Jun 28, 2017

Please do not feed the jets!


Flight delayed by woman hurling coins at jet engine


'...passenger saw Qiu behaving strangely around their plane as they boarded -- throwing a handful of coins straight at the jet's engine. She did it, it turns out, with a little prayer for good luck, hoping to bring herself and the other passengers in for a safe landing at their destination...'


Reference: www.cbsnews.com
Tags:

Jun 20, 2017

With Potential 2017 Federal Job Cuts Looming, OPM Updates Furlough and RIF Guidance


With Potential 2017 Cuts Looming, OPM Updates Furlough and RIF Guidance


'...OPM also issued new guidance on possible reductions in force, titled “Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook.” The agency put forward the new manual to “provide assistance to agencies that are considering and/or undergoing some times of reshaping (e.g. reorganization, management directed reassignments, furlough, transfer of function, reduction in force.)” The guidance details layoff procedures under federal law and regulations...'


Reference: www.govexec.com
Tags: Federal Employee Furlough, RIF, Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook,

Jun 14, 2017

Feds: Insurance firm owners bilked postal service


Feds: Insurance firm owners bilked postal service


'...Allan Yiv Chan and Jevelyn Viernes Chan, the owners of Sonic One Insurance Agency in Pleasanton, were named in an indictment handed up by a grand jury in San Jose. They were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and three counts of mail fraud. The two allegedly misused the postal service's bulk mail program between 2012 and 2016...'


Reference: www.ktvu.com
Tags:

May 2, 2017

TRUMP: Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September!


TRUMP: Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September!


'... The president concluded by saying the government should shut down in September to fix the "mess." "Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September to fix mess!" he said...'


Reference: www.businessinsider.com
Tags: Government Shutdown 2017

Apr 10, 2017

TSP investing: Read how a TSP investor became a millionaire the hard way. You can too!


TSP investing: What would Einstein do?


'...Many, if not most, of the current crop of TSP millionaires did it the hard way. They didn’t bring money into government from their outside retirement accounts. They invested for decades, stuck with the C and S funds (stock indexed)...'


Reference: federalnewsradio.com
Tags: TSP, TSP Millionaire, Investing in the TSP, Tips for TSP,

Apr 4, 2017

Sessions orders review of Ferguson-style police reform deals


Sessions orders review of Ferguson-style police reform deals


'...The Justice Department late Monday asked a federal judge for more time to "review and assess" a proposed agreement to overhaul the Baltimore police department, saying it needed to determine how it might conflict with the crime-fighting agenda of new Attorney General Jeff Sessions...'


Reference: www.foxnews.com
Tags:

Mar 21, 2017

Trump wants to give federal workers a 1.9% pay raise in 2018


Trump wants to give federal workers a 1.9% pay raise in 2018


'...National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon said in a statement that the Employment Cost Index shows growth in private industry wages of 10.4 percent on average over the last five years, compared to an overall increase of 5.4 percent for federal workers in the same period....'


Reference: postalservicenews.blogspot.com
Tags: Federal Worker Wages vs Postal Worker Wages, Employment Cost Index,

Mar 20, 2017

Firing federal workers isn’t as easy as Trump makes it seem in his budget


Firing federal workers isn’t as easy as Trump makes it seem in his budget


'...Agencies also can offer incentives to entice employees to leave, creating vacancies. One way is to allow employees to retire before they are eligible. With OPM’s permission, agencies facing job cuts can allow employees to retire at any age with at least 25 years of service, or at age 50 or above with at least 20 years tenure, subject to a reduction in the annuity in some cases. The other incentive is a buyout. Agencies can offer those with OPM’s permission to reorganize, although most agencies would need authority from Congress to offer them for downsizing. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has asked his staff to review whether voluntary buyouts across the government would be a better way to shrink the workforce because they provide incentives for retirement-eligible and other...'


Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
Tags: RIF, buyouts (VSIP),

Mar 16, 2017

OPM posts highest retirement claims backlog since Oct. 2015


OPM posts highest retirement claims backlog since Oct. 2015


'...At this point in fiscal 2017, OPM has processed 56 percent of its claims in 60 days or less. compared to 80 percent in February 2016. Of those claims processed within that 60-day window, it took OPM an average of 38 days to process. Claims beyond that window took an average of 104 days to process...'


