Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Personal Lamentations on The American Malignancy



“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…” – Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens 1859



In the 1950’s I rode the back of the bus traveling to Virginia, and was chased, punched and called the N-word by my white Catholic classmates in the Bronx NY.  I was traumatized, like most humans who saw it, by the Jet Magazine photograph of Emmett Till’s mutilated body at his open casket service – when he was murdered, I was 12, and he was 14.  I was summer farm-handing at the family homestead in Virginia; he was summer-visiting family at his Mississippi homestead from Chicago.

In the 1960’s, Little Rock happened; Freedom riders were attacked throughout the south; Medgar Evers was assassinated; Four young girls were murdered in a bomb attack on a church; Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner’s bodies were discovered; James Meredith was shot by an assassin; the inter-racial married Loving’s were arrested for miscegenation in Virginia; The Orangeburg SC massacre happens; Bloody Sunday happened in the same month I was shipping out for Army boot camp, having volunteered during the Vietnam War.  While serving in the Army… Watts Riots happened, along with many other anti-war and race riots – a double whammy for a Black GI.  I was also steered to black housing in Virginia by the Pentagon housing office upon returning from overseas deployment.  I watched Washington D.C. burn (up close and personal) after Dr. MLK’s assassination a few days after my Army discharge.

In the 1970’s things went well for me personally. I had several great Federal jobs in the Defense Intelligence Community. The GI Bill helped me get my B.S., and our first house.  Affirmative action helped me to get an entry-level position at a prestigious firm. I had a nice compensation and benefits package, great work, great company, and great atmosphere.  In the meantime, nationwide anti-war and race-based civil unrest continued: Augusta, Jackson State, Asbury Park, East L.A., Camden and the Boston MA ‘forced busing’ riots.  We discover the Tuskegee syphilis experiments by the U.S. Public Health Service.

In the 1980’s as my family grew matured, (mostly law-enforcement and/or racial) unrest continued: Miami FL; Crown Height NY; Overtown, Miami FL; L.A. CA-Rodney King acquittal.  Michael Donald is lynched in Mobile AL; White mob chases Michael Griffith into traffic and to his death in Howard Beach Queens NY, and later, another white mob kills Yusef Hawkins in Bensonhurst Brooklyn NY;

In the 1990’s even while my career flourished: we moved to a new suburban neighborhood; lived life; and paid for kids’ college … there were: the Black and Puerto Rican riots against NYPD during the Democratic Party convention; St Petersburg FL rioting against racial profiling and police tactics; the unrest around the Amadou Diallo police killing in NYC (50+ shots reaching for his wallet), along with Abner Louima’s broom-handle rectal rape by NYPD (police eventually found guilty).

In the 2000’s as my grandchildren entered the world; … more unrest in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine section; Oakland CA’s Oscar Grant police-murder unrest; Harvard shows that public schools are resegregated; white students hang nooses from gathering tree in Jena LA; and [coming full circle from the Loving’s case in the 1950’s & 60’] in 2009 Keith Barwell, a Justice of the Peace in LA, refused to issue marriage licenses to interracial couples.

Now, in the first half of the 2010’s, there was the Treyvon Martin and Michael Brown killings; subsequent Ferguson MO citizen-police unrest, Eric Garner choke-hold killing in NYC; Cleveland OH’s Tamir Rice (kid-in-park-fake-gun) police killing; the John Crawford (toy-gun-in-Wal-Mart) police killing…in OH… an open carry state.   It also has now been documented by DOJ, that Ferguson MO, police-courts-municipal government system had a business practice of legally shaking down Black folks primarily for revenue rather than for ‘protecting and defending’ the citizenry.  With ubiquitous miniature phone/cameras and surveillance cameras, and email archives, we’re getting more and more evidence of continuing racial animus and infection among the Millennial/Gen Y generation born between 1980-2000. 

I lament that this many years after my “Silent Generation” and the “Baby Boomers”, and “GenXers”, that Millennial college kids and their house mother are voluntarily videoed cheerfully spewing racist chants;
I lament that law enforcement, judicial, municipal and state governments in Ferguson MO and elsewhere continue to act in ways that continue to treat Black Americans as lesser citizens.

In a few weeks I should celebrate 50 years since I tentatively, but proudly entered the U.S. Army during hot Vietnam hostilities, but honestly I can’t regard it as a celebration since it’s clear that in the America that I once served, my grandkids will STILL face the same kind of discrimination, animus, attitudes and violence that has infected and festered in America for my lifetime. 

