IntroductionOn August 12, 2010, the Governor of Illinois notified Federal State Employee Union (FSEU) Local 343 of the state's intent to outsource and privatize management of the Department's information systems of Transportation (DoT) function (B. Glenn, personal communication, August 20, 2010). In response, Mr. Padilla, president of FSEU local no. 343, requests the Director of Human Resources of the FSEU, Ms. Glenn, to evaluate the notification. The memorandum dated August 20, 2010 includes Ms. Glenn's reasons and recommendations for opposing the proposal. The paper will evaluate the memo using the critical thinking model outlined by Browne and Keeley (2010) in their book Asking the Right Questions. He will apply the methodologies described to evaluate the content, conclusion and motivations of the communication. Additionally, answering the eleven questions will highlight ambiguities, illustrate errors in reasoning, and identify underlying assumptions. The document will also provide an evaluation of the quality of the arguments and the soundness of the author's reasoning. What are the problems and conclusions? The memo sent by Ms. Glenn to Mr. Padilla discusses the opposing views associated with the state's intent to outsource and privatize the DoT's information systems management function. The main issue identified in the communication concerns the response to the proposal: whether it should be opposed (Glenn, p.1). Accordingly, the memorandum evaluates the position the union should take and concludes that “FSEU Local No. 343 should challenge the governor's proposal to privatize the DoT's information systems management function as an unfair management practice” (Glenn, p. 2). What are the reasons? T... half of the document... fired employees. Conclusion After applying the critical thinking framework advocated by Browne and Keeley (2010), several deficiencies in reasoning become apparent. As illustrated throughout the article, the memo is emotionally charged, uses little evidence, and contains errors in reasoning. Based on the results the conclusion can be neither accepted nor rejected. It would be advisable to obtain further information before arriving at a decision on the matter. Works CitedBrowne, M. N., & Keeley, S. M. (2010). Asking the right questions: A guide to critical thinking (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.Mintz, S. (2007). Public service reform. Digital history. Retrieved from www.digitalhistory.uh.eduNational Archives and Records Administration (nd) Pendleton Act. Retrieved from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=48