BUSH REGIME DISMANTLING CIVIL SERVICE

[sarahlee]

CHRISTOPHER LEE, WASHINGTON POST - The Bush administration unveiled a new personnel system for the Department of Homeland Security yesterday that will dramatically change the way workers are paid, promoted, deployed and disciplined -- and soon the White House will ask Congress to grant all federal agencies similar authority to rewrite civil service rules governing their employees. The new system will replace the half-century-old General Schedule, with its familiar 15 pay grades and raises based on time in a job, and install a system that more directly bases pay on occupation and annual performance evaluations, officials said. The new system has taken two years to develop and will require at least four more to implement, they said. . .

<snip>

Leaders of federal employee unions, however, immediately denounced the new DHS system and any plans to expand it government-wide. They said the system would undermine the morale of homeland security employees and make it harder to attract and keep talented workers. They said they would file a lawsuit to block its new restrictions on collective bargaining and employee appeals. They conceded that such a move would do nothing to curtail the new pay system, however, which by 2009 will cover at least 110,000 of the department's 180,000 employees.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39934-2005Jan26.html

[librechik]

1. why not just outsource everything?

why should we pay those boring deadbeats for coming up with all those boring facts that make us look so bad before the election? Is the US in business to provide people with jobs? Where is that written in the Constitution? If you don't like the lack of jobs here, why don't you just move to China?

<sarcasm off>


!!!

more stealth corporatism.

Hope we fight this!

[Coastie for Truth]

2. A return to

patronage and an invitation to violate the Hatch Act on political activity --- and the replacement of independent civil servants with politicos (think about it in the IRS, the FDA, the SEC, the USPTO, ...)

[Vitruvius]

4. In other words, Bu$h will load the IRS, FBI, DHS, etc with BFEE operatives

once he eliminates Civil Service. And the BFEE types will be VERY well paid -- out of our tax dollars -- while honest civil servants see pay cuts.

This is only the latest stage Bu$h's slow-motion coup -- the coup that began when the BFEE stole the 200O election, continued with their 9/11 MIHOP and the associated "Patriot Act" power grab, etc.

[sarahlee]

5. I think

you are exactly correct....

[John_H]

8. That's not the worst of it.

Since EVERY civil servant must work for a political appointee, EVERY civil servant will in effect become a bush political appointee at least if she wants to keep her job.

Right now civil servants can do a lot to slow or kill stuff that harmful stuff. They don't do it too often, only in egregiously horrifying situations, but the can with reletive impunity if enough decide their told to do something bad for America.

This system puts a check on what the politicals ask them to do.

Imagine what the BFEE will do without such a check when the OWN the federal government.

[StephanieMarie]

3. I guess *'s version of "Freedom" doesn't include

collective bargaining and employee appeals. Go Freedom!

[kcass1954]

6. My husband works for the Postal Service

He's just waiting for them to dismantle it. Fortunately, he's got enough time that he would be able to qualify for an early out.

[sandnsea]

10. Read This

Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2004 It has bipartisan support and the support of Waxman. But I still don't trust anything that comes out of this Congress. Wondering what your husband thinks of it.

http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/legislation.asp?Type=Major+Committee+Legislation

[Democrat 4 Ever]

13. I'm am just waiting for my repug son-in-law who works for

the government to say one word about the changes. He has defended Bush 40 ways to Sunday but I'm betting he is not going to like the proposed changes one bit.

He has enjoyed the security the Civil Service affords but has had little sympathy for other workers who have seen their jobs downsized or outsourced. The workers that still have jobs have watched their benefits erode, seen concessions in pay that aren't keeping up with the rate of inflation or lost the benefits of seniority. I'm pretty sure he will be ticked if he has to join the ranks of people who are at the mercy of people who think the country would be better off if we could just revert back to the work conditions of the early 1900s.

Wonder if he will ever realize that he just pissed his vote away on someone who not only hates Democrats, minorities, foreigners but also the working people? If the repugs push this through King George and his cabal will have every government worker going for the repugs' gonads and I'll be there sharpening the knives and passing them out.

[Clark2008]

7. Would somebody, somewhere PLEASE put a stop to this man and

his agenda?

PLEASE?!

:cry:

My heart is breaking.

[John_H]

9. What? Did you say something?

FUCK OBAMAFEINGOLDHILLARY!!! THAT MOTHERFUCKING SLIMEBALL MCAULLIFFE! RAT BASTARD DEMOCRATS!

[Chicago Democrat]

11. Hang on... Take back the congress in 2006 and then IMPEACH

and know in your old age you were on the correct side and did all you could!

[pinto]

12. AAAAGH, this is the issue Dems were slimed for opposing in the election

and Bushco brings it back. Dems were vilified for "opposing security" because we don't want to dismantle civil service regs or leave some federal employees out of established employment/collective bargaining agreements. Another privatization scam-a-roo.

Ugh, these guys.

[IndianaGreen]

14. DOD is already transitioning to the new National Security Personnel System

Beginning in mid-2005, some Defense agencies are switching to the new personnel system. The main highlights are that the unions no longer have a say so on working conditions, and in a way restores the old spoils system that civil service was supposed to have done away with. In other words, you won't find anyone blowing the whistle on wrongdoing, or leaking information about criminal activities by DOD officials such as Paul Wolfowitz.

Loyalty to Constitution is replaced by loyalty to the party in power!

Here is their website:

http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps/