The Week in Comments: WikiLeaks, mental health, and more on the pay freeze
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 House looks to pass full fiscal year CR
Brillant leaders who cannot pass a budget every year on time! And they get paid how much? And their benefits are what? And they get Earmarks/Pork Barrel funds? Where does the line form?
What is the difference between a year-long CR and a omnibus budget for the year?
On Analysis: Remedies beyond the pay freeze
The problem with pay for performance is the supervisors have their favorites. The favorites will get bigger raises than the people who actually perform better. look at the recent victory NTEU won for CBP. When i looked at the list of people who recieved awards for performance, you could see that the SUPS favorites got the bonuses. Where i work, i am stuck on the midnight shift and do not see much of any traffic at the border. So how am i going to get evaluated?
The high five rule should only start on those who are more than 6 years away. This allows people time to seek promotions they may not have taken before or adjust to the less benefits at retirements.
Mr. Risher's article makes a great deal of sense. As a retired federal employee with over 35 years of service, I would say my final salary was fairly upper middle class, while I consider my pension modest. I agree that a good market based salary system would do a great deal to minimize the criticisms on both sides of the debate.
The challenge is establishing a system that won't be abused. If the GS system were replaced with a market driven system what balancing force would keep salaries from ballooning when supervisors cherrypick surveys and reports to justify spiraling salaries. After a few years of abuse the Washington Post would have a field day. We can't forget that federal workers don't have the balancing force of the free market so any model must have a damping function to compensate for that gap.
On Marine Corps, Army chiefs oppose ending 'don't ask' this year
I agree that repealing "Don't ask, don't tell this year would be disruptive. Congress should pass a law ending discrimination against gay and lesbian service members beginning January 1, 2011. The arguement that we can't stop discrimination immediately because we're in the midst of a war, doesn't wash with me. These wars for empire never end.
Who better would know the effect of gays in the military than the military chiefs? Butt out!
The survey has been posted on online. The questions would worded to encourage a negative response to Gays in the military. Anyone that thinks gays are not already serving is totally clueless. In my late partners unit (Medical Corp), it was 25% gay. The only thing that repealing DADT will change is that gays will no longer be required to lie. They will now be able to live up to the military code of honor and be truthful.
On OPM updates sick leave policies
People will come to work sick anyway. What they need to do is increase the earning of SL to 8 hours a pay period. One serious illness or surgery can zap all your leave.
Usually, medical offices are so backed up that it takes 1-2 weeks before my doctor can schedule me in. What do I do in this situation?
On Report: Defense faces large and growing mental health problem
What this report does not address is the other casualties of this problem: marriages, children, and other family members. As a result of this disorder each one of those affected by the soldier suffering from PTSD also suffer PTSD.
The people that treat will treat most of these soldiers are Federal employees. The same people everyone seems to hate so much right now. The same people who are having their salary frozen for 2 years. The same people that everyone wants to make the scapegoat for our massive deficit and debt.
Very sad report, but don't tell private industry employers about these results. Vets can't already get hired because employers think they are all mentally ill. My advice to future vets, stay in the military and don't ever get out. Military people make a lot of money with years of service. Perhaps many that go into the military are pre-mentally ill to begin with and then any stress triggers them.
On From Nextgov.com: OMB tells feds not to look at leaked documents
This order is just nutty. I didn't care to look before, but now I feel obliged
This is ridiculous--the whole world can look at them but heavens forbid that any Govt employee looks at them. What kind of sense is that?
On General not confident of 2014 pullout from Afghanistan
Welcome to the world of "war without end." We'll bankrupt ourselves, destroy our values, and in the end still not win because the war against terror is a war against an idea. You can't kill an idea with a gun.
Of course he doesn't want to end it all. Generals need the extra pay (combat) even though they don't see it or live it. Don't forget DOD contractors would be big losers and we can't have that. These people are not going to accept democracy, no matter how hard we push it doen their throats. They will return to the governing systems that they have always used. America's democracy came from within and was not forced upon us. How many more lives will we sacrifice to get the message.
It's time to leave now. Almost all of the original al Q'aida leadership from 2001 is dead or captured. We're now chasing down the 4th or 5th iteration. You can't win this. It's pointless. We're throwing away the lives of our soldiers for no reason.
Shouldn't we pull out of Germany, Japan, and Korea before pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan?
On Lawmakers ask colleagues to hold off on 2012 pay freeze
I appreciate this support and agree that a comprehensive approach's needed to reduce our federal deficit. I look forward to seeing what other strategies the Administration comes up with, and hope some of them actually get implemented. It would be infuriating if the only strategy to reduce the deficit that gets implemented in 2011 is the pay freeze. An even better strategy than the pay freeze would've been to encourage employees to anonymously deduct their 2011 annual and locality increases from their paychecks, donating it back to the government for the purposes of reducing the federal deficit, just like we donate to CFC charities. That way cash-strapped employees could opt out, and the federal workforce as a whole would look like heroes.
The payroll tax reduction will be offset by the increase in insurance cost, so our salaries will still be frozen. But that's better than the 'pay cut' we would experience without a tax reduction. As long as I am not taking home less money next year, I think a pay freeze is reasonable considering our present financial circumstances.
I'm surprised that only so few Congressmen signed off on the letter, I expected more. We have to be the only country where politics and political games comes with a hefty paycheck. Again, these are millionaires telling us that we make too much money. You have to love the irony in that!
Good! Don't freeze my pay on one day, and the next day give everyone a tax cut.
Regardless of who is getting their pay cut, frozen, or given less hours and benefits, Americans should be angry at our elected officials. They continue to send money to countries that hate us and give benefits and pay to illegals. As citizens of this country, we should be taken care of first. I'm tired of hearing people bad-mouthing federal employees, public employees, etc. At least we are working and not living off welfare and public assistance. I think putting a freeze on all money going outside of this country and to people who are illegally here would be a better option at this time.
On Spending bill freezes agency budgets, employee pay
No raise will require personal budget cuts: 1. No more CFC 2. No home phone = no calls during non-duty hours 3. No more donations to AER
Why comment, no one is listening, they don't care what a federal employee thinks, we are a number, now go back to work.
So federal employees are the only group identified to assist and "do their part" for the sake of the economy, but the weathy are poised to receive a tax cut that will cost 990B? What is going on? Why don't you just take a dollar from every middle class family and give three to the wealthy.
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