article ,
Phil Kane wrote:

How do others see it?

That's a decent Readers' Digest version of what happened. Part of the
problem was a turf war between two Bureaus - the one that issued the
licenses and levied the penalties, and the one (that I was in) that
did the grunt work of finding and citing the offenders. Throw into
that mix the one-and-only attorney in the latter bureau, someone who
didn't believe in doing anything that took work (I had many run-ins
with her), and a Congress that was short-changing the agency in the
number of field personnel authorized because "we weren't supposed to
be in the surveillance business" according to a specific congressional
committee chair echoing the "man behind the curtain", one JEdgar
Hoover, who was dead set against anyone doing law enforcement
investigative work except his hand-picked crew at the FBI that he
could control with an iron hand.

The ham community fared a little better, because many if not most of
the managers who had any responsibility for the ARS and even some of
the Bureau Chiefs at the agency were well-known and well-respected
(feared ?) hams and they tried really hard to get the ARS to keep its
skirts clean. Eventually, though, these fine folks retired or died
and the nickel-nursers and "bright young folks" who succeeded them
fell into the pattern exemplified by one of my favorite phrases from
the biblical Book of Exodus "There arose in Egypt a new Pharaoh who
knew not Joseph...." I can count the number of active and experienced
hams who are decision-makers about the ARS on the fingers of one hand
now.

My personal opinion.
--

73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

Being one of those, who got RIFF'ed, in the Clinton/Gore
Gutting/Bloodletting of the Field Operations Bureau back
in the Day.... I agree with Phil, 100%. the public got
the FCC that they deserved, by allowing the Politicos
to politicize the Commission. It used to be run by Engineers,
now it is run by Political Wonks. Life is tough, and then you
DIE....

--
Bruce in alaska
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