Free Republic

Today Barack Obama froze the pay for overpaid federal employees today...Federal workers make twice as much as workers in the private sector...Lock it in!

Earlier this morning, I noted that President Obama's proposal to freeze the pay of federal employees (excluding the military) for two years wouldn't have much impact on the debt. Now we have more specifics. In his press conference, Obama claimed that the move would save the government $28 billion over five years. Taking that number at face value, that would represent a sixth-tenths of one percent reduction in the projected $4.52 trillion deficit over that same period (2011 through 2015). [Snip] To demonstrate this visually, I put together a pie chart.

NOTE The following text is a quote: Acquisition Reform Plays Key Role in Pentagon’s Cost Savings By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, July 15, 2010 – The Defense Department has the opportunity to save billions of taxpayer dollars through acquisitions reform, but only if it grows its workforce with the right federal workers in place to oversee contracts, a senior Pentagon official said today. “There is a significant opportunity to save billions of dollars, but only if we have a well-trained and sufficient workforce,” Shay Assad, the acting director of the department’s procurement and acquisition policy, said during...

Don't call it Chevy. General Motors leaders are asking Chevrolet employees to refrain from the shorthand etched in America's consciousness for decades. Or, as the New York Times put it, "If General Motors has its way, you won't be driving your Chevy to the levee ever again." The Times quoted this company memo sent Tuesday: "We'd ask that whether you're talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward. "When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple, for instance,...

Even as the Feds sanctimoniously ban Wall Street executives from receiving end-of-the-year bonuses, the government of D.C. rewarded its employees with a hefty one...to the tune of $15 million bucks. And for what? D.C. is one of the most mismanaged metro areas in the nation, squandering untold millions of dollars each year, even spending itself into oblivion during a recession. That was not enough, however, to prevent D.C. from rewarding its incompetent employees with millions in taxpayer-provided loot.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Before he was elected as the incoming U.S. president, Barack Obama spelled out his goals for change at seven government agencies in letters to federal workers, the Washington Post reported on Monday. The letters, all but one written on October 20, were Obama's effort at "wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election" on November 4, the newspaper said. They reveal a candidate adeptly tailoring his message to a federal audience and tapping into many workers' dismay at funding and staffing cuts in the Bush years, the Post said. The letters describe Obama's intention to...

December 12, 2002 Dear Parents/Guardians: We have been asked to complete an IMPACT AID SURVEY form for the District. This survey is needed to identify those children whose parents/guardians are employed on federal property, or are members of the uniformed armed services on December 17, 2002. This information is confidential. Please call the office by December 16th if you are employed at one of the facilities below: . . . (lists approved federal facilities in the Pittsburgh region) Postal employees or FBI employees are *not to be listed.*

Why a Flexible Homeland Security Agency is Critical to Our National Defense September 25, 2002 1. After September 11, 2001, the Customs Service wanted to require its inspectors at the 301 ports of entry to wear radiation detection pagers to help detect attempts to import nuclear or radiological materials across our borders. The National Treasury Employees Union objected, saying that wearing the pagers should be voluntary, and sought to invoke collective bargaining over the issue, which would (under the best of circumstances) have taken at least a year to resolve. In the end the union backed down, and the Customs...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) --  More than half the explosive-detection machines now at airports are not being fully used to screen checked baggage, even as the government plans to buy hundreds more of the minivan-sized equipment, the Transportation Department said Thursday.</p> <p>Inspector General Kenneth Mead said the machines should screen at least 1,250 bags a day, but only 12 of 138 machines are reaching that level. Transportation Security Administration head John Magaw acknowledged the problem and said it would be fixed as trained federal baggage screeners replace private employees.</p>

<p>MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — Two top employees of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center have been replaced for allegedly misusing personal time.</p> <p>Patricia K. Dolan, a spokeswoman at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, told The Providence Journal that Jeurgen G. Keil and John E. Sirmalis abused personal time that was taken for reported religious reasons.</p>