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Return to Article: GAO chief announces resignation

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  Tipsy, my we have a lot of quotes and sage wisdom about tttttthats all folks.... SS is the biggest drain on the average Jo's paycheck, you can't keep asking those making 40-50K a year to up their contribution for the good of the "old folks" COLA's need to means tested same for medicare. As my orginal post stated the late Sen Monahyan had long ago proposed a fix cola formula's that were 1% less. Simple easy solution. As for medicare HMO's for those enrolled limiting choice. Why is it OK for our military to be forced into no choices and not asked the seniors to do the same. As you idea of leadership, when you have 1 segment of the population having the ability to take someone elses $$ and complain then the social compact is broken and it will get down to has the most votes

  dan ketter Posted February 21, 2008 10:47 PM
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  "Raising taxes is never the solution" Skeeter, while raising taxes is NEVER my first (or even preferred) choice; I have trouble with the word "never". As a man of common wisdom once told me, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

  My personal preference, as in family planning, is prevention and/or avoidance of debt (or obligation, as the case may be). But, as my brother once said to a young lady, "Oops, sorry 'bout that." Considering that for the past seven years the beltway bandits have gleefully followed the Pied Piper bouncing checks, reneging on promises, and disavowing our obligations; may I inquire as to your solution to this pregnant situation?

  We're in the swamp now. How would you recommend draining it? (Psst. Look out behind you! There's critters in here with us!)

  Tip off Posted February 21, 2008 11:46 AM
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  Raising taxes is never the solution

  dan ketter Posted February 20, 2008 11:24 PM
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  """Skeeter, please understand that managing can be accomplished without regard to people - leading can not."""

  Well stated my friend. When is the last time you felt they really cared. I know for me it's been awhile.

  rooster Posted February 20, 2008 3:40 PM
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  Skeeter, how you do blather and snipe at folks. Jo did have some positives and negatives. While I don't know Walker personally, I was please to see an unusual number of lauds and applauds for him from this crowd. I must note to Jo that I wasn't sure if the Pacaderms would claim a Clinton appointee; however, this would not be the first time. As a matter of fact, between David Walker and George Tenet, it seems the only Clinton folks the Pacaderms do keep are those of questionable leadership capabilities.

  I will not deny either gentleman's specialization; in this case, Walker's accounting background and fiscal ideas on balanced budgets. What I will question is his focus and leadership.

  Focus: Why would someone trumpet that a building may collapse in ten years due to weakened mortar, even as it is burning to the ground? Entitlement growth WILL cause us problems; particularly if uneven participation continues and as exceptional bubble events pass through our system. But to focus 10 years into the future while ignoring the gaping holes in the balance books today, because "tax cuts" are the latest political buzzwords, is incredibly ignorant of basic accounting. For Skeeter, that means I find it hard to believe that he's worried about the baby boomers; but not the loss of our balanced budget, the budget surplus, and the increases in our deficit. Yes, I'd say that points to a long-term view over a short-term myopia.

  Jo was right about the SS and the 401(k)s. That $100 you put away today pulls $14 - $25 from the budget today (estimates from the average effective vs. marginal tax rates), but that will be replaced by the $52 - $200 when those funds are withdrawn (due to magic of compound interest). That is what the Rule of 72 tells us will happen to our money when boomers retire and start drawing both their 401(k)s and their SS.

  Leadership: David would use his vision (and myopic focus) to fix our budget by cutting benefits (when our aging population needs those most), capping salaries (without buy-in by the populous) and creating a new working poor (the non-managerial civil servant).

  Skeeter, please understand that managing can be accomplished without regard to people - leading can not.

  Tip off Posted February 20, 2008 10:49 AM
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  I am also a GAO employee who was not jumping for joy over Dave Walker's resignation. It's too bad that a change agent can't stick around. I would say almost all of his initiatives were a positive for GAO though granted the pay system changes were far from perfect, the fact is that there are people here that are overpaid for what they do. As an employee of the federal government's watchdog agency and as a taxpayer, his changes had merit and addressed real problems.

  GAOemployee Posted February 19, 2008 12:03 PM
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  Jo I agree a 10 year old can look at the problem and see what needs to be done, your answer reflects an age less than that. We have too many people requiring advanced medicine that costs money. The only solution for both programs is cost containment. Bush's proposal on SS would have gone a long way to help the situation. Its been recommended for 20 years, by Sen Monahan that reducing SS annual increases by 1% would have fixed the problem to no avail. As for 401K taxes going to SS, Nancy Pelosi wants a windfall profit tax placed on all 401K to subsadize the 12 million illegals in this country. According to her it to insure that they are able to live the american dream.

  dan ketter Posted February 19, 2008 11:30 AM
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  I believe this man was one of the best political appointees I've seen for trying to do what his position and his agency is supposed to do. No one other than insiders even knew what GAO was or did until he stepped in. For whatever his faults, the GAO under his tenure has tried to hold government accountable.

  It's unfortunate that the vast majority of elected & appointed officials don't share his ethics. Today, the government has been manipulated to benefit the very rich at the expense of the rest of us.

  Good luck Mr. Walker! I hope your replacement will continue to fight the good fight!

  Pat Posted February 19, 2008 10:10 AM
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  I am a GAO employee, one who did not vote for the union, and I am very sorry to see Mr. Walker leave. It is a day that anyone cheering will look back on with regret. He was honest and direct,including with GAO employees. Those who had complaints could always find another job, or maybe not. I wish him the very best, and am proud of the changes he made, and has advocated.

