Senate passes bill destroying whistelblower rights!

[garybeck]

Got this via email from Mark Crispin Miller

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Senate Passes Bill That Destroys Existing Whistleblower Rights

Take Action!

The Senate passed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (S. 372) on Friday, December, 10th, by unanimous consent. As the National Whistleblowers Center has repeatedly stated S. 372 is a bad deal for whistleblowers. There are two poison pills in the bill that fundamentally undermine the small advances in the bill. There is still time to fix the bill.

TAKE ACTION! Stop the repeal of existing whistleblower rights:
http://capwiz.com/whistleblowers/utr/1/NMJDNTGDLG/NOAPNTGDRP/6229154246

For the first time ever, federal employees will not be protected for blowing the whistle on a violation of law. The excuse given to justify this dangerous rollback is that it only excludes minor violations of law. The fact is there is no such thing as a minor violation of law. Either it is violation of the law or it is not. Federal managers should not be allowed to decide what laws they can violate.

In fact, this provision overturns one of few Federal Court decisions in 30 years that ordered corrective action for a whistleblower. The provision also runs counter to every major study on how to detect fraud, including the most recent study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. These studies have found that the best way to detect fraud is to protect whistleblowers who report even suspicious activity because it is often the suspicious activity that leads to the discovery of major fraud.

TAKE ACTION! Demand that House fix the Senate bill before final passage:
http://capwiz.com/whistleblowers/utr/1/NMJDNTGDLG/NOAPNTGDRP/6229154246

The second major rollback in the Senate bill is the increased power given to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Instead of reforming the broken MSPB, for the first time in history the Senate has given the Board the ability to summarily dismiss a whistleblowers case without ever having a hearing. The House resisted efforts in 1978 to give the MSPB this tremendous authority and should continue to do so today.

These two dangerous rollbacks in existing whistleblower protections can be fixed in the House and sent back to the Senate. We cannot allow another generation of whistleblowers to suffer. Urge the House to continue to stand up for real whistleblower protections and fix the Senate bill before passing it.

Whistleblowers were promised enhanced protections. We will not stand by silently and watch Congress destroy existing whistleblowers rights so that they can say they passed something for whistleblowers. Please help us protect whistleblowers by taking action and then passing this alert on to your friends and family.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. This is the Senate President Obama has to deal with. This is the Congress

he has to work with. A bunch of fucking corporatists and elites protecting each other's backsides against us unwashed masses. I'm so fed up with so-called Democrats constantly voting against Democratic ideals - ideals that are supposed to empower the people, educate the people, not their fucking corporate masters.

[garybeck]

2. Uh, couldn't he veto it if he didn't like it?

I don't think he's looking so rosey either lately.

[BlueCaliDem]

4. I was expecting another anti-Obama DUer to respond. Yeah, it's his

fault that the Senate passed this anti-whistleblower bill. Uh-huh. Like a good dictator he should send his strongmen in to make the Senate Dems and Repubs do as he wants or else.

Yes, he can veto it, but it doesn't change the fact that both Repukes and Dems have PASSED this bill in that fucking Senate where everything that benefits the people is automatically stalled, but when it benefits the ruling class, their buddies, it passes smoother than a baby's behind.

[garybeck]

7. and is that how you feel about the tax bill too?

you can't blame the senate or house dems for what Obama did with the tax bill. that was HIS doing.

[BlueCaliDem]

8. Obama has been trying to get those Congressional Dems to pass a tax bill

since July this year.

They kept punting, punting, punting, and failed to pass anything until after the elections because they're more concerned about their jobs than they are about us.

FrenchieCat posted a timeline to show how the Repubs stonewalled and the Congressional Dems capitulated.
Maybe it might help you refocus and place the blame where it belongs. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=388x25899

But it's so much easier to blame Obama, isn't it?

[Hannah Bell]

9. you didn't answer the question. did the pres lose his veto power?

or is this just not important enough to use it?

[BlueCaliDem]

10. That wasn't the question, so how could I answer it? eom

[Hannah Bell]

12. unless you are incredibly literal minded, it was.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=4565&mesg_id=4612

[BlueCaliDem]

14. Reread my response. I did answer his question. You asked a new one.

Just a fact.

[Lorien]

5. He could, but he won't. He only fights for corporate rights. nt

[glinda]

3. K & R

[glinda]

6. K & R again

[Odin2005]

11. Fascism. Democracy is a fucking joke.

[Johnny Harpo]

13. A Veto Requires A Willingness To Stand Up To The Congress...

I'm afraid our President lacks that particular 'moral fiber'.

[TheKentuckian]

15. No excuse for failure to veto bullshit. You buy it if you don't tell em to pound sand.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Do they go out of their way to 1984 these titles?

[ProSense]

17. Noted Whistleblowers Urge Passage of Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act!

Noted Whistleblowers Urge Passage of Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act!

Today a letter was released by 30 whistleblowers that support passage of S. 372, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. Signed by star whistleblowers including Frank Serpico and Ambassador Joseph Wilson, to intelligence community and FAA whistleblowers, the letter concludes:

“In short, we can’t wait any longer. Even if you could get us a three quarters loaf two years from now at the end of the next Congress instead of two thirds now, we can’t wait. We need stronger rights now. Many of us have been hanging on for years already, waiting for a new law that would give us a fighting chance. We’re running out of time, money and hope. Our cases are getting stale, with witnesses moving on. We need to file in January 2011. We can’t wait until January 2013. Now, we urge you to stand with us or stand aside.”

GAP praised the Senate last week for its passage of S. 372, and we're strongly urging the House to pass this key legislation as soon as possible. Please sign GAP's petition here to urge the House to protect federal whistleblowers!