Thursday, July 26, 2018

New bills hit federal employees with shorter disciplinary appeals process, fees for submitting to MSPB

New bills hit federal employees with shorter disciplinary appeals process, fees for submitting to MSPB

Snippet of Article: "...The bill would let MSPB collect fees from employees who choose to appeal an adverse action with the agency. The legislation doesn’t name a specific price but said fees shouldn’t “exceed the amount that is 50 percent of the fee required for filing a civil action in a United States district court.” MSPB has some leeway to adjust the price from time to time..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

MSPB, anti-union, Reducing Protections for Workers, Protecting Rogue Manager Actions and Agencies,

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Buyout Increase Dropped in Latest Congressional Report

Buyout Increase Dropped in Latest Congressional Report

Snippet of Article: "...The House version did not contain the change to increase the amount of the buyout amount..."

Source: www.fedsmith.com

VSIP

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Can USPS systems survive the e-commerce boom?

Can USPS systems survive the e-commerce boom?

Snippet of Article: "...As the number of packages from online orders increase, the U.S. Postal Service may face increasing overtime hours as its sorting facilities and mail carriers take longer to process and deliver those packages..."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

Monday, July 2, 2018

FBI says arrests man who planned to bomb Cleveland July 4 event

FBI says arrests man who planned to bomb Cleveland July 4 event

Snippet of Article: "...The man, who had expressed allegiance to the al Qaeda militant group, was arrested on Sunday after a meeting with an undercover FBI agent where he said he planned to plant a bomb at the event celebrating the U.S. Independence Day holiday and would also target other locations in Cleveland and Philadelphia. "What would hit them in the core..."

Source: www.msn.com

FBI, al Qaeda attacks, Foiled Terrorist Attack, Islamic Terrorist,

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Will the Almighty AT&T Become an Even Bigger Monopoly With the Help of Government Meger Approval? Sure they will, corporations always win over consumers

AT&T Would Use Time Warner as a ‘Weapon,’ Justice Dept. Says

Snippet of Article: "...If the merger goes forward, consumers all across America will be worse off as a result,” said Craig Conrath, the Justice Department’s lead lawyer..."

Source: www.nytimes.com

AT&T, Time Warner, Monopolies, Corporate America vs Consumers,

Monday, June 11, 2018

Monday marks end of consumer protective net neutrality rules

Monday marks end of net neutrality rules

Snippet of Article: "...scrapping the rules gives major internet companies like Comcast or Verizon the ability to hike up the cost of internet use and limit access online..."

Source: www.msn.com

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Too Big To Fail: Social Security and Medicare

Social Security to tap into trust fund for first time in 36 years

Snippet of Article: "...Congress could at any time choose to pay for the benefits through the general fund..."

Source: www.marketwatch.com

Too Big To Fail: Social Security and Medicare

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Signs of sophisticated cellphone spying found near White House, U.S. officials say

Signs of sophisticated cellphone spying found near White House, U.S. officials say

Snippet of Article: "...IMSI catchers are widely used by local, state and federal police, as well as foreign intelligence agencies. The devices work by simulating cell towers to trick nearby phones into connecting, allowing the IMSI catchers to collect calls, texts and data streams. Unlike some other forms of cellphone interception, IMSI catchers must be near targeted devices to work..."

Source: www.msn.com

IMSI-catcher, Spying, cellphone interception,

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Trump’s orders show unwavering attack on federal unions, employees

Trump’s orders show unwavering attack on federal unions, employees

Snippet of Article: "...The orders were just the latest steps designed to weaken unions, federal employee compensation and civil service protections..."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

union busting, anti-union, Destruction of America's working class,

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

DHS secretary insists on funding sanctuary cities despite President's promise to cut off grants

Administration funds sanctuary cities despite pledge to cut off grants

Snippet of Article: "...homeland security secretary recently awarded nearly $1.7 billion in grants, some related to immigration, to states and localities across the nation, including so-called sanctuary cities, according to three people with knowledge of the grants. Kirstjen Nielsen authorized the grants despite objections of her top staff..."

Source: www.macon.com

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), sanctuary city funding,

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Administration clarifies the intended destruction of federal employee retirement

Administration Adds Details to Benefit-Cutting Proposals

Snippet of Article: "...Elimination of Federal Employees’ Retirement System Annuity Supplements This proposal would amend section 8421 of title 5, United States Code, to eliminate the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) annuity supplement for new retirees and the supplementary annuity for survivor annuitants. The proposal retains language that requires OPM to apportion a FERS annuity ·supplement to a former spouse when a court order expressly divides a FERS annuity for purposes of annuitants who retain a FERS annuity supplement under prior provisions of section 8421. Also, the proposal retains language that requires OPM to reduce or eliminate an annuitant’s FERS annuity supplement based on earnings for those who retain FERS annuity supplements under prior provisions..."
Source: www.fedweek.com