  SORRYTOSEEHIMGO Posted February 19, 2008 9:43 AM
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  David Walker is an honest man in a town where honesty is hard to find. He is a very knowledgeable about this country's financial future and doesn't appear to change his message when it becomes unpopular with whatever the current administration says. The government should be offering him money, perks, what ever it takes to keep him in goverment. If the employees don't like him, they have the same option available to all Civil Servants, go find another job! This gentleman will be greatly missed.

  Monica Posted February 19, 2008 7:43 AM
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  I think it is a sad day that Mr. Walker is leaving the GAO. He was the best thing to happen to the fed.

  Jeff Falk Posted February 18, 2008 6:59 PM
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  Walker was like the rest of the republican leadership. Their answer to many problems is to reduce Social Security and Medicare.

  Never is cutting the more lush retirements and insurance of the government mentioned.

  A ten year old could look at Medicare and see the problem is run away profits. No bidding and no cost containment is the problem along with expensive subsidies to the private insurances. Medicare needs to self insure the prescription drug program and the supplemental and it would be a good program.

  Social Security is the only government program with a surplus. At the same time when the boomers need to draw on the trust fund, many boomers will be cashing in their 401ks. The taxes on the 401ks could be dedicated to paying the trust fund money as it is needed.

  Too many look at the two programs Social Security and Medicare as a source of profit. Walker's new job points to the financial investment companies who are determined to have Social Security invested. And of course the private insurance companies would like total control of Medicare.

  Walker was a shill and we are better off without him.

  Jo Posted February 17, 2008 5:20 PM
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  David Walker talks a good game. But his credibility with the GAO staff took a nose-dive in recent years, after not keeping his promises to staff and Congress to provide annaul cost-of-living adjustments to all GAO staff with satisfactory ratings. Perhaps the beginning of the end of his reign at GAO came on May 22, 2007, during a joint hearing on GAO's new Performance Management and Pay System foisted on GAO by Walker. At that hearing, Members of the House and Senate and expert witnesses made the case that GAO's Human Capital Reforms were thinly disguised assaults on the once proud civil servants of the agency; for example, Dr. Charles Fay, Professor of Human Resouces & Chairman of HRM at Rutgers' School of Management and Labor Relations, testified on the (lack of) merit of the Watson Wyatt pay study that Comptroller General Walker was using to assert that hundreds of GAO analysts were overpaid. Last week, Dr. Fay again testified on the market-based Compensation study conducted by Watson Wyatt for GAO. The Feb. 12, 2008 hearing, included the following exhange between Dr. Fay and House Workforce Subcommitee Chairman Danny K. DAVIS:

  Chairman DAVIS: Given your findings, would you recommend that GAO continue to use the Watson Wyatt study as a basis for determining pay at the GAO?

  Dr. FAY: I wouldn't use that study for the basis of anything.

  Chairman DAVIS: Could you elaborate?

  FAY: Well, as I testified before, the method of data collection for that survey, the definition of jobs, the job comparability, the market matches that they made, were inadequate. The surveys they used did not have, in my judgment, appropriate sample comparators, and the way they utilized the data to come up with the numbers they did -- well, the second or third time they did it -- were, I think, misleading and inaccurate, or gave inaccurate results.

  Is it any wonder that the Comptroller General is leaving the GAO kitchen that is getting a bit too hot for him before he is called to account for the Human Capital mess he has created, including his half-baked "market-based-compenation" study, paid for by the US taxpayers, and aimed at freezing the pay of hundreds of GAO employees?

  Edmond Dantès Posted February 17, 2008 1:42 AM
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  This resignation is the first ever for a Comptroller General and is surprising given Mr. Walker's often stated commitment to serving his full term. It seems more than coincidental that the resignation coincides with the announcement that GAO's newly established bargaining unit had ratified a negotiated pay agreement. This, and the fact that Mr. Walker's new position appears to capitalize on his recent Fiscal Accountability tour(undertaken, ostensibly, as an obligation to the public in his role as Comptroller General), should be raising eyebrows rather than inspiring praise.

  Christa Posted February 16, 2008 11:03 AM
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  I agree with you Iggy! If the American public knew of the failed policies and procedures imposed by politicos within our government agencies, they would be very upset.

  I am currently employed at a government agency and often find myself in utter chaos as to the directions on policies given by the career-political senior level management.

  These people have no concept of government and its unfortunate that their main goal is not to provide service to the citizens. Rather their goal is to DESTROY our government!

  As Senator Obama would say, "Its Time For Change"!

  FedUp Posted February 15, 2008 2:01 PM
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  I've heard this man speak on several occasions. His mastery of the subject matter, the thorough analysis for which he provides, but most important the compelling candor of his observations and recommendations are of a caliber that is extremely rare, but in nonetheless much needed in the public sector. He simply has no peer in federal government. He'll be missed.

  Michael J. Smith, M.P.A. Posted February 15, 2008 12:05 PM
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  I wonder how long it will take Mr. Dodaro to clean up the mess left behind?

  US Posted February 15, 2008 11:23 AM
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  What is needed within government is to STOP the political appointments within each of the agencies and allow the agencies to perform their work WITHOUT a political agenda pushing their work. THey have enough to do.

  iggy Posted February 15, 2008 10:29 AM