| Comment Number: | OL-10509562 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 4:14:23 PM |
| 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:
There's a lot that's wrong with NSPS, and others have addressed the specifics, so I'll just make a general comment. NSPS is going to make it difficult for the government to recruit and retain talented people. It's always been possible to make more money in the private sector--and being a government worker is not looked upon, in our society, as a particularly glamorous career. However, until now, Federal service has had a few things going for it: job security, decent benefits, checks and balances to ensure fair treatment. NSPS aims to strip all of that away. So, when working for the government means that you'll make less than your private-sector counterparts, will enjoy no more security or protections from discrimination/managerial vendettas than they do, AND may be deployed anywhere in the world at the DoD's whim with only 72 hours notice, then what's the attraction? I came into Federal service at 34 years of age because I was tired of bouncing from job to job and I was finally ready for something steady, where I could spend the last few decades of my working life and have something to show for it when all was said and done. Four years later, it's becoming apparent to me that I may not have made the right choice after all. I'm fortunate insofar as I'm young enough to flee back to the private sector if things get too bad. Not everybody has that option. And as older workers retire, younger ones will not be lining up to take their places, not under an abhorrent system like NSPS.