FERS Annuity Supplement, SRS, Destruction of the working class, Destruction of the Federal Employees Retirement System,

Friday, April 27, 2018

University of California at Berkeley can't block lawsuit alleging censorship of conservatives, judge rules

University of California at Berkeley can't block lawsuit alleging censorship of conservatives, judge rules

Snippet of Article: "...A federal judge this week rejected the University of California at Berkeley’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the school of discriminating against conservative speakers. U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in San Francisco said two conservative groups can proceed with a lawsuit claiming the university imposed its “major events” policy and an earlier policy for “high-profile speakers” -- resulting in unreasonable restrictions and fees..."

Source: www.foxnews.com

University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, censorship of conservatives, suppressing conservative speech, 1st Amendment, discriminating against conservative speakers,

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Report Documents Shift from CSRS to FERS in Workforce

Report Documents Shift from CSRS to FERS in Workforce

Snippet of Article: "...The FERS system became the majority system within the federal workforce only about a decade after it was launched; by fiscal 1996, it accounted for 53 percent of current employees to 47 percent for CSRS. That share steadily grew as the generally older CSRS employees retired so that now only 6 percent of current employees are under CSRS, the report said. Of current retirees, 67 percent are under CSRS. Separate OPM data show that just about the same share, 69 percent, of those who retired in 2015 were covered by FERS,..."

Source: www.fedweek.com

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Average Federal Retirement Age Continues to Increase

Average Federal Retirement Age Continues to Increase

Snippet of Article: "...The data, as of fiscal 2016, further showed that for normal retirements, the average years of service was 37.0 for CSRS and 22.2 for FERS, with an average monthly annuity of $4,917 and $1,534, respectively..."

Source: www.fedweek.com

CSRS vs FERS, Average Years of Federal Service,

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

OPM to federal agencies: Tell job applicants where they stand

OPM to federal agencies: Tell job applicants where they stand

Snippet of Article: "...The Office of Personnel Management has told agencies "to be diligent in notifying applicants in a timely fashion" when they receive an application; when they finish assessing qualifications and decide whether to refer the person to the selecting official; and when they have chosen someone..."

Source: www.stripes.com

Monday, March 19, 2018

Federal employees accuse Betsy DeVos of union busting

Federal employees accuse Betsy DeVos of union busting

Snippet of Article: "...The American Federation of Government Employees filed the complaint on Tuesday, after DeVos' Department of Education implemented a 40-page "collective bargaining agreement" that took effect on Monday — a document union membership says is anything but what its name implies. "You can't even call it a 'collective bargaining agreement' because it wasn't collective, it wasn't bargained, and there was no agreement," AFGE Assistant General Counsel Ward Morrow told The Intercept..."

Source: www.metrotimes.com

American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), collective bargaining rights, Betsy DeVos, union busting,

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Centers for Disease Control employee vanishes after feeling sick and leaving work early

Centers for Disease Control employee vanishes after feeling sick and leaving work early

Snippet of Article: "...left work sick on Feb. 12 and has not been heard from since, WSB reported. His parents said they later discovered his phone, wallet, car and keys as well as his dog at his Atlanta home. They told officers it was unusual for Cunningham to leave his pup alone and to be out of touch for so long..."

Source: www.nydailynews.com

Friday, February 23, 2018

2019 Budget provides no raise, targets retirement benefits for federal employees

Budget provides no raise, targets retirement benefits for federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...Eliminating cost-of-living adjustments on the civil service annuities of those retired under FERS while reducing the adjustment by a half-percentage point for those retired under the older Civil Service Retirement System. For those retiring in 2019 and later, annuities would be based on the highest five consecutive salary years rather than the current three, and those retiring under FERS below age 62 would no longer receive a supplement that is paid until that age when they can collect Social Security...."

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Feds bust twin brothers from the Bronx for trying to build bombs

Feds bust twin brothers from the Bronx for trying to build bombs

Snippet of Article: "...Christian Toro, a former teacher at Harlem Prep, and his brother, Tyler Toro, were arrested by the FBI on Thursday as part of a joint investigation with the NYPD. The two 27-year-olds had been forging explosive devices inside their Pelham Parkway apartment since last October..."

Source: nypost.com

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise Update

2.6 percent raise for military, pay freeze for federal workers in 2019 Trump budget

Snippet of Article: "...The budget would also require federal workers to contribute 1 percent more towards their retirement and eliminates some supplements for retirees under the age of 62, along with other benefit and retirement reductions..."

