| Freezing the Average Federal Employee’s Pay Raise is not only cruel and inhumane treatment of the American people who protect and serve the people in this country but it’s a slap in the face of what this country is suppose to be about. Freezing federal employees’ pay raise is not going to solve the money problems created by this administration and congress. President Clinton, despite a backwards congress, managed to create a surplus, which President Bush happily spent which is now enjoyed by the very rich in this country. Now because of the ineptness, incompetence, lack of knowledge, skill and mean spirit of this administration, seven band of senators led by the Grinch Senator John Ensign created a bill called SMART Act (which is really the STUPID Act) to freeze the federal employee’s raise. Instead of the band of senators looking at the fed government as a whole and eliminating the unnecessary expenditures, i.e., just asked anyone in government how much they spend on the travel budget, which includes hotels, motels, resorts, food, trips to Las Vegas, San Francisco, etc.? Would this congress and administration truly give up their government travel, which is really a vacation in disguise for them, to fund the essentials of the federal government? Millions and millions of dollars are spent monthly by government officials on travel! Why aren’t they using the millions and millions of dollars that are spent annually on technology, which was created to REDUCE the travel budget? There are even more areas of the federal budget that could be sliced in addition to travel and technology (which gov executives and senior managers who are ready to retire still refused to use the technology to its fullest potential because going to Laguna Niguel for an all managers meeting is much more exciting). |
| The Grinch and his personal band of senators should analyze the millions probably closer to a billion dollars spent on higher graded non essential executives, senior managers, analysts, etc., salaries who generally serve as road blocks to communication, and interfere with the actions that need to be taken to protect and serve the American people. The layers and layers of higher-graded management officials in the federal government only serve to create inefficiency in the fed government and establish barriers to communication. Just look at the salaries that the American people paid to the FEMA executives and senior managers. Where did that get us? Now take a look at the office space, furniture, wall hangings, etc., enjoyed by the higher graded executives, senior managers, analysts, etc. How much of taxpayer dollars are spent on leather couches, prime office space, gas, electricity, water, etc., just to provide cushy comfort to these executives and their higher graded staff, while they stuff federal employees in a little cubicle? Don’t forget the billions of dollars wasted on contractors who are not held accountable for performing quality work; after all the contractors still get paid whether they deliver the product or service to the federal gov or not. All in all there is plenty to cut from the federal budget but the Grinch Ensign and his band of senator buddies don’t seem to care if they are hurting federal employees who are citizens of this country and spend millions of dollars to sustain their life styles. This is the Grinch Ensign and others way of reducing the opportunity for all people to share the American dream; a contrary direction to “liberty and justice for all.” The Senator and his friends are rich and greedy and don’t want to share the wealth with the average American taxpayer. The bottom line is if Grinch Ensign was sincere, and truly wanted to find a way to make this work he would have explored the options that don’t harm the average federal employee whom all Americans depend on to protect this country and serve the American people. Better yet, tell the Grinch and his friends to take a downgrade to a grade 4, 5 or 7 and try living off of that money without a raise. I encourage every member of congress to vote no on the Grinch’s SMART BILL, which should be called A Really Stupid Bill. A vote of no will demonstrate to the Grinch and his friends that this is truly a country for and by the “people!” |
| -- D. Jordan |
| 11/2/2005 |
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