skipsmith's Recently Published Stories

Negotiating Federal Salaries: Unions Make a Difference for Some

Recent articles in the national press (such as this one) have indicated that federal employees receive a salary based on whatever Congress and the President decide to pay them. The gist of the articles is that federal employees do not have a system where unions negotiate...

created by skipsmith | 1 year ago
119 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

MilanSturgis

1

Congress Creates Its Own Exemption from Health Care Taxes

No one knows what will happen to the various proposals to change the American health care system in the coming weeks and months. We do know that the election of Scott Brown as the new Republican senator from...

opinion by skipsmith | 2 years ago | updated 2 years ago
803 views | 8 recommendations | 2 comments

Love Arrives in a Military Care Package

by Marilyn LoeserIt could be the plot of a romance novel — Pennsylvania woman sends care package to soldier serving his country in Iraq. They correspond, they fall in love and they marry one month after he returns safety from the war zone.But for Army Reserve Sergeant...

created by skipsmith | 2 years ago
187 views | 6 recommendations | 0 comments

Ethics, Credit Cards and Government Leaders

Leaders in an organization establish the tone and set ethics requirements whether the requirements are published or just understood by those that work there.In the federal government, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is a leader. Its decisions and studies influence...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago | updated 4 years ago
636 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

"Dear Abby" and the IRS Commissioner

"Dear Abby" is one of the most widely read columns in the world according to Wikipedia.It is probably the type of newspaper column that, while widely and sometimes eagerly read by millions, lacks the sophistication necessary to impress your friends and relatives if they...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago
392 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building

slackeronline

2

34 Indictments of Federal Employees: Are We Getting the Government We Deserve?

When President Kennedy issued his call to young Americans to join Uncle Sam's civilian army and to help America be a better nation, his speech was a success. The federal government employs a large number of baby...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago | updated 4 years ago
462 views | 2 recommendations | 1 comment

Policy, Politics, Religion and Death: Could There Be Any Controversy Here?

There are probably a number of ways to make policy decisions for a federal agency and different situations require different methods. When an agency makes a decision that can impact large numbers of people, it obviously needs to carefully consider the impact. If an agency...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago
298 views | 2 recommendations | 1 comment

Christopher Byrne

9

"Not Meant for Public Distribution"

Anyone who works for the federal government for a few years has an intuitive feel for actions or policy decisions that are likely to create controversy. As a federal employee, controversy can be a good thing for...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago | updated 4 years ago
702 views | 49 recommendations | 8 comments

Protecting Sean Penn (With Federal Government Computers)

Wikipedia is an internet phenomenon. It is a quick way to find out information about almost anything. It describes itself as "a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. With rare...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago | updated 4 years ago
440 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

States' Rights? Some in Congress Seek More Federal Control Over Local Police,...

The epitome of bureaucratic victory could be viewed as new legislation that gives a federal agency more expansive powers. When Congress bestows more power on an agency, it usually means a bigger budget, more employees, more prestige, and, perhaps, higher grades for the...

created by skipsmith | 4 years ago
199 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

Remember Al Capone?

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that some federal employees who received free, tax-free fare cards to ride public transportation in the Washington, DC area were then turning around and selling the cards for cash on the Internet. The GAO report on its...

created by skipsmith | 5 years ago | updated 5 years ago
1024 views | 1 recommendation | 0 comments

American Royalty: Injured Congressman Treated Like Others--and Loses His Lawsuit

by Susan McGuire SmithA Congressman from Oklahoma, apparently unpersuaded by the argument that the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) is the exclusive remedy for feds (including congresspersons) injured on the job, sued the government under the Federal Tort...

created by skipsmith | 5 years ago | updated 5 years ago
344 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

Federal Employees Berate Congressional Performance; Favor Term Limits

Federal employees work in a political environment. The budgets for each agency are decided through the political process; pay raises and benefits are determined by Congress and the mission of an agency or program is also dictated by the political process.In short, federal...

created by skipsmith | 5 years ago | updated 5 years ago
495 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

"It's Not Personal, It's Just Business"

Federal employee unions are not hesitant to issue press releases condeming the administration or a policy that may have a negative impact on some federal employees. But the vitriol is not always confined to attacking Republicans. Sometimes, it can be just as bad when they...

created by skipsmith | 5 years ago | updated 5 years ago
1210 views | 2 recommendations | 2 comments

NowPublic