Needed by Congress:Content Management 101

By Dan Bolita ICP editor of TAWPI’s TODAY Magazine

First some background

Stuart W. Bowen has a demanding job. Mr. Bowen serves as
the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
Bowen’s mission includes the oversight of more than $22 billion that comprise the Iraq
Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF). The IRRF was established by our U.S. Congress
to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure. (If TAWPI ever enjoys a budget exceeding $20 billion,
the members might reasonably expect to have someone in Mr. Bowen’s capacity making
sure the funds were being spent wisely).

Mr. Bowen, it seems, is more than a watchdog, he is a bulldog. As a result of the efforts
of his team, many instances of corruption have been exposed, and there have been
several convictions for fraud. Sadly, government contractors are apparently not all as
honest as we might hope. (Details of some of the more flagrant abuses can be found in
the audit reports available at (www.sigir.mil).

For his efforts, Bowen’s office was awarded the Better Government Award “for
demonstrating integrity, determination, and courage in providing independent oversight
and unbiased review of the U.S. reconstruction efforts in Iraq.” The award states that,
“SIGIR’s efforts greatly increased the public’s confidence in government by detecting
fraud, waste, and abuse…” (I didn’t know there was a “Better Government Award,”
maybe they don’t get a chance to bestow it very often).

Imagine their surprise...

Despite the fact that Mr. Bowen has proven to be more than diligent in discovering
misuses of taxpayer funds, his office faces premature termination. A provision was quietly
added to the defense bill Congress approved in September, (a week before the recent
election) which eliminates Bowen’s office on October 1, 2007. According to Senator Susan
Collins (R-Maine) the provision was, “slipped in without notice.” Published reports have
named staffers of Rep. Duncan Hunter, (R-California) as the source.

To her credit, Senator Collins has been actively working to file bills that would
reverse the now-pending termination. It seems quite probable that by the time this issue
goes to press, Mr. Bowen's office will have been restored. Such is the value of public
scrutiny.

However, back to the “slipped in without notice” part … Whaaaaat? Don’t our lawmakers
have audit trails, version controls, or any of a number of other readily available
content management systems? Don’t they read the bills they sign into law? What else is
getting slipped in? And, come to think of it, who gets to slip these things in anyway? Are
our pending laws just lying around on desks at night where anyone with a pen can come
along and jot in a few changes?

Of course, these concerns need not only apply to the U.S. Congress. The problem
of document access, version control, and audit trails exist in any organization. Perhaps
we should view the follies of our elected officials as early warning systems for our own information shortcomings.