Source: www.al.com

Special Retirement Supplement (SRS), 2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise, Destruction of Federal Employee Retirement,

Monday, February 12, 2018

White Powder Mailing: Wife of Donald Trump Jr. taken to hospital after opening envelope containing white powder

Wife of Donald Trump Jr. taken to hospital after opening envelope containing white powder

Snippet of Article: "...opened the letter just after 10 a.m. She and two other people were decontaminated by firefighters at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. They appear to be fine..."

Source: abc7ny.com

White Powder Mailing,

Saturday, February 10, 2018

2-year budget deal would bring some good news to federal employees

2-year budget deal would bring some good news to federal employees

Snippet of Article: "...After federal employees contributed more than $120 billion in lost pay and benefits over the last several years, NARFE members have been diligent in sounding the drumbeat that federal employees’ and retirees’ earned benefits are not a piggy bank,” Thissen added. “Congress heeded their call, and no cuts to federal pay and benefits are included in the budget deal..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Opportunity of a Lifetime? Buy Low, Sell High

Trump Says ‘Big Mistake’ to Sell Off Stocks in Strong Economy

Snippet of Article: "...White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday defended the president’s decision to take credit for successes in the stock market, saying the nation’s economy was "infinitely better off today than where we were before the president took office." "Does the President have second thoughts about taking credit for a booming economy? Absolutely not," she said..."

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Chain Migration: This huge influx must stop, but the plan to repair it robs American's of high paying jobs instead of educating our own house first


Chain Migration by the Numbers

Chain Migration (Immigration) Chart
www.whitehouse.gov
Snippet of Article: "...The large influx of predominantly low-skilled migrants has had substantial fiscal and national security consequences. To understand the scale of the challenge that Chain Migration poses to those in charge of our nation’s checks and screening processes, it is worth providing some numerical context..."
Source: www.whitehouse.gov

Chain Migration, Chain Immigration,

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Postal worker claims $4M prize from lottery scratcher

Postal worker claims $4M prize from lottery scratcher

Snippet of Article: "...postal worker won $4 million in the Virginia Lottery’s Hot Millions Multiplier scratch-off game, according to a news release. Bill..."

Source: www.insidenova.com

Senate To Vote Monday On Ending Shutdown As Talks Continue

Senate To Vote Monday On Ending Shutdown As Talks Continue

Snippet of Article: "...The Senate will vote at noon on Monday to end the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor Sunday evening and laid out a plan to restore government funding for three weeks and consider immigration proposals..."

Source: www.npr.org

Shutdown 2018,

Now We've Shut Down The CDC and This Year's Flu Is Nasty And Getting Worse

This Year's Flu Is Nasty And Getting Worse. And Now We've Shut Down The CDC.

Snippet of Article: "...With the government shut down, a difficult situation becomes worse. Most of the CDC staff will be forced to sit on their hands when they could be working — many of them want to work, but they won't be allowed to. What's especially frustrating (and wasteful) is that the U.S. will almost certainly pay all federal employees for this forced time off, as it did in previous shutdowns. We also need a better way to make the flu vaccine..."

Source: www.forbes.com

Shutdown 2018, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

Friday, January 19, 2018

Can we predict what the 2019 federal pay raise will be?

Can we predict what next year’s federal pay raise will be?

Snippet of Article: "...The process by which federal raises are calculated comes from Title 5 of the U.S. Code, which says that every rate on the General Schedule should see a boost in base pay that equals half a percentage point less than the previous year’s Employment Cost Index (ECI), a figure calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So theoretically, the answer..."

Source: federalnewsradio.com

Title 5 of the U.S. Code, 2019 Federal Employee Pay Raise,

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

President Trump Gets an 'Excellent Health' Report, to Include Cognitive, From White House Doctor

White House physician: Trump in 'excellent health'

Snippet of Article: "...The president’s physical exam today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center went exceptionally well," Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president's physician, said in a statement. Jackson added that "the president is in excellent health..."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com

President Trumps Cognitive Health, Trump in Excellent Health,

More Reading:

  • White House doctor: 'No concerns' about Trump's cognitive ability. www.cnn.com. Jan. 16, 2018.
  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment. www.mocatest.org. As observed on Jan. 16, 2018
  • Friday, January 12, 2018

    House renews spying law that collects Americans' emails without warrants

    House renews spying law that collects Americans' emails without warrants

    Snippet of Article: "...The House voted Thursday to renew for six years a controversial surveillance program that may collect the content of Americans' email, text messages, photos and other electronic communication without a warrant. The vote was 256-164 to extend the program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act..."

    Source: www.msn.com


    Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

    Tuesday, January 9, 2018

    New York Dem charged with stealing Sandy money from FEMA

    New York Dem charged with stealing Sandy money from FEMA

    Snippet of Article: "...Harris, 57, is accused of defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- the agency tasked with helping New York and New Jersey rebuild after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 -- of almost $25,000..."

