This is Stevea Robbins.

Welcome to the Get It Done guys, quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

When you were little, your parents and teachers told you that someday you'd be a grown-up

and that grown-ups were more mature than kids.

Grown-ups take responsibility.

They put in an honest day's work for an honest day's wage.

They deal with each other with consideration and open minds.

They stand by their word and, you know, stuff like that.

At least that's what they told me.

I'm sure in the back room, they were doubled over in laughter at my youthful naivete,

because none of this, none as far as I can tell, is true. Today, the head of the U.S. Secret

Service was being grilled by Congress. The Secret Service's job is to protect the president.

It's their first, foremost, and primary job. They had a little oops. They let a guy with a knife

get pretty far into the White House before catching him. Apparently, the White House doesn't have the same kind of motion-detecting burglar alarm that my

one-bedroom apartment does.

The head of the Secret Service stood before Congress and said,

Mistakes were made.

Oh, I am so relieved to hear that, aren't you?

I didn't realize that letting armed intruders into the White House was a mistake.

I mean, I thought it was just the way things were supposed to work. Of course, the passive voice

is masterful. Now, had she used active voice and said, I made a mistake? Well, then I might

have thought that perhaps she set up inadequate employee screening, or maybe policies

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