The downfall of volunteerism: The report

Before giving someone a very significant position that demands a lot, make it a full-time job, one busy guy said this week.

Dan Blalock, chairman of the Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee, was questioned during a Wartime Contracting Commission in Iraq and Afghanistan hearing because his committee has failed to finish annual reports on rulings regarding these contractor punishments for misconduct.

But he also has another job — a full-time job. Blalock is the U.S. Navy counsel. More than that, Blalock's "world changed in 2009" as senior leaders left the government or took other positions, leaving him as the acting director of their duties.

He doesn’t have enough time to do it all. And, unlike years past, the suspension and debarment committee has no full-time staff to encourage things along, he told the commission members during a Feb. 28 hearing on suspending and debarring companies in contingency operations.

“You know there’s a risk when the government relies upon volunteers to do important government functions,” he said.

The secret is make the important jobs a priority.