I’m tired of seeing litanies like this one;
I’m sick over America’s metastasizing infection of racism;
I’m tired of waiting for America to “have a serious conversation about race”;
I’m sick that my “GenZ” grandkids will endure this multigenerational disease;
I’m tired of America’s continuing ‘surprise’, denials, and inattention to racism;
I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.


It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Sabotaging the Federal Government: Why Federal Employees (should) hate the GOP




On January 20, 2015 A new bill called the “Federal Workforce Reduction Through Attrition Act” was introduced by GOP Representatives Lummis (Wyoming) and Mulvaney (South Carolina).  The bill seeks to shrink Federal employees by 200,000 in the next few years.  It proposes that agencies hire 1 replacement for every 3 that quit or retire.  It prevents agencies from replacing employees with contractors.  This process of attrition is estimated to save $35B over 5 years. (for reference the latest aircraft carrier cost ~ $26B without crew.  We have ~ 19 aircraft carriers)

The underlying philosophy and assumptions are that there are already too many Feds to carry out the missions and responsibilities that the Congress and President (and Courts) have laid upon the Federal agencies through OTHER LEGISLATION, Presidential actions and court decisions.  The bill does not specify what missions and services the agencies should STOP performing.  This is why Federal Employees (should) hate the GOP.

These folks lay out a method for solving a fake problem, or perhaps it is just a continuation of a typical GOP attack on government in general.  While the Federal mission has grown in complexity and/or size across all agencies, the Federal workforce is at it’s lowest level since JFK's administration (federal employees, excluding Postal employees is coded green in the chart below):  



It seems to me that these folks are continuing the GOP penchant for trashing and sabotaging Federal agencies and their employees.  Is it an attempt to make true the GOP idea that government doesn’t work ... when clearly it does.  It surely works in Wyoming where there are ~7,000 Federal employees, and in South Carolina where there are many military bases and over 25,000 Feds.

It would be honest, and OK with me if these folks proposed specific cuts to specific programs or agencies that eliminated Feds….but they are being too clever to do that.  An across the board attrition as proposed would, for example, apply to the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  Didn’t we just go through a big scandal and investigation saying that the VA needed more medical EMPLOYEES?.  Didn’t we just figure out that the Secret Service has been understaffed and undertrained for a long while?  Do they understand that every IRS auditor recovers many multiples of their salaries+benefits?  With this attrition idea, it would be RANDOM reductions … at RANDOM agencies? … in RANDOM geographic areas? … since it’s all based on the randomness of retirements and resignations.  Is that governing or administering to the needs of the people?  Or is it sabotage?

For every agency, there are a set of responsibilities and functions that have been given them (mostly) through cumulative Congressional action. There are laws in effect from the mid 1800's. If they want to remove some of those function along with the staff that perform them… FINE… go for it.  But be honest and stop the warfare on those Feds who carry out the missions that YOU: Lummis, and YOU: Mulvaney and all of your predecessors have given them.

Identify the services, responsibilities and missions you no longer find valid or necessary and put the list into the legislation to enlighten your House and Senate colleagues as well as the population about your specific ideas on governing.  Then let’s see who votes for, and who votes against…. Or is that too much like taking responsibility? Or exposing your true intent?

If the Congress can’t define what they want the Feds to STOP doing in what Congressional Districts, you’re COWARDS.

The Congress/GOP knows that Feds can’t legally engage in political activity (other than voting)… The GOP picks on Feds because they lack an effective lobby, and that makes them BULLIES.

Stop the warfare on Feds!
Stop the sabotage of agencies! 
Stop the attacks on functions of government!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Obamacare agency awards $564,000,000 contract to Irish firm



Well yes it's true, Accenture is a Dublin based firm to whom the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded a 5 year $564M contract to continue running the Obamacare/Affordable Care Act's insurance enrollment marketplace web systems. 

A while back I wrote a piece about CMS's 'partner' and what I though would happen with the relationship. 'Obamacare' Agency Picks A Replacement Contractor/Partner: Here We Go … AGAIN !!

I'm not claiming I got all of the details right (it's hard to tell without an inside source).  But it looks like Accenture is "in there" for a good long engagement.  That's not necessarily a bad thing but certainly the initial announced award amount is going to change... yeah, HIGHER over time.  I'd bet their corporate goals are to use up the $564M 'ceiling' in a few years, and then seek modification to the 'ceiling'.  They'll need to do this before the next Presidential election cycle. So I believe that CMS will be facing lots of contract modifications in the next 18 months.

