Welcome to Litsy!

While POTUS was cutting IMLS, he was also dismantling Voice of America and Radio Martí. My career as a #longtimefed started at VOA. I later spent a few years at Radio Martí, where I met my husband and my best friend.

These agencies were not without problems, but they didn‘t deserve to be one more tradition thrown on the scrap heap of history. Meanwhile the “champion of Cuban freedom” does nothing.

I have a complicated relationship with Williamsburg. My sister went to college there, and I was determined to go anywhere else (contrary teenager syndrome) but ended up there anyway. As a #longtimefed I sent colleagues all over the world but never traveled myself, for the first 10+ years.

Then my first work trip was to…Williamsburg! My very last work trip was to nearby Chesapeake, to learn more about processing travel reservations and vouchers.⬇️

As a #longtimefed I‘ve seen staff cuts before. Now I‘m seeing some stunning “whataboutism,” comparing the Clinton-Gore cuts to what DOGE is doing.

Though my agency at the time was minimally affected, I had issues with the initiative.
-Government as a business
-OPM staff laid off during the process
-Increased reliance on contractors

However, there was a logic and process to it. Employees were treated with empathy, which is apparently now a sin.

It looks like the awful CR was passed. Thanks, traitor Dems!

I don‘t have the spoons to write a #longtimefed post today, so I‘ll be back tomorrow with a fresh take.

Meanwhile, I‘ll leave you with this. I was running errands today and saw the most ridiculous cybertruck ever. (Even more than the one wrapped in a realtor‘s ads.) It was painted bright green on the bottom and jet black on the top. I guess it‘s supposed to look like a convertible?

As GSA is the federal government‘s property management agency, OPM is the HR agency. Perhaps I don‘t have a clue, but it seems to me that when you‘re massively cutting your workforce, you don‘t want to cut the staff that will be processing all those retirements and terminations. At least let the dust settle first!

As a #longtimefed I can verify that retirement actions take months to process in the best of times.

For what it‘s worth, this morning I used 5Calls to contact my senators and ask them to vote against the pending continuing resolution.

In “normal” times, I wouldn‘t favor this approach. But we‘re not in normal times. Republicans have proven themselves to be untrustworthy. As a #longtimefed I found the kick-the-can budget process to be disruptive, especially when it would drag on until March. However, we‘re already living under massive disruption.

I‘ve seen a lot of misinformation about government employees on social media. One of the most ridiculous assertions is that government employees don‘t pay taxes. This is news to me! I‘ve been paying taxes on my wages since I started working in high school, through college, and as a #longtimefed for 35+ years. I still pay taxes on some of my retirement income. The same applies for teachers, firefighters, state workers, and other public servants.

As a #longtimefed the only “DEI” employment initiative I ever saw in action was Veterans Preference, which was established by law in 1944.

Was it sometimes a hassle to “clear” a veteran who had applied for a job? Yes. Did it sometimes feature a qualified veteran who turned out to be perfect for the job? Yes. Did it lead to an unqualified veteran being hired instead of a qualified non veteran? No.

At one point as a #longtimefed I was pretty familiar with the Miami airport, whether as the destination or a transit point. I also spent a long day at the airport greeting arriving participants and getting them onto the right shuttle bus. For another conference, my room overlooked the main runway.

Anyway, in addition to the sandwiches from La Careta, I also like the artwork on the walls.

Happy International Women‘s Day!

As a #longtimefed I worked with and beside many strong and talented women. While I wasn‘t aware of any job discrimination (or “reverse” discrimination 🙄), I certainly observed micro aggression. Especially within the Defense Department! One year on Women‘s Day the Director gave all the women a flower and acted as if he was doing something.

Be that as it may, Rebecca Solnit has an insightful blog to check out. ⬇️