Comment Number: OL-10503403
Received: 3/5/2005 11:36:57 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:

I fully agree with several members of Congress who have been expressing the viewpoint that we should proceed slowly with implementing a new personnel system in all the other Federal Agencies, without first seeing how the new DHS and DOD systems perform. In my opinion to quickly revamp the whole Federal Government without first seeing how the new DHS and DOD systems perform is quite foolish! It appears to me that the Bush Administration is in such a big hurry to get it done while they can, fearing they could lose the wide majority they currently have in the House of Representatives during the mid term election in just 1 1/2 years from now. That IS NOT a good reason to rush something through that may need considerable revisions before they get it right! It would be prudent to fine tune the DHS and DOD systems before making the switch government wide. Also, the Bush Administration needs to work with the Employee Unions, not just shove them out of the way and ignore their input, and cram it down the throats of Federal Government employees, which is what it appears has largely happened with the design and implementation of the DHS and DOD systems thus far! Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean it is the RIGHT or BEST thing to do! At a retirement session I attended recently, the presenter was a Federal Government retiree with 34 years of service who had spent almost his whole career working in employees benefits of the Personnel Deptartment for a USDA agency, who stated that 40% of the Federal Government workforce will reach retirement age over the next 5 years. If most of them retire during the next 5 years the Federal Government will have a tough time competing with the private sector to fill those positions as it is, and Congress is rightly concerned about that! To go ahead and implement new personnel systems throughout the entire Federal Government during that 5 year period would be hard enough under ideal conditions. To make major changes to the benefits and security of a Federal Government job is NOT going to make those positions more attractive, and with all the uncertainty that will create it will certainly put the Federal Government at a disadvantage in attracting new high quality employees. If ever there was a time to proceed with caution, I believe THIS IS ONE!