| Comment Number: | OL-10509822 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 6:43:15 PM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| Attachment: | Department of Defense Office of Personnel Management 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 National Secur Download Adobe Reader |
Comments:
As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in the military and some time in the private sector before rejoining the government as a civilian employee I find the proposed NSPS regulations extremely disturbing. According to the NSPS overview the design is rooted in seven Guiding Principles. While these principles are admirable, the proposed NSPS regulations almost completely dismantle both the good and bad areas of the Civil Service system that is currently in effect. As with many jobs there are people that should not be in the positions they are in. Some of the people I work with probably shouldn’t be working there but to almost completely dismantle the current system is beyond belief. I have read the proposed regulations numerous times and find them to be extremely general in the way they are written. There are very few specifics in the way the proposed regulations are currently written. As the proposed regulations are now written the procedures could be changed on a daily basis if the Secretary of Defense saw fit. Not very likely but it could happen. Who does this benefit? It certainly will not benefit anyone as many people will no longer want to work for the U.S. Government and those that do could find many constant changes resulting in a high turnover rate. Instead of helping to keep costs in check this new system could actually cost significantly more then the current system now costs. Attached are some comments I have concerning the various areas as outlined in the proposed regulations. These are my comments. A recent article in the Washington Post indicates that over 27,000 comments have been filed with at least 21,000 being form letters sent in at the urging of unions. Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 can be deemed as original. All comments need to be looked at whether they are form letters or not. This system benefits no one except the Department of Defense (DoD) and will actually hurt the people that we currently support whether they are our military or civilian employees in the DoD.