Reference: federalnewsradio.com
Tags: Retirement Processing Backlog (OPM),

Mar 8, 2017

Federal criminal probe being opened into WikiLeaks' publication of CIA documents


Federal criminal probe being opened into WikiLeaks' publication of CIA documents


'...The investigation is looking into how the documents came into WikiLeaks' possession and whether they might have been leaked by an employee or contractor. The CIA is also trying to determine if there are other unpublished documents WikiLeaks may have...'


Reference: www.cnn.com
Tags: WikiLeaks

Feb 10, 2017

Wage Stagnation and Inflation


Nominal Wage Tracker


'...Despite the incomplete nature of the recovery, influential voices are already calling for the Federal Reserve to guard against inflation by raising interest rates to slow the economy. The stakes in this debate are high. Macroeconomic policy (including monetary policy) that prioritized very low rates of inflation over low rates of unemployment is a key reason why real wages have stagnated for the vast majority of American workers in recent decades (as we have shown through our Raising America’s Pay initiative). Widespread wage growth will not occur over the coming years if the Federal Reserve prematurely slows the recovery in the name of fighting prospective inflation...'


Reference: Economic Policy Institute
Tags: monetary policy, Federal Reserve, Macroeconomic policy, wage stagnation, Inflation, destruction of the middle class,

Notes: Real Estate and Medical are what's driving inflation. Primarily, medical related economics are what is harming the economy the most while having the greatest impact on low and middle incomes.

Jan 31, 2017

Pretty easy to see which of your coworkers are full of hot air


Remember those federal workers who were going to quit over Trump’s victory?


'...So… can we help you carry your stuff out to the parking lot? What’s that? You’re not leaving quite yet?...'


Reference: hotair.com
Tags: Wishy-Washy, Hot-air, Full of BS, Trump Haters,

Trump vows to continue LGBT workplace rights protection


Trump vows to continue LGBT workplace rights protection


'...In a break with his party's traditional stance on gay rights, Republican U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to uphold protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people...'


Reference: www.reuters.com
Tags: LGBT workplace rights protection

Jan 25, 2017

Trump Moves to Act on Border Wall, Crack Down on Immigration


Trump Moves to Act on Border Wall, Crack Down on Immigration


'...Trump is planning to sign directives Wednesday to set in motion construction of border reinforcement and toughening immigration enforcement within the U.S. during an afternoon visit to the Department of Homeland Security...'


Reference: www.bloomberg.com
Tags: Making America Great Again, Trump Legacy, Immigration Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security,

Jan 23, 2017

Major announcement on welfare reform Monday


Walker to unveil welfare reform plan


'...we are willing to help people who are down and out. But public assistance should be a trampoline, not a hammock...'


Reference: watchdog.org
Tags: welfare reform,

Jan 20, 2017

Donald J. Trump is sworn in as 45th President of the United States of America


President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump
Article Title: Donald J. Trump is sworn in as 45th President of the United States of America
Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. President Trump promises to bring jobs back to America and to give the power back to the people. President Trump seeks unity in our country to once again become the greatest nation in the world. Divisions will heal and we will all enjoy the same freedoms under the same great flag and God. Our military will be the greatest and we will protect this country. American's will never be forgotten again. We will make America great again. God Bless America.

Source: federal employees
[tag] Donald Trump sworn in as President, President Donald Trump, [/tag]

Jan 19, 2017

Some refunds delayed as IRS battle against fraud intensifies


Some refunds delayed as IRS battle against fraud intensifies


'...The agency is barred from issuing refunds before Feb. 15 on any returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. Congress mandated the delay to give the IRS more time to review returns to try to catch fraudulent ones before refunds are paid out. In reality, taxpayers taking these credits will probably have to wait even longer to get their refunds — until the week of Feb. 27, the IRS says, because of weekends and the President's Day holiday...'