    Source: www.foxnews.com

    FEMA

    Wednesday, December 20, 2017

    Former Postal Service vice president sentenced after inspectors uncovered lies

    Former USPS vice president sentenced after inspectors uncovered lies

    Snippet of Article: "...court records reveal, discovered Whitman’s resume and a security clearance form he filled out were riddled with lies within weeks of his March hiring. He was fired in June. Whitman didn’t have a degree from Southern Illinois, and he wasn’t the corporate genius that his resume proclaimed, investigators said in court papers. Shortly before he applied for the postal job, Whitman had been fired by another unidentified company for lying on his resume..."

    Source: www.linns.com

    Tuesday, December 19, 2017

    Tax Bill: Ready for your tax increase middle-class? Tax Bill’s Estimated Effects In 2027

    CHARTS: See How Much Of GOP Tax Cuts Will Go To The Middle Class

    Snippet of Article: "...This would mean a tiny tax bump for many lower- and middle-class households — the average $50,000 to $75,000-earning household would have a tax bill that's $30 higher than today. The average household earning more than $1 million would get a cut of more than $23,000..."

    Source: www.npr.org

    Tax Bill’s Estimated Effects In 2027

    Wednesday, December 13, 2017

    The Federal Reserve is about to raise interest rates again — here's how it happens and why it matters

    The Fed is about to raise interest rates again — here's how it happens and why it matters

    Snippet of Article: "...what the Fed is doing right now is a bit unusual. "This is the first tightening cycle where they've been concerned about inflation being too low," said Alan Levenson, the chief economist at T. Rowe Price. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation last touched its 2% target in 2012, so it can't exactly argue that it is raising rates to fight inflation..."

    Source: http://www.businessinsider.com

    Federal Reserve

    Sunday, December 10, 2017

    Spread the swamp? Trump administration wants to move government offices out of Washington

    Spread the swamp? Trump administration wants to move government offices out of Washington

    Snippet of Article: "...Dislodge arms of the federal government from Washington and reattach them in faraway places, spreading the wealth generated by these well-paid agency workforces and forcing senior bureaucrats to face the people they affect..."

    Source: www.latimes.com

    Tuesday, December 5, 2017

    Political Magic: Disappearing Tiny Tax Cuts for the Middle Class, But Not for Corporate America or the Wealthy

    Here's what's in the Senate Republican tax bill

    Snippet of Article: "...benefits for middle- and low-income groups diminish or disappear afterward -- meaning the groups' after-tax incomes would drop on average -- due to their tax cuts expiring after 2025, the bill's use of slower inflation adjustments in the tax code..."

    Source: cnn.com

    Tax Rates, Tax Bill, Disappearing Tax Cuts,

    Tuesday, November 28, 2017

    First Lady Melania Trump Unveils Christmas at the White House 2017

    First Lady Melania Trump Unveils Christmas at the White House 2017

    Snippet of Article: “The President, Barron, and I are very excited for our first Christmas in the White House,” said First Lady Melania Trump. “As with many families across the country, holiday traditions are very important to us. I hope when visiting the People’s House this year, visitors will get a sense of being home for the holidays. On behalf of my husband and Barron, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and joyous holiday season.”

    Source: The White House

    Christmas 2017

    Thursday, November 16, 2017

    Who is the Highest Paid ‘Federal Employee’ in America?

    Who is the Highest Paid ‘Federal Employee’ in America?

    Snippet of Article: "...A recent article describes Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Bill Johnson as “the highest paid federal employee in the country.” Pay Raise Breaks the Million Dollar Mark..."

    Source: www.fedsmith.com

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), CEO Bill Johnson,

    Monday, November 13, 2017

    Big Pharma in the House, Forget About Lower Drug and Medical Costs

    Trump Picks Former Eli Lilly Drug Executive as Health Secretary

    Snippet of Article: "...Trump has been highly critical of the industry that Azar comes from, saying that drug companies are “getting away with murder” and threatening to use the federal government’s buying power to bring down prices. However he’s taken no concrete action yet to do so..."

    Source: www.bloomberg.com

    Big Pharma, Medical Expenses, Destruction of Lower Middle-Class, Alex Azar,

    The US's most secretive intelligence agency (NSA) was embarrassingly robbed and mocked by anonymous hackers

    The US's most secretive intelligence agency was embarrassingly robbed and mocked by anonymous hackers

    Snippet of Article: "... The group now posts cryptic, mocking messages pointed toward the NSA as it sells the cyberweapons, created at huge cost to US taxpayers, to any and all buyers, including US adversaries like North Korea and Russia. "It's a disaster on multiple levels," Jake Williams, a cybersecurity expert who formerly worked on the NSA's hacking group..."

    Source: www.businessinsider.com

    National Security Agency (NSA),