Secret Service Incompetence?

[AustinN4]

She resigned a few minutes ago.

 

[PhulesAu]

Employees respond, the way their boss treats them......

 

[Mike1234567]

My last i years on active duty I was at a 4 star command with far more civilians than military on the small post.

What I saw was mostly folks who at 5 pm walked out the door no matter what. Often my boss would call me in and ask me to pick up a project that had been dropped by some civil servant CS. Cannot tell you how many weekends I worked to meet a deadline for some CS, only to hand it over to him on Monday am as he got patted on the back for a great job.

They are union, hard union they have a job description and that is what the work inside of, ask them to do anything outside and its the common answer is 'not my yob'. Almost ever CS on that post is a GS 11 and above, most are GS12/14. They are knocking down over a $100k a year in salary + many get a bonus + if they work overtime they either get paid or get comp time off. As I walked the halls on Sat and Sun it was a rare day I ever saw anyone but military in, yet the CS always seemed to have a lot of comp time off.

One of the guys in our office messed up BAD, really bad. He should have been fired, the command wanted him fired and the union stepped in, got him a transfer to another Directorate and he kept on chugging along.

A personal friend of mine was stealing govt property and selling it (I did not work with him but knew him socially). He was arrested charged with several felony counts and since the FBI and Sheriffs office were involved he got fired. He was not allowed to retire, nothing. He spent himself near broke defending himself in court. He told me, the union told him "don't worry, we will contact you after your court has been settled". Since he was a otherwise good citizen, first offense for anything, he got off with parole. Then the union got involved when the dust settled he got his retirement and back pay from the date he was fired to the date he retired and to top it off...since he did not get to stay for the full 30 years of service he got, $25,000 cash for taking "early retirement".

They fear nothing, do nothing and generally do not care. This DoD civilians. They rest is worse.

I was Civil Service for a quarter century. I never once took credit for anything anyone else did and went out of my way to give credit where it was due... and then some. OTOH, I can't count how many times others took credit for my work or when I caught a very serious mistake that others failed to see... this by both CS and Mil. I share your disdain for many DoD Civilians but there are just as many lazy cheating stealing individuals wearing military uniforms. There were many many times I and some coworkers worked late into the night for not an extra penny to meet important deadlines... and did so at the risk of receiving letters of reprimands in our personnel files because that's against government regulations. DoD Civialians are not all good and not all bad... just like Military members.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

I was Civil Service for a quarter century. I never once took credit for anything anyone else did and went out of my way to give credit where it was due... and then some. OTOH, I can't count how many times others took credit for my work or when I caught a very serious mistake that others failed to see... this by both CS and Mil. I share your disdain for many DoD Civilians but there are just as many lazy cheating stealing individuals wearing military uniforms. There were many many times I and some coworkers worked late into the night for not an extra penny to meet important deadlines... and did so at the risk of receiving letters of reprimands in our personnel files because that's against government regulations. DoD Civialians are not all good and not all bad... just like Military members.

Granted the military is not 100% perfect and lord only knows this applies from Pfc to 4 stars. But the corruption in Civil Service is beyond the pale. Allow me to give but ONE example.

Boss calls me in: Charles Civvy is being assigned to your office!

Sir, I know Charles and I know he has no qualifications I know of to work in my shop, you know everyone in there is an engineer and he is just a GS 12 step n fetch it.

I know Don, but its your turn in the barrel. He will be assigned to you for only one year, your budget is well over $100M and I know you can absorb him. Then someone else will suck it up.

GOT IT, but can he just stay in the desk where he works, I don't even want him in my shop.

Sure.

Charles stops by to see me and to let me know, he comes in at 0700, leaves at 0815, returns at 1545 and leaves at 1700. Sure, fine.




Where was he all day? He was a school teacher, full time, worked for the govt full time, retired from both. How many jobs in the US can you find where you can work another FULL TIME job at the same time?

Ohh and I too worked as a Civil Servant for DoD and the US Post Office, I have also been enlisted and Officer. From 1965-1994. My last 9 years on AD I have more CS working for me than in uniform. Are there good ones, sure, my Asst program mgr a GM 14 (who I just now got off the fone with) one of the smartest guys I have ever known, he and I went back to 1985 together, I love him like a brother. I can think of many that worked and worked hard, very hard mostly to make up for those who did not, those who the union protects. There is not enough time or space here to write of PERSONAL observations of those whose career was at best a joke, but still retired with a lifetime income of $80k a year or more.