I find it ironic (or whatever is worse than irony - - maybe Machiavellian?) that the Administration has made a major commitment to Accenture ...  who saved it's bacon ... while making a major talking point of going after the concept of "corporate inversions" where, for tax purposes, companies change their headquarters to a lower-tax country... but still maintain business units and their operations and U.S. government contracts in the U.S.  Accenture was formerly based in Chicago, then in Bermuda, now in Dublin.  I guess Bermuda wasn't cheap enough for Accenture.  Maybe Kazakhstan, Lesotho, or Inigushetia next?

Monday, December 1, 2014

Little Known ‘alphabet soup’ U.S. Federal Government Organizations: PBGC



I have worked in and around the Federal government for a long time, so it’s sad to see how little the general public knows about the workings and services provided by the government. This is one of occasional posts about little known Federal organizations.

I’m guessing that very few people know about the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (a Federal agency).  It was created by The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) legislation passed in 1974….  Basically, It’s purpose is to insure the viability of self-funded corporate pension plans.  The companies pay into a PBGC fund based on the number of employees enrolled in their pension plans…. So this agency is self-funded, and Congress sets the rates that companies pay.

Their 10 biggest ‘bail outs’ were:

Firm and Year Terminated

Total Claims
In Billions

Vested Participants

Average Claim
Per Person
1. United Airlines (2005)
$7.4
123,957
$60,033
2. Delphi (2009)
$6.1
69,042
$88,475
3. Bethlehem Steel (2003)
$3.7
91,312
$40,021
4. US Airways (2003)
$2.8
55,770
$49,337
5. LTV Steel (2002, 2003, 2004)
$2.1
83,094
$25,694
6. Delta Air Lines (2006)
$1.6
13,291
$123,473
7. National Steel (2003)
$1.3
33,737
$37,811
8. Pan American Air (1991, 1992)
$0.8
31,999
$26,285
9. Trans World Airlines (2001)
$0.7
32,263
$20,717
10. Weirton Steel (2004)
$0.6
9,410
$68,064
Top 10 Total

$27 B

543,875

$49,933


According to Wikipedia…During fiscal year 2010, the PBGC paid $5.6 billion in benefits to participants of failed pension plans. That year, 147 pension plans failed, and the PBGC's deficit increased 4.5 percent to $23 billion. The PBGC has a total of $102.5 billion in obligations and $79.5 billion in assets.  PBGC pays monthly retirement benefits to approximately 631,000 retirees of 3,800 terminated defined benefit pension plans. PBGC is responsible for the current and future pensions of about 1.3 million people.

So, everyday the Federal employees at PBGC show up to work to shore up the failings of major corporations who fail to adequately fund pension plans, or whose pension investments have soured, or whose business falls apart for other reasons.

The idea that corporations do things better and more efficiently than the Federals government continues to stir the political pundit gabfests. You’ve heard many variations on the theme:
·      ‘get the government off of the backs of industry’
·      ‘the government stifles business’
·      ‘regulations constrain the job creators’
·      ‘government agencies are ineffective’
·      ‘bureaucrats don’t provide needed functions’
·      ‘government welfare only goes to poor people’
·      … and other opinions of that ilk ….

The continual denigration of Federal agencies and the valuable work they do, erodes the confidence the American public has in their government, and sheds little light on what essential functions are performed in all of those Washington D.C. cubicles. 
All too many ill-informed citizens support political positions and philosophies that are not in their own, (and other citizens’) long-term economic security interests.  They don’t realize how much the government actually does, albeit quietly, and out of the spotlight of mainstream press coverage.  It would be devastating for a citizen to lose a promised pension, after spending 30 years of their working lives trying to accumulate enough to sustain themselves in a dignified retirement.  Without PBGC there would be no safety net for them.


More ‘alphabet soup’ agency posts coming soon.  Leave suggestions in the comments.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Spiraling Federal Contract Spending

Someone asked me how much of the US budget went to contractors.  It looks like about 1/3, it may have changed since 2012 though.


The total US Budget in 2012 was $3.54 Trillion, so
it looks like about 34% if this source is even close.

Those who advocate for reduced federal spending may be missing the notion that it would result in reduced contracting, reduced (federally funded) private sector jobs. Major employers in the US build weapon systems, fighter jets, cargo planes, warships, as well as IT and other service type companies that build government systems and provide support to government functions.

Some  miss the fact that some of the government 'failures' are also partly private industry failures.  It's government's failure not to detect and cut off the failing federally funded private industry projects, but those who clamor for running the government more like business..... they are placing too much faith and credibility in the private sector where money may trump mission.  The track record of contractors in government is littered with a sufficient history failures and fraud to suggest that contractors are no panacea in providing government services and functions any better than federal employees can, and do.