Reference: www.foxbusiness.com
Tags: IRS, Delay of tax refunds in 2017,

Nov 30, 2016

What's Happening with Retirement


What's Happening with Retirement


'...in the active workforce CSRS people are seen as kind of a favored sub-category, with a civil service annuity formula producing a benefit roughly double what FERS people earn, for the same years of service and the same high-3 salary level. (The Social Security component of FERS and the employer contributions to the TSP there were designed to make up the difference. Whether they do is another question, one that you can get answered by asking any FERS person whether he or she would rather have CSRS.)...'


Reference: www.fedweek.com
Tags: CSRS vs FERS, Social Security, TSP, Federal Retirement,

Nov 7, 2016

The Clintons think of us as the help: 'to the Clintons, we are all valets...'


Carr: Nation fails its moral exam


'...From WikiLeaks, we know the disdain they have for “medieval” Catholics and “needy Latinos.” We’ve long understood the Clintons’ breathtaking contempt for “the help” — Secret Service agents, the military, basically anyone in uniform. Now we’re discovering the Clintons’ supposed acolytes feel the same way about their masters. They say no man is a hero to his valet, and to the Clintons, we are all valets...'


Reference:
Tags:

Cybersecurity threat to Election Day is slim, experts say


Cybersecurity threat to Election Day is slim, experts say


'...Cyber security experts say the threat to Tuesday's election by some malign state actor or rogue hacker changing the actual vote count is probably slim, given that the U.S. voting system is fragmented and decentralized. The state by state, district by district and polling place by polling place network provides an inherent safeguard – one that is augmented by the fact that widely used electronic voting machines are not connected to the internet...'


Reference: www.foxnews.com
Tags:

Oct 17, 2016

A riigged political system and more proof of biased media as the administration attempts to hide Wikileaks damaging leaks


Unethical Media Colluding With Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign


'... Another email reveals more media collusion with Clinton campaign...As the 2016 Presidential election comes less than one month a way, new information shows that major members of the media are or have apparently colluded to help the political campaign of Hillary Clinton. Normally, the way this is should work is the media is supposed to act as an ethical, independent, watchdog to help keep government honest and transparent when there is a lack of such...


Reference: www.netadvisor.org
Tags: Rigged Political System, Biased Media,

Oct 5, 2016

FBI arrests contractor in probe over stolen code used to hack other countries: NYT


FBI arrests contractor in probe over stolen code used to hack other countries: NYT


'...The FBI has arrested a contractor for the National Security Agency and is probing whether he stole and disclosed highly classified computer "source code" developed to hack into the networks...'


Reference: www.reuters.com
Tags: National Security Agency (NSA), Cyber Theft,

Sep 7, 2016

Trial Opens For Occupiers Of Oregon Wildlife Refuge


Trial Opens For Occupiers Of Oregon Wildlife Refuge


'...In most cases, a) there's some dispute over what actually happened, b) there might be at least some question as to sort of the legality of things that were done, and c) the defendant's goal is to be acquitted or to minimize the charges or to minimize sentencing," Sali says. "Here, most of those things are absent...they were exercising their First and Second Amendment rights...'


Reference: www.npr.org
Tags: Second Amendment rights, The First Amendment, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Occupation/Protest,

Aug 31, 2016

Obama just granted clemency to 111 federal inmates, 35 of whom had life sentences


Obama just granted clemency to 111 federal inmates, 35 of whom had life sentences


'...caught in crossfire in Chicago and killed on Friday, it was revealed that the alleged shooters were felons on parole. That in turn prompted calls from local officials for stiffer sentencing...'


Reference: vice.com
Tags: Obama clemency initiative

Aug 19, 2016

U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds


U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds


'...The IG report also blamed DFAS, saying it too made unjustified changes to numbers. For example, two DFAS computer systems showed different values of supplies for missiles and ammunition, the report noted – but rather than solving the disparity, DFAS personnel inserted a false “correction” to make the numbers match...'


Reference: www.reuters.com
Tags: DFAS, Army, Obama Legacy, Accounting Failures,

Aug 13, 2016

Guccifer 2.0 hacked DCCC


Guccifer 2.0 hacked DCCC


'...I wonder what happened to the true democracy, to the equal opportunities, the things we love the United States for. The big money bags are fighting for power today. They are lying constantly and don’t keep their word. The MSM are producing tons of propaganda hiding the real stuff behind it. But I do believe that people have right to know what’s going on inside the election process in fact...'


