The Week in Comments: Luxembourg, rally on the Hill and the PATRIOT Act
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 TSA workers granted limited collective bargaining rights
Score one for the good guys!
Gee, I can't wait for all the airfare increases and additional fees. I can always count on the Government to take that last dollar bill out of my wallet.
Awesome. Now we get to watch the AFGE & NTEU folks disparage each other's union as they fight for the right to represent this nice new piece of pie.
On Report finds ambassador caused 'dysfunction' at embassy in Luxembourg
Here's a way to save money - cut these diplomatic posts. Luxembourg - seriously??
Why can't we make this the model for getting rid of other government-funded bullies? A look at any agency would certainly bring others to light...just ask the employees.
Who says money can't buy you a job/position? Why it appears money makes one qualified to do anything. With reading her Bio with all her involvements and activities one would wonder how she could manage so many roles!
Wealthy and stupid is politically neutral.
On Tea partier wants to scrap Energy Department
Yeah, that's a great idea. Let's cut the one agency that is involved in scientific research and alternative energy. Then we can scream at the government later for not doing enough to ween us from imported oil and fossil fuels. How about slashing $28 billion from the Pentagon instead? Or Medicare spending? Or Social Security? The choices that the new Congress are making are aimed at the illusion of cuts while not touching the things that are truly driving the deficit.
We don't need another department. We STILL have Rural Electrification Agegncy. Do we need them still? Hardly! Less Government; NOT more.
This is not just a good idea for the DOE and Coast Guard! Why not move everything to DoD, and cut 100% of non-DoD spending? You, me, genius!
So just what does the DOE accomplish with it's $26 billion budget? We still don't have affordable, renewable or clean energy. If it's not doing anything worthwhile, why keep it around? The same goes for other federal departments, agencies and programs.
On Shutdown rhetoric carries risk, reward
I'm a federal worker and I say, "SHUT IT DOWN!" for 60 days. And I mean completely. NOBODY works, period. Then let's see what the Republicans think about their BIG plans to eviserate the federal workforce.
Just the idea that the government might shut down shows how ludicrously Congress is behaving. No wonder we have such a deficit and so many problems. If any business was run this way it would be out of business before long. But your elected officials can't do their jobs...
On Lawmakers take stand against new TSA bargaining privileges
I'm an officer of Chap. 62 NTEU. TSA employees need the same collective bargaining rights as we have at IRS, Customs and Border patrol, etc..This will have no effect on National Security.These employees need to have a right to a union contract as almost all other Fed employees enjoy. This contract is bargained with management. It gives rights and protection to employees. It ensures employees are treated with dignity.
It gets me how those power-hungry Legislators can act fast to slam the people who do the actual work to protect our country from terrorist acts. Remember who voted you in..and who can vote you out...take your pathetic attitudes to task and lower your own pay & perks.
On Feds rally against becoming scapegoats for fiscal woes
I am not a fan of our union and wish the media would note that we are not forced to be a part of it although they are the only union we have. That said, what have they done for us lately? Pay freezes, more pay freezes and hiring freezes to come. What a joke the AFGE is.
Is there anything that we can petition through online ?
Congress will "feel your pain" individually and vote to cut your pay collectively. Face it, feds have no friends in either the Whitehouse or in Congress.
Thank you AFGE for fighting for this. About time someone stood up for the little people in the Federal Government. What the private sector sees as President Obama taking his personal entourage all over the world. His wife taking their kids all over the world and all of this at tax payer expense. American citizen's don't realize that what they see and who they are truly hurting is a totally different case.
Too true.... and so demoralizing for federal workers.. Thanks to all who took the time and effort to march on Tuesday.
I can't believe how many of our federal workers can't spell, can't write a grammaticaly correct and complete sentence or even make sense with some of the stuff they write in thse postings. As a federal employee, I find it embarrassing.......
Stop windy rants in Fed Exec. All eligable employees should join the federal unions and pay dues. If you do not like what the unions are doing then vote the leadership out and do what you thing needs to be done.
One more item: Remember in November.
On House fails to pass PATRIOT Act extension
Irefuse to be terrorized, even by headlines (I know it's so hard not to be scared of people who pray differently.)
I was under the impression that Liberals hated this Act. What has happened to change their minds, Obama needs it? Otherwise, who can actually say the GOP blotched the vote, I don't hear the GOP leadership complaining or seeming to be too worried about it.
Good news for the terrorists, who are laughing at our stupidity!
On House GOP releases list of proposed cuts
Where are the cuts to the DoD? Why is the biggest piece of the pie exempt? Or is it because the GOP welfare states are beneficiaries of the DoD waste and largess?
Cut foreign aid. The 1.5 billion going to Egypt and the 2.5 billion to Israel would save 4 billion alone. The US needs to get it's own house in order before we give our hard earned tax money to foreign countries, many of whom hate the US and the rest of the westernized world. This money should be used to help our own first and foremost!
So, are the Treasury Dept cuts in the Secret Service or in the fraud/counterfitting departments? And where are the cuts at the IRS? In the tax collection departments? In the fraud departments? In the tax auditing departments?
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