The Week in Comments: Budgets and buyouts, oh my!
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 Postal service plans to slash 120,000 jobs, withdraw from federal benefits
When is the Labor movement going to realize that any business, even one run by the government, is at the mercy of the market. If the money isn't there, it isn't there and changes need to be made. The massive retirement program of the postal service, better than most fed jobs, can't be supported when you have a 20% drop off in business. And it's not going to get any better. Snail mail is becoming more and more obsolete.
So we bailout Wall Street for a Trillion dollars but let's layoff & cut benefits for federal workers. Federal workers are the low hanging fruit for politicians... let's see what happens when John & Jane Q. Public are fully impacted from these slash n burn plans. Careful what you ask for.
Not everything that needs to be transported can be digitized. There will ALWAYS be a need for "snail" mail. The question is how to provide that service in the most efficient way while still keeping commitments already made to employees and continuing to treat employees fairly in the future. It's a little early to be criticizing the Postal Employees Union or the managers of the USPS. Clearly Congress needs to provide the Postal Service with more flexibility, but past commitments must be honored.
The USPS has always worked like a business -that is why their SES equivalents make in excess of $300k a year and why the rest of us subsidize their health plans under the FEHB - that is why the postal rates are low and why ours keep climbing. I would like to know how a federal agency can pull out of the FEHB and the retirement system though. I would not trust my retirement and my health insurance to an organization that is so abundently top heavy and their first thought is to let go of 120,000 route drivers and postal service workers. They obviously cannot manage; what makes them think they can take on health insurance and a new retirement system?
On Deficit-cutting panel has a fallback option
Sounds like the same old rhetoric, in the end nothing will be done and our economy is going to go down the tube while the Super Moron Committee does nothing.
This is pure politics. If the committee does nothing at all, the national fisc will get a $5 trillion boost: Bush tax cuts will expire and sequestration will kick in. Since Congress won't let that happen, the president has a big lever. Either the committee finds reasonable compromise or the proverbial boom is lowered on their heads.
They should have included a gas tax hike as part of the consequences of not reaching a deal instead of just spending cuts. The prospect of socking consumers with that would have focused minds in both parties.
On GAO plans to offer buyouts, early outs
Hmmmm. Is this one of those coordinated actions designed to save the taxpayer funds? I haven't seen the list of 56 occupations, but what's the odds many of them are the same occupations that other agencies are using the RRRs to recruit?
Those who took buyouts over here in the 1990s were back as contractors shortly thereafter because: a) they found that $18K ($25K minus taxes) was a drop in the bucket, b) they were courted and brought back by the agency because of their institutional knowledge and expertise, and c) they were too young and healthy to be sitting at home doing nothing. Good bye FTE, helloooo contractor!
On G.I. Bill expands coverage, still faces budget uncertainty
A job in the military used to be for a person that wanted to serve their country, not the other way around. We have gone way too far with perks for active duty folks. Yes, we support our troops, but that does not means giving them everything they ask for. Please Congress, WE ARE BROKE. Stop the madness.
To think that Congress would even consider cutting any funding to this program or any programs given to any veteran active duty or not is absolutely absurd. Until they consider raising taxes on their rich buddies there shouldn't be any funds on any entitlement program cut or consider to be cut at all!
Does Congress not understand that it is necessary to have revenues to balance the budget? Sometimes we need to invest to receive a return. When we educate a veteran, they are able to obtain a degree which leads to increased taxes due to a higher income. Education is the only solution to the current funk that our economy is in right now. I am a veteran who used the GI Bill and I do/will make significantly more in my lifetime due to this benefit.
On Air Force announces civilian hiring freeze
Welcome to the real world! The Air Force is finally catching up to what the Army has been dealing with for years.
Instead of cutting positions, why not go to a 4 day workweek... either 4 8hr days (32wkly) or 4 9 hr days (36wkly). It would definitely save money, and if they staggered the workforce, they could still function as normal. That way there will only be a small cut in pay INDIVIDUALLY but a big savings bottom line for the Gov. ???
On Agencies turn to buyouts in tough budget environment
You can take the cash now or the RIF document later, either way the jobs are closing down.
I am only 2 years away from retirement (CSRS) and given the current anti-Fed political climate, I would be gone in a heartbeat. Funny thing is, I would be back at work as a contractor, doing the exact same thing.
Doesn't it seem bizarre that the buyout incentive ($25k) hasn't increased in at least 15 years, even though its relationship to federal salary and cost of living has? When the buyout figure is adjusted to actually represent an incentive, I'd consider going. As it stands, it's just not enough.
On Military faces stark choices in coming budget battles
Where do we find these peoople like Erin Conaton? A youngster of 41 with soft degress in the Arts telling us "this is the time to be in government. Because the decisions we make over the next eight to 10 months are going to shape the department over the next ten decades," Give us a break, please!
Over the years I have seen a lot of promises made by the government - both when I was in uniform and when, upon becoming a disabled veteran, I entered government civilian service. While there are a lot of people who are willing and excited to promote change, we all too often have seen it go south, while members of congress prosper, their benefits go up, and they are their staffs are exempt. So forgive me if I am less than enthused while federal employees are made to be the scapegoat of all that is bad in government.
This is a familiar strain. I hope they are more careful with their cuts than in the past. We downsize our military forces and slash their training dollars (always the first to go), then blame them when the nation comes under fire and we are not combat ready. Heard the story? I have, at least twice in my life. I hope we don't pay for these budget cuts with thousands of American lives.
On OMB directs agencies to cut 2013 budgets
This is supposed to be leadership? Where is the high level "vision" deciding priorities at a program / policy level? This is nothing more than pedestrian belt tightening which we have seen before.
My question is will the White House and the Obama administration be bringing their 2013 budget 10% below the current level also? They are not doing so well as of now, not with spending 1.1 million dollars of taxpayer money on a new campaign bus for his cross country campaign trip. Now I see what happened to everyone's cost of living raises for the next 2 to 5 years....
I agree but why does Congress not start with their own Retirement cut back talking about cuting the Military retirement program start with Congress they are the ones that get FULL retirement after only 6 years in office a soldier has to do 20 years to get a mere Half of hsi Base pay. Lets start at Home congress???
Addendum to the Federal Employees Handbook, "How to Get Blood From a Stone".