Reference: guccifer2.wordpress.com
Tags: Guccifer 2.0

Aug 3, 2016

Lawmakers: 'Ransom' to Iran puts Americans at risk


Lawmakers: 'Ransom' to Iran puts Americans at risk


'...U.S. government airlifted the equivalent of $400 million to Iran this past January – as four detained Americans were released by Tehran – and say the transaction has put more Americans at risk of being taken hostage...Obama administration denied the cash transfer was done to secure the release of the four Americans, GOP lawmakers said it was tantamount to “ransom...'


Reference: www.foxnews.com
Tags: $1.7 billion arms settlement for Iran, Does America pay ransom?, Iran, Lawmakers, Obama administration, Obama Legacy,

Jul 8, 2016

House Passes Package of Reforms Aimed at Federal Agencies and Employees


House Passes Package of Reforms Aimed at Federal Agencies and Employees


'...The House of Representatives passed a package of government reform bills today that would make a number of changes impacting the federal workforce. The legislation is known as the Government Reform and Improvement Act (GRIA) (H.R. 4361) and is actually a package of past proposed bills. The package includes...'


Reference: blogs.fedsmith.com
Tags: Government Reform and Improvement Act (GRIA) (H.R. 4361)

Jun 21, 2016

Seniors group warns of Social Security buying power loss


Seniors group warns of Social Security buying power loss


'...Social Security has already lost 23 percent of its buying power since 2000, and another potential year of no cost-of-living increase could squeeze seniors — whose expenses haven’t lowered with low inflation...'


Reference: www.benefitspro.com
Tags:

Jun 20, 2016

Lawmaker Demands Information on Excessive Bonuses Paid to Federal Employees


Lawmaker Demands Information on Excessive Bonuses Paid to Federal Employees


'...problems and delays at TSA. “Smurfing” is a technique that breaks specific financial transactions into something below the reporting requirement to mask them. “Hoggan’s $90,000 in bonus payments in 13 months is a clear violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the law,” wrote McCaskill in her letter to acting OPM director Beth Cobert...'


Reference: blogs.fedsmith.com
Tags: Kelly Hoggan, Smurfing,

Jun 10, 2016

Will There Be a COLA Increase in 2017 for Federal Retirees?


Will There Be a COLA Increase in 2017 for Federal Retirees?


'...Social Security benefits and federal retirement benefits did not go up in 2016. This was obviously bad news for retirees who rely on their monthly checks for a big part of their overall income. No COLA increase resulted in millions of Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees paying for increasing food and other costs with the same income they had in the previous year. To add insult to injury, medical costs and medical insurance also went up, so these extra costs also had to be absorbed with the same income as the year before...'


Reference: www.fedsmith.com
Tags:2017 Federal Employee COLA, 2017 Federal Employee Pay Raise,

Video: Wishy Washy Politicians Will Say Anything to Get You to Bite


Watch the video of Obama talking about Hillary in 2008 and compare that to his endorsement of her now.


Wishy Washy: Obama Endorses Clinton, But What Does He Truly Think of Lying Hillary


Now that corporate backed Hillary Clinton has trash talked Bernie Sanders to the degree that we no longer have an opportunity for 'real' positive change for all Americans, we are left with the standard of fake, lying, corporate backed scum that are destroying the working class and raping seniors by not expanding Social Security, yet permitting corporations, big oil, and the extreme wealthy to ride off the backs of working men and women. All of this while we permit transgenders to share restrooms and locker rooms with our children. Way to go America! Let's keep the world laughing at us while we decline with our own naive lack of common sense.


Reference: Federal Employees
Tags:Liars endorsing liars, Obama Legacy,

Jun 7, 2016

Harvard Poll: Tthe American Dream is Dead for Them


Nearly Half of Young Americans Believe the American Dream is Dead for Them


'...When November IOP polling asked 18- to 29- year-olds if the “American Dream is alive or dead” for them personally, respondents were nearly evenly split (49%: “alive;” 48%: “dead”). While no significant difference was found based on race or ethnicity (whites – 49% said “alive;” African-Americans – 44% said “alive;” Hispanics – 52% said “alive”), respondents’ level of education did play a role. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) college graduates said the American Dream was alive for them personally, compared to only 42% of those not in college/never enrolled in college saying the same. Additionally, a significant majority of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders supporters said they believed the American dream was “dead” (Trump voters – 61%: American Dream “dead,” 39%: “alive;” Sanders voters – 56%: American Dream “dead,” 44%: “alive”)...'


