http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2003Jun11.html

The wall of acceptance gets higher.

The officials had "left for the day?"

It's OK because Clinton signed DOMA.

Sad! They are trying my patient nature! :mad:

Sad
Hoover would be proud of the full circle

Why am I not surprised the FBI does not have a Gay employee group?

In terms of Field Agents and supervisors, they have always hired disproportionate numbers of Mormons and other conservative, white men. It could also come from the idea that they also have hired ex-cops and others who come from a very macho background.

The way they treated the females within their ranks that tried to reveal and/or change their modus operandi should give you some idea of how little things have changed over the years.

It's no suprise that they continue to have scandals in terms of evidence as well as other essential operations like the "supervising" of spy/counterspys that include Sleeping With The Enemy for years without anyone checking it out.

Your patriotic HomeLand Defense tax dollars at work! :mad:

Here's an idea... how about they do away with all the little stupid celebrations in the fed govt...

no more gay picnics... no more i've got a kid pic-nic... no more lets pray pic-nics. no more i'm a minority and opressed picnics...

how about one big... we're in a deficit, work harder day. God knows they get enough "holidays" already.

Yeah--We're-In-A-Tax-Break-For-The-Rich-Deficit Picnic!!

And they could probably fit all those revelers in an off-government site like the Washington Convention center, and do double [dip] duty by having it as a thankyou/fundraiser for W!

Nothing like giving away the farm, then demanding that all those that remain on The Plantation work extra hard to keep the Genteel Class in the style they want to [continue] to grow accustomed to.

As for trying to stop people from having their social events--that's ridiculous. All private companies, as well as the government, allow/encourage that as it makes the employees happier. Well, you know, except for the [happy] gay ones! eek!

ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL FEDERAL EMPLOYEES:

Sorry, but due to phillyfan's next tax cut, the celebration pic-nic for pot belly, balding, flat footed white guys who like to play frisbee... will no longer be paid for by your tax dollars. Feel free to organize your own gathering.

...and weekends are cancelled too!

Federal employee that ever worked a weekend? come on, i dont need snow in phoenix.... in june.

You've obviously never been to DC...

I really get tired of people picking on federal and state employees. Just because we don't work in the private sector doesn't mean that meaningful work isn't accomplished, and why don't we deserve holidays, weekends, and pay raises just like the rest of the country?

We had a law maker here in Montana that said, "I guess the state employees are going to have to tighten their belts a little. That's what It's like in Big people land." Talk about a jack ass. After that, the normal 4% cost of living wage increase that most of us count on for paying higher insurance premiums and such, was dropped. The next time that I'm allowed a pay increase is 25 cents an hour in January of 2005. How would you like to know that your insurance is going up, but your not going to be paid anymore for the next year and a half? Is that what it's like in big people land?

Next time you go off spouting about how federal or state, or even city workers are overpaid, just think about how you would feel if you were to work for the government.

Sorry, a bit of a rant, but I tell ya, when I hear a bunch of people talking about government jobs like they aren't worth the money spent on them, I take some offence.

AH yes, typically the govt pays less than private companies... however, most govt employees dont have to worry about things like, layoffs. Govt employees have pension plans, and what benefits you have are way better than most. On top of that you get how many holidays off?

Here we go again, Fed workers Fat, overpaid lazy etc. Don't know how many agents you know Phillyfan, Actually I don't care to know either, But the field agents are not over paid, nor do they never work the weekends. I guess they are like those other ( in your eyes) fed employees how get paid too much those being in the armed forces.
BTW you may not need the snow, I don't need the hot air.

i didnt call any federal worker fat.

I don't know about other government employees, but personally, I just recieved a letter in the mail telling me that both my medical and perscription plans are increasing the deductable by $100 half way through the insurance cycle, even if you have already met your deductable, you have to pay the full $100 extra next time you go in. This on top of a retirement system that doesn't make enough money after retirement to pay enough for someone to live comfortably, so every person I work with is basicly forced to go into some kind of private Deffered compensation program.

The kicker is, in goverment jobs even if we like our jobs, we still have to listen to the general public bitch and moan and degrade us then entire time we do our job due to the fact that we have it "so good, compaired to the private firms". Give me a break. We're just employees of a massive corporation that doesn't even get to dictate our own budgets. Our budgets are deteremined by a bunch of people(lawmakers) who have no idea about the demands of the jobs we perform.

I'm not saying that I would rather be in one place or the other, private vs. government, I'm just saying that before the public at large goes around shooting off their mouths they should realize what it is to be working in a government position.

I left private industry for government work in an agency that is heavily based on production and quotas. While my private job was based all on squeezing money out of the government, my current job is about working us to the bone most weeks.

My government benefits are the worst I've had out of three different jobs, 2 private firms, and this current one with the government. It's not a free ride.

I certainly did.

To the best of my knowledge, Federal Employees no longer have a "pension" (since 1984?). They get Social Security benefits and whatever they've put into the equivalent of a 401(k) fund. Which is probably in the shitter right now due to the economy.

You must mean the fake bubble burst of the 90's stock market?

Yea the fake bubble that we want to empower folks to invest part of thier SS money to see a higher return

Yes definately, give me 50% of my SS contribution back from the 90's and i'll show you a return if i had invested it in the market. Better than the ummm 2-3% return the fed govt might get from it.

I understand your point, but ask you to consider this:
1) The money you put in has been spent. I think any first step is to take the SS funds out of the general budget.
2) Most people are not smart enough to not put hot coffee in their laps. Most kids who work the drive thrus can not make change, that is why the register figures it out. I do not think the majority of people could invest without losing most of the money. And before you saw that is their problem ( I am assuming that would be your reponse, if I am wrong sorry) when they who invested and lost ended up on the streets at age 65, they gov't would have to bail them out, meaning the rest of us.

One would simply not invest their funds into the stock market saying... oh that looks like a pretty stock.

Could very much bet set up like a 401k depending how much you wish to risk. those who dont, can invest in a guaranteed bond. Those who wish to do other things can.

As we saw from a bunch of Lugnuts in Enron, some will make poor choices. However, the burden lost from those who can invest their money, will more than make up for the idiots of the world.

And as for those people who cant make change, well, shoot they'll f**k it up for all of us... how bout we take their money and spay/nueter them too, that way they cant reproduce and have 10 kids when they cant support themselves... heh heh.

I really don't think you should be advocating spaying President W. He's trying very hard to stay on his Segway thank you very much.

Pretzels, WMDs, Osama anyone?

Phillyfan, I an unconvinced that it is a sound move. In my opinon, S.S. as is works as a safety net. I would rather see fiscal policy from the Feds to beef up 401ks. Maybe close the offshore tax loops holes but allow compaines to write off the matching %. I still do not have faith in the avg person getting, or understanding the basics of wise investment

And it is not just the average person being wise enough to invest appropriately. It is the securities industry selling the hell out of stocks where they can make more money, and not disclosing everything to investors.

Expecting the retirement savings situation to be dramatically better by giving people more power is a bit unrealistic. Overhauling the securities industry and putting better legislation in place to collect corporate taxes would be dramatic steps forward in comparison to these private investments accounts for SS funds.

The world is not a level playing field. Don't tout programs that require one for people to be protected.

The WORST thing that EVER happens to in business is when the idiots in congress try to get involved with the entire financial reporting. Most of them have NO CLUE what they are talking about, and in return screw it all up by making dumb laws.

What everyone fails to realize is 99% of all companies out there are good guys. When everyone concentrates on the 1% of bad guys (martha, enron) you hurt everyone else.