Posted on 07/22/2011 11:32:50 AM PDT by jazusamo
While President Obama pushes to increase taxes for Americans, his Office of Government Ethics is planning a taxpayer-funded “conference” at a famously luxurious golf and spa resort in Florida.
Uncle Sam will fly hundreds of federal employees—charged with fostering high ethical standards in government—from Washington D.C. to the world-renowned Orlando resort, which is famous for its lush, perfectly landscaped grounds, a 7,000-yard championship golf course and a lagoon-like setting with six tropical pools, waterfalls. a water slide and whirlpools.
The OGE is encouraging all employees with “ethics-related duties” to attend the September event, which has been crowned “Organizational Integrity: A Shared Responsibility.” Issues that fall within the OGE’s jurisdiction will be discussed, according to a bulletin, as will topics that intersect with ethics rules and regulations. What exactly does this mumbo jumbo really mean?
Here are some examples of the pressing issues that can only be addressed at a golf and spa resort hundreds of miles away from the office. Sessions will cover social media and gifts, presumably the sort that government officials have long been banned from receiving. One workshop on the agenda will reveal how to “develop agency-wide support for the ethics program”
An exhibit hall will feature winners of the Excellence and Innovation Awards and presentations from government agencies on how to “overcome challenges” in areas such as training, management and communications. The winner of the Ethics Awareness Poster Contest will also be crowned and attendees will participate in a reality game created to enrich the conference experience. In an effort to go green, this year’s conference has its own mobile application and website. Because there is so much material to cover (or perhaps to spend more time playing golf and sunbathing) the conference has been expanded from 2 ½ days to three.
It may seem bizarre that the agency responsible for government ethics is organizing this sort of event during a dire financial crisis to address such ridiculous matters. After all, the OGE, which operates within the executive branch, is supposed to strengthen the public’s confidence that the government’s business is conducted with impartiality and integrity.
Sickening!
It’s no longer surprising, ironic, or outrageous. It’s SOP.
Obama says we are not a third world county. But like much of the third world, we are living in a kleptocracy.
Well said!
Government Ethics. Just about the be-all end-all of oxymorons.
Government waste
Government cronyism
Government cover-ups
Government diets
Government boondoggles
Government media manipulation
Government overspending
Government regualation
Government taxation
“...Federal employees - charged with fostering high ethical standards in government...”
I’d say they’re not doing a very good job. Instead of being rewarded for their incompetence, they should be unemployed.
I’d bet it will take a FOIA request to get the dollar amount of fed funds spent on this, hopefully JW will eventually get the figure.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials
FROM: Matthew S. Cross
Associate Director for Education
SUBJECT: 18th National Government Ethics Conference UPDATE
As we continue to finalize the agenda for the upcoming 18th National Government Ethics Conference we would like to give you a sense of what to expect at this year’s Conference.
The theme of this year’s conference is Organizational Integrity: A Shared Responsibility. As such we plan to discuss issues that fall within OGE’s jurisdiction as well as topics that intersect with the ethics rules and regulations. For example, we will have sessions on social media, 18 U.S.C. 209, gifts, E-Filing, the Hatch Act, Whistleblower Disclosure, and a workshop on how to develop agency-wide support for the ethics program. In addition, last year’s popular session, “A Year in Review” by OGE’s Office of General Counsel and Legal Policy is back as a plenary session.
The Conference has been expanded from two and half days to three days and will feature sixty-four concurrent breakout sessions, daily plenary sessions, and an exhibit hall. Conference sessions will be an hour and fifteen minutes and will be delivered in a lecture, panel, workshop or plenary format. We will have sessions geared toward varying levels of experience and we have a number of exciting new additions to our conference agenda.
What’s New in 2011?
Program Excellence and Innovation Hall
This year’s conference will feature a new and improved exhibit hall. The Program Excellence and Innovation Hall will feature entrants of the Program Excellence and Innovation Awards as well as several other exhibits. Plan to visit the exhibit hall to see how other agencies overcome challenges in the areas of training, program management, electronic filing, communications and customer service. If you find something useful in the exhibit hall you will be able to cast your vote and help select the Program Excellence and Innovation viewer’s choice award winners.
Learning Labs
This year’s conference will feature three learning labs where attendees will have the opportunity to engage in discussion with experts in the areas of program management, program support and ethics education. Labs will provide highly engaging and interactive discussions on a number of topics. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from experts and your peers at the learning labs.