Surely the corruption and lies of almost every agency as they lie their way thru testimony in front of Congress and the American people would be enough to show you just how bad things are from the very top down.

You also know there is no firing for incompetency, in fact that just gets you a promotion. CS IS our govt and our govt is BROKEN, wonder why? There are not enough good people to overcome the bad. If you are one of the good ones then GREAT, glad of it...

 

[Mike1234567]

Granted the military is not 100% perfect and lord only knows this applies from Pfc to 4 stars. But the corruption in Civil Service is beyond the pale. Allow me to give but ONE example.

Boss calls me in: Charles Civvy is being assigned to your office!

Sir, I know Charles and I know he has no qualifications I know of to work in my shop, you know everyone in there is an engineer and he is just a GS 12 step n fetch it.

I know Don, but its your turn in the barrel. He will be assigned to you for only one year, your budget is well over $100M and I know you can absorb him. Then someone else will suck it up.

GOT IT, but can he just stay in the desk where he works, I don't even want him in my shop.

Sure.

Charles stops by to see me and to let me know, he comes in at 0700, leaves at 0815, returns at 1545 and leaves at 1700. Sure, fine.




Where was he all day? He was a school teacher, full time, worked for the govt full time, retired from both. How many jobs in the US can you find where you can work another FULL TIME job at the same time?

Ohh and I too worked as a Civil Servant for DoD and the US Post Office, I have also been enlisted and Officer. From 1965-1994. My last 9 years on AD I have more CS working for me than in uniform. Are there good ones, sure, my Asst program mgr a GM 14 (who I just now got off the fone with) one of the smartest guys I have ever known, he and I went back to 1985 together, I love him like a brother. I can think of many that worked and worked hard, very hard mostly to make up for those who did not, those who the union protects. There is not enough time or space here to write of PERSONAL observations of those whose career was at best a joke, but still retired with a lifetime income of $80k a year or more.

Surely the corruption and lies of almost every agency as they lie their way thru testimony in front of Congress and the American people would be enough to show you just how bad things are from the very top down.

You also know there is no firing for incompetency, in fact that just gets you a promotion. CS IS our govt and our govt is BROKEN, wonder why? There are not enough good people to overcome the bad. If you are one of the good ones then GREAT, glad of it...

Largely true but the same is true for military members. Also, what percentage of CS are prior or retired mil? Quite a large percentage because they have hiring preference and inside buddies. It's a form of cronyism. CS hiring is a real cluster-fest in favor of prior military. So... many, if not most, of those lazy unqualified cheating civil service are prior mil. And those "protected ones" are usually prior mil.

EDIT: If you're wondering... yes, I harbor a bit of resentment just as those prior military harbor against civil service. Abuses go both ways. If CS is so disreputable then why do so many prior/retired mil want in that system so badly?

 

[London]

At a Hillary rally in college? **cough***

Not sure what's so strange about that. Wouldn't you go if you had an afternoon to kill? I got to see an amazing thing: the collective human stupidity of crowds. If I told you a stadium full of grown adults would literally cheer at an every oversimplified sentence spoken to them by another adult using the voice of a kindergarten teacher, would you believe me? Well it's too bad you weren't with me at the Hillary rally, or I could have shown you!

 

[Tony2]

lol... Good point.

Another contributing factor is cronyism. Top bureaucrats get appointed to manage organizations based on affiliation, not ability. Then the sycophants don't allow any objective criticisms that could prevent issues.

Thats the way i see it

 

[TAZ]

lol... Good point.

Another contributing factor is cronyism. Top bureaucrats get appointed to manage organizations based on affiliation, not ability. Then the sycophants don't allow any objective criticisms that could prevent issues.

BINGO. Cronyism that has been ongoing for decades never ends well. Couple cronyism with racism, sexism and all other PC isms and the effects are an exponential degradation of capability. Not that I give a shit about any politicians security. AFAIC they shouldn't get shit in tax funded security. Want to stay alive pay for it out of your own wallet like the rest of us have to. Their lives are NOT worth more than mine.