[OutsiderFan]

in politics (and it becomes politics when you work for the government) it is common to present only one side of the story, the side you support. You can't lie, but you needn't be "fair". It is also an approach that lawyers take all the time. It is their job to represent their client. Pointing out things that help the other side not only isn't their job, it is to be avoided.
These are the reasons that political discussions in public are not good places to hash out scientific truths. You are only going to get one side from the Administration, whoever that is at the time. It may be the side you happen agree with, but that doesn't make it fair or complete.

I do not agree that "it becomes politics when you work for the government," and I do not agree that those who work for the government "needn't be fair." I believe that virtually all government functions should be performed in a fair, non-partisan way, and that government employees should act in the best interests of the public, not in the partisan interests of the president. 

For example, we have a right to expect non-partisan, non-political job performance from the Social Security Administration, the IRS, the Veterans Administration, the Weather Service, the Census, the Postal Service, the military, and other agencies. We have the right to expect "good government" and public service, not partisanship. I do not believe that just because they work for the government, they should be allowed to act in the president's partisan, political interests.

The same is true of the CDC, FDA, HHS, and other agencies and officials involved in responding to the pandemic. They should act based on public health considerations and the public interest, regardless of whether those actions are ideologically in line with the president's personal wishes.

Scott Atlas appears to be have been chosen based on ideological agreement with the president, not based on his competence in public health and infectious diseases. We have a right to expect that the pandemic response will be based on public health considerations, not the president's personal interests. We have a right to expect the pandemic response to be "fair," not partisan. Those handling the pandemic response should not act like lawyers representing a partisan client. They should act like representatives of the public acting in the public interest.

High functioning democracies allow the career civil servant employees to do their work without political interference or pressure. The United States has fallen 8 places from #17 to #25 on the worldwide democracy rankings over the last four years. The "once you work for government, your job is political" canard is one of the reasons why we have fallen so much.

[OutsiderFan]

in politics (and it becomes politics when you work for the government) it is common to present only one side of the story, the side you support. You can't lie, but you needn't be "fair". It is also an approach that lawyers take all the time. It is their job to represent their client. Pointing out things that help the other side not only isn't their job, it is to be avoided.
These are the reasons that political discussions in public are not good places to hash out scientific truths. You are only going to get one side from the Administration, whoever that is at the time. It may be the side you happen agree with, but that doesn't make it fair or complete.

I do not agree that "it becomes politics when you work for the government," and I do not agree that those who work for the government "needn't be fair." I believe that virtually all government functions should be performed in a fair, non-partisan way, and that government employees should act in the best interests of the public, not in the partisan interests of the president. 

For example, we have a right to expect non-partisan, non-political job performance from the Social Security Administration, the IRS, the Veterans Administration, the Weather Service, the Census, the Postal Service, the military, and other agencies. We have the right to expect "good government" and public service, not partisanship. I do not believe that just because they work for the government, they should be allowed to act in the president's partisan, political interests.

The same is true of the CDC, FDA, HHS, and other agencies and officials involved in responding to the pandemic. They should act based on public health considerations and the public interest, regardless of whether those actions are ideologically in line with the president's personal wishes.

Scott Atlas appears to be have been chosen based on ideological agreement with the president, not based on his competence in public health and infectious diseases. We have a right to expect that the pandemic response will be based on public health considerations, not the president's personal interests. We have a right to expect the pandemic response to be "fair," not partisan. Those handling the pandemic response should not act like lawyers representing a partisan client. They should act like representatives of the public acting in the public interest.

High functioning democracies allow the career civil servant employees to do their work without political interference or pressure. The United States has fallen 8 places from #17 to #25 on the worldwide democracy rankings over the last four years. The "once you work for government, your job is political" canard is one of the reasons why we have fallen so much.