Poster Contest
Winners of the 2011 Ethics Awareness Poster Contest will be recognized and their poster concepts featured at the Conference. If you are looking for ways to promote ethics in your organization you just might find what you need at the poster contest exhibit.
Alternative Reality Game
This year we are pilot testing an alternative reality game (ARG) called iSpy, Operation: Ethics Infiltration. The purpose of the game is to bring conference attendees together in fun and competition while enriching their conference experience. The game will give participants opportunities to:
•Expand their professional network.
•Gather and apply knowledge learned at the conference.
•Identify ethics program model practices to take back to agencies.
•Practice facilitating discussions on various ethics topics.
•Learn about alternative training methods such as ARGs.
Virtual Conference
For those who are not able to attend this year’s conference or can’t decide between two sessions occurring at the same time – don’t worry. For the first time, OGE will make highlights of some conference sessions available for later viewing over the web.
Mobile Conference Application
In an effort to Go Green, we are very excited to announce that the Conference will have its very own mobile application (APP) and dedicated website. Conference attendees will be able to download the APP and access the website to view information such as the conference agenda, materials, handouts, and contact information for all attendees. Attendees will be able to create their own schedules and view a map of the conference facility. As part of the Go Green initiative, we will be limiting the distribution of paper copies of the agenda and conference materials.
Other Noteworthy Items
A more detailed agenda with session descriptions will follow as the conference draws closer as well as information about the APP and registration for the ARG game.
In the next several weeks OGE will send a survey to all conference registrants asking them to provide feedback and interest level on potential conference sessions.
We hope to see you in Orlando this September!
http://www.usoge.gov/ethics_guidance/advisories/2011/ea-11-05.html
The cost for the 18th National Government Ethics Conference is $675, and includes three breakfast buffets, three lunch buffets and a networking reception.
Payment for the conference fee must be made with a Government issued credit card. DO NOT USE A GOVERNMENT ISSUED TRAVEL CARD. The Government issued travel card can be used to pay for airline tickets, hotel accommodations, etc., not conference fee payments.
HOTEL INFORMATION
The conference is being held at the Orlando World Center Marriott located at 8701 World Center Drive Orlando, Florida. The block of rooms held for the approved conference attendees is open. The hotel is offering rooms at the conference rate of $90.
Conference Registration Form
http://www.usoge.gov/conference/pdf/conf_info_reg2_2011.pdf
We hope to see you in Orlando!
OGE Conference Staff
What, they couldn’t rent a hall in DC somewhere? High school auditorium maybe?
Criminals - ALL OF THEM!
It’s a good place but not the best in the area. I’m guessing they needed the space.
clip-tocracy ;-)
They are getting a helluva rate @ $90. I’ve attended three national conferences at that hotel and the room rate was $189.
Poster Contest
Winners of the 2011 Ethics Awareness Poster Contest will be recognized and their poster concepts featured at the Conference. If you are looking for ways to promote ethics in your organization you just might find what you need at the poster contest exhibit.
IDK if this is that excessive if it’s a national conference for all branch offices.
I just looked up the best available corporate block rates, and it’s only $89/night +tax double occupancy, and I know for certain they’ll do 2 meal corporate catering options for under $30/day/person, my neighbor was one of the caterers there. The corporate catering there is Sysco commercial food, it’s not anything special, and they mostly used farm raised frozen tilapia.
That Marriot is nice, but it’s not the top end, and it’s one of the few in Orlando with the space for large gov conferences without having the additional expense of renting out the Convention Center.
They do have nice towels there, I used to walk around the pool as it was 2 minutes from my home in Orlando.
Marriot has a couple different levels of corporate rate policies.
FOr government agencies that have the government directly paying for the rooms and the whole package, they drop it to their lowest rate, which for that hotel is $89.
For private conferences they make the poor schmucks attending pay for their own rooms out of pocket, and jack up the costs, and jack up the catering fees.
ONce upon a time (1999 to 2003), the discount name your price hotel room websites would get that same price for Marriots as the best available corporate rates if booked at the last minute,
After the recession in 2001/2002 they smartened up in 2004 and realized it wasn’t worth the trouble to make lower margins on higher volume and the entire industry in this recession has moved to a higher revenue per night and lower volume model, to minimize wear and tear and other fixed and flexible staffing costs.
The title line shows the words government and ethics in the same sentence. Now that’s comedy!
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