The Week in Comments: The debt ceiling and federal pay
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 Lawmakers push rotational assignments for security workers
And how exactly will this be funded when we are broke???
Sounds like a great idea. But like all initiatives it will yield little if any results. The powers that be will give it lip service, all the reports on progress will be positive and a handful of the "best and brightest"(?) will use this as a stepping stone for their careers. This is just another program for ticket punchers to latch on to, yielding the next generation of buraucrates.
Seems like this has worked pretty well in the military services. We use the word "servant" in calling government employees "civil servants". Seems to me it may be time to put more emphasis on that versus the crying about being inconvenienced within the "guaranteed" positions common to most federal government agencies.
On 'Mystery shoppers' to help administration assess primary care physicians
another attempt to snow job the public into thinking the healthcare plan is good for America.
This is nothing more than an information gathering tool by the administration to identify those physicians that prefer to do business with individuals who pay for health insurance rather than those who use the dole health care. It will be a weapon of the Administrations to force Dr.'s whom choose to be paid more for their services to instead be embarrassed and harrassed to accept less money from the Government system. It will all be under the label of being "racist" to the lesser fortunate. Maybe we should have Dr.'s with 4 year educations for the government care and Dr.'s with 8 year educations for the paying customers care. Goes back to ...you get what you pay for....novel idea...huh?
Maybe this will shed some light on the number of physicians who will not take new Medicare patients. There have been a lot of allegations; I'd like to know if they are true before I sign up.
On White House debt deal meeting 'good' and 'constructive,' spokesman says
First you raise the debt ceiling to a point that you have more than enough breathing room to work out any details that need to be done and THEN you do the hard negotiations. Anything else will bring the country's (and the world's) financial systems crashing down and they may never recover. All because the Republicans are acting like 3-year-olds. Unbelievable.
Increase revenue equals more taxes and more scare tactics to get their way. Congress acts like a bunch of kindergarteners, all fighting for the same toy - their reelection. It's too bad that our government hasn't learned to live within their means like the rest of us. If WE, the people don't have the money, WE, the people don't spend. What happened to open door debates in Congress instead of behind closed doors? So much for an open government that works for the electorate.
On Proposal would make lawmakers wait longer to tap pensions
Since they are considered Federal Employees why do they have special benefits. Everyday we hear how Federal Employees make too much money and have too many benefits but I do not hear anyone complaining about theirs.
Why not make it that if you are NOT re-elected that you do not get to retire...You are being fired by your employer and you do not get a retirement! You must serve 20 years or longer before you get a retirement.
On Economic benefits of regulations outweigh costs, OMB says
What are these ivory tower idiots smoking? It's extremely rare that a regulation's benefits exceed its costs. I can only name a handful of instances where this would be true, but I can name a whole bunch of regs that don't stand any shot at ever breaking into the black.
Master of Business Administration
This from the same government that keeps changing the formula by which they calculate inflation and refuses to incorporate food and energy prices into the inflation equation in order to make inflation appear lower than it really is and thus keep interest rates on government debt low.
All the comments are knee-jerk anti-reg. Did any of you actually read the report, or analyze the finding yourself? I can think easily of regulations that result in savings and increases by preventing bad things from occuring, which are always more expensive. Let's see, if I don't get smallpox or polio, that saves money. Let's see, if we require people to drive on the right side of the road, then we all get home. If we require kids to go to school, then they can earn a living later on. Think! Use that brain.
On Boeing found to have overcharged Army for helicopter parts
The same company that is already claiming a 300 million dollar overrun on a tanker that was not as good as the competitors. The corruption never ends.
Why does this surprise anybody?? Of course contractors are going to over charge the gov't! That is how they make a lot of their profits. I'm very surprised to read that the Army rejected the proposal by the IG that Boeing should refund $6M. Sounds like whoever rejected that is looking for a job at Boeing after they retire!!!
Better controls? With WHAT staffing? Face it folks, detailed cost analysis, negotiations, oversight all require STAFFING. Since the Republicans want all feds gone the answer is that we, clearly, must live with a growing incidence of fraud, waste, and abuse by contractors. You can't make bricks without straw and you can't monitor contractors without employees.
On Obama casts debt-ceiling talks as clash of the classes
Well, to "cast" this as anything else would be lying. The more the actual numbers are examined, the more Americans become convinced that the very wealthy and most profitable corporations should do their part. Why should Federal employees and the middle class do all the sacrificing?
he sooner we can rid this country of the "Obamination" occupying the White House, the sooner we can get America's fiscal house in order. It's time to put a screeching halt to this runaway train(wreck) of an economy. And if that means that little Johnny or Suzie won't get that free laptop or iPad from their school...too bad. Stop the (spending) madness!!
On Debt ceiling debate threatens federal pay and benefits
This story is misleading. Social security is a trust fund. People receiving social security benefits today will continue to receive them. Federal salaries are not guaranteed; they are appropriated. There is no full appropriations bill for all Federal agencies in 2011 (at least the last time I checked). Unless there has been a full appropriations bill signed (not a CR), Federal salaries would not be funded.
Its the old Washington Monument Plan. Make sure that when you are running short of money and need to raise taxes or in this case raise the debt limit you always hurt the most vulnerable and biggest numbers first. If it is local fire the teachers, firemen and police first. If it is federal always go after the military, federal workers and social security first. That is not a plan to help America.
Shut down all air traffic control, all FBI, all federal security etc.
Like one of the previous commenters, I used to be a Republican but now I am a Tea Partier. All of my working life I have used a budget so as not to default on my bills. I have lived within my means,not buying the biggest house or fanciest car because I always want some surplus in my budget. Our tax money is like crack to a lot of congressmen. They're addicted and we're forced to pay for their habit. Two terms should be the limit for every congressman so they are forced to live with the decisions they make just like the rest of us.
The administration could refuse to accetp delivery of any weapons or services defense contractors provide and that would free up money for other things, like feds pay.
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