Re: Leadership Poll

I agree, sort of.......I have read (feddmith article by Tammy Flanigan) recently that I (csrs w/approx 90s quarters) will only lose about $328 as I am in a very similar position to her "example" (22 yrs military, over 25 years csrs). What gets very little press, is that allegedly, the republican congress made some changes in Jan '06 that had a positive(for csrs) impact on retirement, eliminating some, but not all, of the WEP effect.....at any rate, I will find out after Jan 03, 2007, as I will be gone then! (almost 50 yrs total govt service)

Re: Influence on TSP

Elaborate please, not good in what way?

Re: Accountability

Both parties are guilty of being ethically challenged, don't be so naive to think that it's only one side of the aisle that has issues in this area.

Re: Accountability

It's not that the Dems don't have their own ethics problems. Ken Star spent millions in tax dollars attempting to keep that in the public's eye. It's about the fact that the GOP led us to believe that they would be above that. That's why it was their right to conduct expensive investigations. They were going to be the solution to the ethics problems on "the Hill" according to their campaign rhetoric thru the last couple election cycles. Actually they've proven it should be as Robin Williams has stated in his latest movie. "Politicians are like diapers. They should be changed often and for the same reason."

Re: Accountability

The Democrats also say they will be the solution to the ethics problems (just as the Republicans say). They're both wrong.

In pointing fingers at one party for campaign rhetoric you're forgetting that the other party also guilty of the same kind of rhetoric regarding ethics.

Re: Accountability

To Analyst -- The Republican Party and their most avid supporters, the leaders of the Religious Right, claim to speak for “values voters” but they are increasingly being exposed as hypocrites, crooks, and perverts severely out-of-step with the very voters they claim to represent. The GOP scandals and corruption are bad enough, but it's the hypocrisy that I find so sickening.

Re: Accountability

Uh HR Spec, you’re regurgitating partisan talking points. If you would open your eyes you would see that hypocrisy and corruption is across the board and for you to attribute it to only one political party exposes you as coming from a biased and jaded perspective. Attitudes like that are part of the reason our political system is such a mess.

Re: Accountability

To Analyst -- The Democrats never claimed to be "Holier than Thou", they never pandered to the so-called "Values Voters" of the Religious Right like the Republicans did so with such in your face smugness. But one key contrast I draw between Republican corruption and Democratic corruption, other than the fact that Republican corruption is so much more widespread, is that Democrats actually fight against their own corrupt members while Republicans just cover it up like they did for six years after finding out that Republican Congressman Foley was a sexual predator. BTW -- I'm not even a Democrat, so stop calling my remarks partisan.

Re: Accountability

HR Spec - Your continued insistence that the Democratic Party is so much better ethically than the Republican Party is practically a text book definition of partisanship. If you don’t want to be called partisan I suggest you stop talking like one.

If you want to bring up the Foley incident (yes he was a sleazeball and allegations continue about coverups), perhaps you should bring up Congressman Studds too. Unlike Foley, who was run out of office when his actions became public, Studds was lauded by his colleagues and continued in office after his sexual relationship with a 17 year old page was brought to life.

That being said, it won’t do anybody any good to lapse into a contest of who can dig up the most dirt so let’s not go down that road. If you truly believe that one party is so much more corrupt than the other then you need way more help than anybody here can give you. Good luck.

Re: Accountability

Analyst -- Well, you never even attempted to address my main point which was that the “Holier than thou” Republicans raised hypocrisy to an art form by pretending to represent the interests of “values voters.” According to national exit polls, corruption and scandal were bigger problems for the Republicans than Iraq. Three-fourths of voters said corruption and scandal were important to their votes, and they were more likely to vote for the Democratic candidates for the House. Iraq was important for only two-thirds, and they also leaned toward Democrats.

Interesting that you had to go back over three decades (1973) to find a Democratic scandal on par with the Mark Foley case, except Gerry Studds relationship was with a consenting page who was of legal age. BTW, Studds was not lauded for his actions as you say. He was censured by the House of Representatives.

Re: Accountability

I didn't address "Holier than thou" because it's a cliche you can mold to fit whatever your agenda happens to be. In your case the agenda is using partisan talking points to elevate one major party above the corruption we all know is shared by many politicians on both sides of the aisle.

I referenced 1973. So what? It's what occurred to me off the top of my head. What's the point of dragging this down to a contest of who can dig up the most dirt as you're attempting to? The ONLY thing that proves is which one of us can dig up the most dirt which serves no useful purpose in this discussion. There's plenty to cover both major parties despite your continued insistence that one party is so much worse than the other.

Neither party is blameless... both parties have serious ethics problems. It can't be stated much simpler than that and it's unfortunate that you're having so much trouble understanding it.

Re: Accountability

I got a some beach property in Wyoming to sell ya DOI! :-)

Re: Accountability

Wyoming? Isn't that Dick Cheney's home state? Thanks for the offer, but as a government employee I'm under strict orders to accept only no-bid contracts through Halliburton.