Streets I would plow first
Snow brings a lot of problems to the residents of any region. This is because it affects the movement of goods and services from one point to another. In most cases, the snow is so thick that the local governments are required to plow it to ease movement. However, problems arise in that everyone wants their streets to be given the priority in plowing the snow. The heads of public works of the county are required to oversee such exercises in order to boost development.
Whenever such situations arise, some streets must be prioritized because of the importance that they play. In essence, the residents will demand that their streets be attended first. Because of the scarcity of the plowing machines, it is only possible that the streets have to be plowed in order of priority. This calls for deeper analysis of the streets in the county to determine the ones that have large significance to the day to day operations.
For the purposes of containing the snow, the priority should be given to streets from where snow emerges. It would make little sense to start from other streets since the impact will not be widely felt. By addressing the snow emergency routes first, there are high chances that the staff will contain the spread of snow, hence making the task easier.
After addressing such routes, it is important to address the main routes that lead to important facilities. This is a communal problem and in solving it, a communal approach should be given. In doing so, streets that lead to schools, churches, fire stations and hospitals should be prioritized. In solving communal problems, it is advisable to ignore individual interests and address them after addressing the main problem. Because the crew is not sufficient to handle the problem once, the residents must accept that prioritization must be followed. Next in priority should be police stations and subway stations. This is to ensure that the important facilities in the county are catered for first. After exhausting the key routes, the operators will then handle the feeder streets that lead to neighborhoods. Because the major routes would have been attended to, it would be easy to move. As such, the priority should be from the key routes to the least important streets.
What I would say to the residents
The county residents pay taxes in order to receive such crucial services delivered to them in a quick and effective manner. This is, usually, the case with less-scale problems where the county government can provide enough personnel to address the issue in question within few hours. However, because this is a large scale problem which affects almost every resident, it would be difficult to provide adequate personnel to address the issue. As such, it is crucial that the residents are given good information on how the issue will be addressed. This is important for the purpose of cooperation to address the issue. It would be very difficult for the workers to carry out their tasks in an environment where they are threatened. This can only make the work more difficult.
In the case study, the residents threatened plow drivers because they prioritized working in other areas first. This facilitated other drivers to call 911 in order to get reinforcements. This is not how such cases should be handled. Cooperation and helping each other is essential in times of such difficulties. The residents need to understand the importance of supporting the drivers who lead the plowing exercise.
Paying tax is not optional, everyone should pay it in time. This tax is used to address, among others, emergencies such as snow. However, paying the tax does not entitle the residents to be rude and use threatening messages and words to the workers who handle emergencies. Although they have a duty to complain, they must understand that the right protocol should be followed in addressing the emergencies. Rights come with responsibilities and duties which must be followed in service delivery.
In addressing such issues, communication is always important. It is unfair for the workers to start working without communicating to the residents the reasons as to why they have prioritized other areas. By communicating to them, they will see the sense why other areas must be addressed first. For instance, it is essential to make them aware of the scarcity of workers to deal with the issue in question. By this, they should wait until their streets are addressed. It is crucial to inform them that streets that lead to public utilities must be given priority for the great interest of the community. It would be immature to address the issue at a personal level when the important facilities are ignored. In solving such problems, residents should appreciate the bigger picture before putting their interests first.
Possible accountability and ethical issues
It is not illegal or bad to have a special snow removal plan for important days such as Election Day. However, what is illegal is using such plans for personal and selfish gains. The fact that all residents pay tax warrants them to be treated equally without any form of discrimination. Discriminating one because of their political affiliations is an offence that is punishable by law (Kettl 2014, p. 47). Implementing such plans is likely to put one in problems as they would face accountability and ethics-related charges.
All elected representatives are expected to deliver services to the residents, whether they voted for them or not. All individuals pay tax, meaning that they should be given an opportunity in development matters. What is more astonishing is the fact that the mayor’s special plans are only available on Election Day so that he can take unfair advantage over his competitors. By addressing the regions where he is likely to receive more votes, he will have undue advantage over other candidates. This should not happen since elections should be free and fair to ensure the will of the people is done.
Implementing such a selfish plan will elicit more ethical issues in the society. Public property is expected to be used in a free and fair manner for the benefit of all residents in a given area (Kettl, 2014, p. 57). Whenever such issues are to be addressed in terms of priority, the residents should be clearly explained to the criteria employed in prioritizing some areas over others. In this case, implementing this plan will leave one without relevant answers, inviting more problems than expected.
There is no way one can solve such ethical and accountability issues. Mismanagement of the public property for one’s selfish gains should be highly condemned since this hinders positive development in the society. However, for the purposes of getting away with the offences, the implementer of the plan can fake reasons as to why the areas with his voters get the priority. For instance, one can argue that such a decision was as a result of thorough scrutiny of the affected areas.
