Obama Spelled Out Goals in Letters to Federal Employees

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

Pre-Election Missives Addressed Staff At Seven Agencies, Provided Specifics
In wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election, Barack Obama wrote a series of letters to workers that offer detailed descriptions of how he intends to add muscle to specific government programs, give new power to bureaucrats and roll back some Bush administration policies.

The letters, sent to employees at seven agencies, describe Obama's intention to scale back on contracts to private firms doing government work, to remove censorship from scientific research, and to champion tougher industry regulation to protect workers and the environment. He made it clear that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would have an enhanced role in restoring public confidence in the housing market, shaken because of the ongoing mortgage crisis.

Using more specifics than he did on the campaign trail, Obama said he would add staff to erase the backlog of Social Security disability claims. He said he would help Transportation Security Administration officers obtain the same bargaining rights and workplace protections as other federal workers. He even expressed a desire to protect the Environmental Protection Agency's library system, which the Bush administration tried to eliminate.

"I asked him to put it in writing, something I could use with my members, and he didn't flinch," said John Gage, president of the 600,000-member American Federation of Government Employees, who requested that Obama write the letters, which were distributed through the union. "The fact that he's willing to put his name to it is a good sign."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/16/AR2008111602440.html?hpid=topnews

[Muttocracy]

1. Great! And I can't believe this didn't come out in the news earlier. nt

[poetsdream]

2. I'm so happy for federal employees

I have a friend who works for social security and she always tells me how backlogged and demoralized the staff is. With cutbacks in welfare and the economic slowdown, many people started applying for social security and SSI benefits, resulting in a tremendous increase in the workload, which Bush did not support with an equal increase in staffing.

I'm glad to see a move to restore dignity and morale to the ranks of the federal employees!

[Brooklyns_Finest]

5. SSA

I work for the Social Security Administration and it is true that we have a large backlog of appeals pending. We are in dire need of hiring more administrative law judges to adjudicate the backlogged hearing claims.

With that said, the agency is looking to revise their standards of what is determined to be a disabling condition. SSA has been quite lenient in who gets approved for permanent benefits. I use to work in the field, and it is not uncommon to see many people "working" the system.

[Eric J in MN]

3. I didn't even know Bush officials had threatened...

"the Environmental Protection Agency's library system."

The sliminess of Bush officials seems boundless.

[Muttocracy]

4. oh, yes, closing of many EPA library branches...here's a summary

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/gao-report-finds-epa-library-0101.html

GAO Report Finds EPA Library Closures Undercut Agency’s Mission; UCS Research Concludes Closures Impede Fed Scientists’ Work

WASHINGTON (March 13, 2008) – A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today criticizes the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to close five of its libraries around the country in 2006. The report concluded that the closures may have hindered EPA staff work and curtailed public access to information. Meanwhile, an independent investigation by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that hundreds of EPA scientists maintain the closures hampered their ability to do their jobs.

"Hastily dismantling these libraries potentially puts decades worth of valuable information beyond the reach of government scientists and the public," said Francesca Grifo, director of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program.

more at link

[MadMaddie]

6. And this allows the Corporations to do what ever the hell they

like, it allowed the * administration to pick only corrupted scientist to tell the story they wanted.

This is criminal activity as far as I am concerned. They put the health and lives of Americans in the backseat while the Corporations drove.

[ixion]

7. why is he helping the TSA? The TSA needs to be disbanded, not unionized

this is what I was afraid of. There will be no real change, just a change in branding. :argh:

[CountAllVotes]

8. I agree!

The TSA is like a bunch of NAZI thugs! Get rid of them - all of them NOW! :puke: :argh:

:kick:

[ogneopasno]

9. He also wrote an awesome letter to the UTU. If Obama delivers on even half of the things he says

he'll work for, he will be an outstanding president.