This post was contributed by Put Barber, Idealist’s Senior Researcher.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported today that Timothy Shriver, director of the Special Olympics (and son of Sargeant and Eunice Kennedy Shriver) has proposed that the new Administration create a Federal Department of Development and Service.

“Today, there’s no national voice inviting Americans to serve humanitarian interests around the world and no clear strategy for promoting democracy, economic development, health, education, and human rights,” he writes in The Washington Post. His proposed department would take on these tasks.

Within about an hour of the posting of the report on the Chronicle blog there were four sour hostile comments about “inept government” and “layers of bureaucracy.” Now there’s at least one less grumpy one (by me).

You can see the Chronicle blog here.

You may remember a similar anecdote from the Nonprofit Congress earlier this year. There are certainly some folks ready with a negative word about government who are active in nonprofit work.

What do you think? You can post a comment here for us Idealists to see or join in the more public discussion at the Chronicle website linked above.