Roles of federal, State and local governments
The federal, state and local governments play crucial roles in the policy of flu vaccine. The federal government has a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) that ensures that all problems that result from vaccines are reported (Kettl 2014, p. 80). Whenever a medical institution uses some vaccine and suspects some adverse reaction, it should make immediate reports to the federal system. The system is under close monitoring from both the FDA and CDS, playing the key role of detecting and warning whenever problems that are related to vaccines arise. In the case study, for instance, the federal government failed to play its roles effectively. Whether this was due to ignorance or not is debatable. Before the vaccines could be detected to be contaminated, the federal government should have provided such crucial information early enough. This would ensure better planning to avoid the shortages that were experienced.
The federal government is tasked with putting in place immunization registries that are confidential. These registries should have systems that are computerized to give the vaccination history of children who reside within a given area. This is the only way through which they can ensure children receive vaccines at the ages that are recommended. The government should keep a centralized database and desist from relying on the information that parents give. The federal government should ensure that vaccines for adults and children are kept in safe places to avoid contamination. The federal government should ensure necessary programs are put in place to promote the vaccinations.
Individual states are required to have mechanisms of ensuring all children receive relevant vaccines when necessary (Goodsell, 2014, p. 56). Whereas the federal government should ensure that vaccines are safe, the actual distribution and administration is the role of the states. Their closeness to the people means that proper records can be kept for all children in order to monitor how they respond to the vaccines they receive. Apart from this, the states have the responsibility of creating public awareness so as to ensure all parents present their children for the vaccinations. Without this, it will be very difficult for the vaccination process to be effected, endangering the lives of the young children.
What such role suggest on the administrative process
For the administrative process to be successful, roles and responsibilities are distributed between the stakeholders involved. In the example of the case study on vaccines, it is clear that the issue about vaccination in the community is the role of the federal government. The federal government should play a key role to ensure that the citizens are well protected. This can only be achieved through such actions as vaccinating the children who have a high risk of being infected by flu. It also keeps the central database from which reliable records about the children’s history on immunizations. Important however is the fact that the federal government has distributed such responsibilities to States and local governments (Goodsell, 2014, p. 13). This is not only a good sign of administration; it brings services closer to the people that should benefit from it.
Distributing roles and responsibilities brings about accountability in the system. Centralization of services in one region promotes mismanagement as there is not enough scrutiny to the actions of the officials. In the day to day life, it is advisable that the top officials in any administration facility spread the responsibilities to other people. Not only does this strengthen the relationship between the two parties, it also promotes understanding between members in various levels of administration.
Distribution of roles and responsibilities in the administration process is also essential in taking services close to the beneficiaries. In the case study, for instance, whereas the federal government is tasked with making relevant policy as to the vaccines, it is the local government and States that ensure administration of the vaccines is implemented. By taking services close to people, more people will benefit as compared to centralizing the services. This should be applied to every administrative process to ensure positive development is achieved by those in authorities.
Why the US should change its policy on flu vaccines
It is evident that America’s policy on flu vaccines should be changed. This is crucial in ensuring that better mechanisms and policies that meet the needs of the people are introduced. In the case study, for instance, the government depends on only two suppliers of the vaccine. As soon as Chiron pulled out because of the contamination that took place, the country was in a great danger as a shortage of the vaccine loomed. It is at this point that the public health officials and doctors scrambled to determine the best way through which they could make up the difference. What this portrays is that the government is not well-prepared to address emergency shortages of the vaccines, putting the lives of people in balance. An effective government should have alternative measures prior to the problem arising. It is such vision that should be integrated into the new policy on flu vaccines to ensure there are no further shortages during the time of need.
The approach that the United States of America has given the vaccines should be changed. Previously, most people never received the vaccines despite the wide availability. It is the role of the government to inform and encourage the public of the importance of receiving such vaccines in one’s lifetime. This is important to ensure that all eligible candidates receive the crucial vaccines. Essentially, the government should enact a law that requires all parents to present their children for vaccines, failure of which they should be punished by the law. Although this may seem a hard stance, it will play a big role in ensuring that all children undergo the crucial mechanisms. This will protect them from potential illnesses that may cost them their lives.
In order to mitigate unforeseen problems, the government should have a contract with several suppliers of vaccines. This will ensure that it is well-prepared to meet possible challenges such as the vaccines running short. Being the duty of the government to oversee the healthcare industry, the government should change its policy on flu vaccines.
References
Kettl, D.F. (2014). Politics of the administrative process, 6th edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Goodsell, C. T. (2014). The new case for bureaucracy. New York: Thousand Oaks.
