Gore on Shutdown Showdown: 'Political Terrorism'

• By Charles S. Clark
• September 27, 2013
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Former Vice President Al Gore didn’t mince words Friday morning when he told a Brookings Institution audience in Washington that the threatened shutdown of the government is “a despicable and dishonorable threat to the integrity of the United States.”

Denouncing what he called “political terrorism,” Gore switched to the voice of a ransom demander: “Nice global economy you’ve got there. It would be a shame if we had to destroy it. Here’s our demands. If you don’t meet our deadline. We’ll blow up the economy.”

Gore -- who now combines his advocacy to confront global climate change with private-equity investing -- came to Brookings for an event to launch its new Center for Effective Public Management, which is run by former Gore White House aide Elaine Kamarck.

He seemed at peace with the disappointment of narrowly losing out on the presidency 13 years ago, saying, “You win some, you lose some, and then there’s that little-known third category.”

Another ill-effect of the current budget brinksmanship, Gore told the audience of scholars, good-government groups and former Gore staffers, is that it fuels “hostility to government,” which in turn is fed by “too many instances of poor management ...

NASA Will Pay You $18,000 to Lie in Bed for 70 Days

• By Eric Katz
• September 23, 2013
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Looking for a way to get paid for just lying around? NASA has the perfect position for you.

The space agency is looking for human guinea pigs to remain in bed rest for 70 days, 24-hours a day. For your troubles, they will pay you $18,000, according to Forbes, which first reported the positions. Participants in the experiment will keep their bodies tilted, with their heads down and feet up, and will not get out of bed at all, with a few, limited exceptions for experiments.

The tests will help NASA “keep astronauts healthier and safer when they spend a long time in space.” NASA will also conduct a series of functional and physiological measures before and after the 70-day period, according to the job posting.

And don’t worry about losing your figure: participants can partake in an exercise program that allows them to work out while lying in bed using specially altered equipment. NASA has even created showers that allow participants to cleanse themselves without getting out of bed rest.

All in all, participants will have to commit 97 to 105 days to the experiment.

To recap: Always dreamed of being an astronaut, but just too lazy ...

Two Would-Be Governors With Very Different Views of Feds

• By Charles S. Clark
• August 29, 2013
• comments

The Old Dominion’s gubernatorial candidates expressed widely differing views of the federal government on Thursday as they spoke separately at George Mason University’s Arlington, Va., campus at an energy forum sponsored by the nonprofit Consumer Energy Alliance.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a businessman and longtime fund-raiser for the Clinton family, said, “sequestration at the end of September is likely to be renewed for another year,” affecting millions in defense dollars on which Virginia’s economy depends. “The first year they cut the low-hanging fruit, but in the second year, they’ll be cutting tree limbs,” he said.

He promised as governor to be a great ambassador to the federal government. “If a proposal adversely affects one single Virginia job, then we need to protect it,” McAuliffe said. Like any governor, he added, “I’d like Virginia to get more than its fair share.”

Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the Virginia attorney general, blasted “federal overregulation” that “seeks to put coal plants out of business.” Dramatizing the importance of coal industry jobs to Virginia’s working-class citizens in the state’s southwest, Cuccinelli jabbed McAuliffe, who lives in the Washington suburb of McLean, by comparing the impact of federal regulations from Environmental ...

Tell Us How You Really Feel About Workplace Communication

• By Tom Shoop
• August 23, 2013
• comments

President Obama has published 88 executive orders since 2011. While some of the directives are relevant only to a few agencies -- think ”Prohibiting Certain Imports of Burmese Jadeite and Rubies” -- others affect nearly every federal employee.

The question is, do these and other messages from the top make their way down to the front lines? In other words, what's the state of communication in the federal sector? We'd like you to let us know.

Our research team has put together a survey on workplace communication. If you have a few minutes, please participate in the short poll and let us know where you stand.  We'll feature the results of the survey in an upcoming issue of Government Executive. 

Click here to take the brief survey

(Image via pio3/Shutterstock.com)

Uncle Sam Wants You (to Work on Your Golf Game)!

• By Eric Katz
• August 22, 2013
• comments

Do you really want to serve your country, but worry it’ll cut down on your time on the links?

At last, the perfect opportunity has presented itself. The U.S. Army has posted an opening for a “golf pro” in Zama, Japan. The Army has a post in city, known as Camp Zama.

Not just anyone can apply; applicants must have completed or be in the process of completing a Class A PGA Certification. The employee will assist in the management of golf activity, and will help operate a “profit-generating business.”

A successful applicant would be a bit of a renaissance man. In addition to providing “golf instructions to individuals and groups,” the employee will review financial reports, plans, costs and budgets.

The position will pay between $25,000 to $30,000 annually.