Reference: iop.harvard.edu
Tags: Obama Legacy, The American Dream, Destruction of America's Working Class,

May 25, 2016

Hillary has no need to worry, the current administration wants her to be President


State Dept. inspector general report sharply criticizes Clinton’s email practices


'...The report says Clinton, who is the Democratic presidential front-runner, should have printed and saved her emails during her four years in office...'


Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
Tags: The Clintons, Hillary, Destruction of America's Working Class,

May 24, 2016

Federal employee resignation can start lawsuit time limit (constructive discharge claim)


Resignation Can Start Lawsuit Time Limit


'...The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that federal workers who want to file a constructive discharge claim have 45 days from the time they resign to do so. The ruling effectively extends the time former federal employees have to file lawsuits over purported discriminatory acts in the workplace. With their 7-1 ruling the court rejected the Justice Department's argument that the clock should start ticking on such claims when the conditions the filers allegedly confronted at work became intolerable. Marvin Green, a former Colorado postmaster, claimed in a lawsuit ...'


Reference: www.courthousenews.com
Tags: constructive discharge claim

May 18, 2016

What Would Obama Do?


Opinion without an opinion: A short, referenced guide on LGBT rights debate in America

What Would Obama Do?


What is the big deal with accommodating LGBT's in the federal workforce or anywhere for that matter? Obama says 'LGBT rights are human rights’ ...that is the word from Obama. So why is it an issue? The largest argument comes from the religious side of the debate. A christian believer in God often feels that what someone does behind closed doors is their business and are held accountable based on the beliefs of each party. Live and let live! However, what happens when the government infringes upon the religious beliefs of others? This is where the debate occurs. The Bible says, 'If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.' Obviously you can see that when a government forces the lifestyle of others upon those that are opposed to that lifestyle based on their religious convictions, it is going to be a problem. But what does the constitution say about protecting alternative lifestyles or impeding the free exercise of religion. The constitution is clear on impeding the free exercise of religion and spells it out using the specific word 'religion.' The constitution 'prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting ...' As far as LGBT constitutional right trumping religious freedom, we are at a loss for a reference with the exception of Obama. These are the facts, your opinion is yours, as well as your right to agree with Obama, God, The Constitution, or your own subjectively created cocktail of oil and water. Your support simply lies with what you personally believe within yourself.


Reference: federal-employees.blogspot.com


May 4, 2016

Inadequate Staffing at TSA Causing Long Waits at Security Lines



TSA Increasing Staffing as Waits Soar at Airport Security Lines


'...Confronted with projections that airport security lines will surge this summer, the Transportation Security Administration is adding screeners, bringing more bomb-sniffing dogs to congested hubs and asking Congress for funds to increase overtime...'

Reference: www.bloomberg.com
Tags: Smaller Government, TSA, Homeland Security, Obama Legacy, Jeh Johnson,


Apr 28, 2016

Bill To Release Secret Pages On Saudi 9/11 Role Surging On Hill


Bill To Release Secret Pages On Saudi-9/11 Role Surging On Hill


'... As commander in chief, Obama... His nonchalant attitude shows disrespect for the 9/11 victims and their families, whom he’s repeatedly promised release of the 28 pages. Yet he’s never even read them? These families need that trove of evidence to get justice and closure on their long-running nightmare. Here we have a president who’s now made a record four trips to Saudi Arabia, counting last week’s trip, and he’s never read the evidence against the kingdom...'


Reference: www.investors.com
Tags:

Apr 21, 2016

Get the $20 bill 'collectible' uncut sheet before the currency change from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing



$20 Currency Sheets


'...The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is proud to present the Series 2009 $20 Uncut Currency Sheets bearing the signatures of U.S. Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner and Treasurer of the United States, Rosie Rios...'

Reference: www.moneyfactorystore.gov
Tags: Bureau of Engraving and Printing