The Week in Comments: Cost-cutting and the pay debate
The best in reader reaction to recent articles.
A roundup of some of the comments received this week in the GovExec.com Mailbag. All comments are presented in their original, unedited form.
On Republicans divided on defense cuts
If the hawks have their way, soon the Federal Government and the Defense Department will become one and the same. No money for anything except for endless war! What other countries are doing the same? China, India, European countries, Japan, Canada? They manufacture things, all we do is borrow and spend on War. We are bankrupting our nation all in the name of military expenditures.
I guess republican pork is not the same as democrat pork.
On Postal Service to manage losses with more workforce cuts
What is so hard to walk to house put mail in box. Could not pay no more than $10/hr maximum pay rate , I can not see any skill in 90% of the required work. None the less, no Sat. delivery.
the post office has way too many supervisors. they have cut the craft down to the bone in a lot of offices. so much that many times, we just don't have enough people to do the job that we are supposed to do. Especially when people go on vacation or take off for sickness.Long lines at the window and people getting their mail delivered in the dark.If they would eliminate many of the supervisory positions that are unneccessary,we could make it.but they won't do it.
I am one of the unskilled workers delivering mail. Until I went to work I severely understimated what it takes to get mail out. To those who only see what happents at their mailbox, go see what it takes for one individual to meet the needs of delivering 400-500 boxes each day. Joe blow suggested $10 per hour pay rate. PO would fold up, as you would not retain a consistent work force
I encourage readers to go on-line and read the FLRA decision, as well as Member Beck's dissent. It's clear from the tortured wording of the decision, and it's inability to confront meaningfully Beck's major points, that the Authority's action was clearly and solely politically-driven. This is the first step in a carefully orchestrated political minuet, which sets the stage for the now soon-to-be-expected decision of the TSA Administrator to grant collective bargaining rights to whichever union winds up as the exclusive bargaining agent for the TSA workforce. Check off another political payback on the administration's list for those who enabled its 2008 victory. And this is supposed to be representative of the President's claim to be changing the "way Washington works"?
Usually a union is not needed when management is listening. Apparently management is not listening. I hope TSA is successful!
On Federal pay raise still up in the air
The only way to get this under control is "death by a thousand cuts". Everyone is going to have to pay, spread it around if you will.
I want to thank all of my fellow co-workers in the Federal Govt. for voting Republican in the last election. NOT !!!!!! Look at what the Republicans think about US ! WE are the scapegoat they want/need to make the general population think that they are actually going to do something about the deficit. They want to freeze our pay and do away with COLA's. How do you feel now ?
End the Bush tax cut and give us a decent raise! Inflation has begun and we need to keep up with the cost of everything going up. Cut Congress' pay--they talk so much and do so little.
The cost of living goes up, and our pay stays the same. Typical federal government using their insane judgement.
I've been a government employee for only 18 months and my pay is the same as what I was making in the private sector. I know for a fact that I'm not being overpaid!
I vote to freeze my pay and make our sacrifice to the recovery.
It is infinitely amusing, to read some of the posts made by persons claiming doctoral and masters degrees. Perhaps a little time spent crafting one's message might make some of these claims more believable?
On Report: Dysfunction on Hill may hurt national security
Congress needs to stop squabbling like Kindergarten children and table all party favors and do what is best for the Nation and American citizen.
The people voted for Congressional dysfunction, so we have to live with the consequences thereof. That's democracy.
On Bureau of Prisons employee wins cost-cutting contest
Yes, of the 4 really ineffective ideas, this was the best. Now, what about the hundreds of real cost saving ideas that were ignored?
Congratulations. This is a good idea and I'm glad to see it implemented. Now, I'd like to see at least 1000 of the other ideas submitted implemented.
I can't help but think this could possibly be in line with what was once referred to as the paper reduction act....
On Gates warns against deep Defense cuts
The expected spending on Defense (including the VA, pensions, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Homeland Security, the nuclear stockpile, and FBI counter-terrorism items) in $1 TRILLION in FY11. The U.S. spends roughly half of the defense related budgets of the ENTIRE PLANET!! Gates needs to wake up. They're lucky if their budgets are not cut in half, let alone a measly 10%.
I understand modernization, but why do we need new fighters, and new strategic bombers? Who are we fighting, and who will we need new, extremely expensive, bombers to bomb? Our old fighters and bombers are still the best in the world, so update them, but don't pay for whole new systems that will cost the US taxpayer billions of dollars in overruns. The US gov't departments need to be run more efficiently, with diligent oversite. Business as usual is just not acceptable. Maybe criminal penalties for waste and fraud should be enforced or enacted?
LTC James Moorhouse (US Army Ret).
Really? Gates proposed $100B in self-imposed Pentagon cuts and now claims that a $55B cut would be catastrophic to the Department. It seems to me that the Congress ought to at least take the $100B that Gates offered up.
Sorry Mr. Gates, but DoD is 25% of the budget. Therefore it is 25% of the deficit problem. Pretending otherwise makes the deficit grow and enable out of control spending by both parties.
On Privacy advocates want Hill probe of airport scanners
All the fondling and watchlisting haven't helped get a single terrorist arrested before an attack. The government is much better at intruding in the lives of law abiding citizens than catching terrorists.
Hey Joe,
The TSA didn't catch the guy that burnrd up his underware. I think it is the ones coming into country, that need to be checked and givrn the 3rd degree. Most times it will be the incomming. I did hear about some of the body scans being on the internet already.
On Hiring reform inches forward
The reform may help to simplify the process of hiring but it won't prevent some dishonest managers to hire their inner circle buddies or someone pre-selected who may not be the best qualified person for the job. I see this have happened all the time during my 30 years with the government. I think it would be good to have the applicants to take an exam on their knowledge, skills, and abilities relevant to the actual job requirements in determining the best candidate.
Blah blah blah. Same old talk, different administration. What OPM can really do that will help is allow for more characters in the resume section of USAJobs. There is no way to cover experience in 3K characters (which includes spaces)!
Just in time for the hiring and pay freeze!!!!
NEXT STORY: Another Day, Another Pay Freeze Proposal