| Comment Number: | OL-10501466 |
| Received: | 2/25/2005 10:52:57 AM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
Civilian managers are not ready for the new responsibilities that NSPS thrusts upon them. Most lower level managers in the Defense Department have never had any input or influence on staff levels, hiring, or firing. The average manager of a convinience store has more experience with personel issues than most GS 14's in the government. This is not to say that the managers are bad at their jobs. They just don't have any experience setting pay levels, firing workers, or dealing with disciplinary actions. The managers were promoted based on their ability to manage projects, represent their code in meetings and motivate the workers under the existing Civil Service rules. Like the engineers who warned that the space shuttle should not fly in the cold temperatures, most working level government employees should not feel threatened to speak up or point out potential failures. Admiral Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy would not support the creation of NSPS. there are many times when the correct and proper path is not the popular choice. The current managers have been held in check and rely on the working level, system expert, to do the right thing, no matter how un-popular. There will be accidents, melt downs, crashes etc. when the working level person thinks twice about speaking up for fear of loosing pay, or even his job. We won World War II, Korea, the cold war, put a man on the moon and we continue to man and maintain the best defense deaprtment in the world with the current system. Why would we want to change it so drastically?