Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Actually, RTFA. $33/head isn't bad for a ceremony like this, especially in DC. Whether or not a 2-year old agency should be having an awards ceremony this large, though, is an appropriate question. Mike > > > We can't get flu vaccine, WMD equipment or training, or secure borders, but THEY can pull off this travesty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Actually, RTFA. $33/head isn't bad for a ceremony like this, especially in DC. Whether or not a 2-year old agency should be having an awards ceremony this large, though, is an appropriate question. Mike > > > We can't get flu vaccine, WMD equipment or training, or secure borders, but THEY can pull off this travesty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we have to buy plaques and cheese! -Matt Kuhl > > Actually, RTFA. $33/head isn't bad for a ceremony like this, especially in DC. > > Whether or not a 2-year old agency should be having an awards ceremony > this large, though, is an appropriate question. > > Mike > > > On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 14:24:52 GMT, lanelson1@... wrote: > > > > > > We can't get flu vaccine, WMD equipment or training, or secure borders, but THEY can pull off this travesty! > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I have been the recipient of many plaques over the years. They're very important to me. They burn for a long time and produce a very warm flame. I'm saving mine for when the government destroys my social security, the State of Texas drops the lifetime medical insurance they guaranteed me, and Medicare says I'm too old to mess with. I'll stay warm in my corner of the boxcar. Gene G. > > > > > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > > have to buy plaques and cheese! > > Rather cheap cheese, too, by the sound of it. Sounds like bulk > government cheese... > > Plaques, OTOH, do have an incentive value with regards to employee > morale (productivity, more work for the dollars we pay them) and > retention (cheaper to retain than rehire/retrain). > > Mike > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 And if I'm not mistaken, they way over-hired in the early months, and then laid off hundreds of employees who left jobs and benefits behind to start a new career. > > We can't get flu vaccine, WMD equipment or training, or secure borders, but THEY can pull off this travesty! > > Larry RN LP EMSI > > ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- > AP: Report Finds Lavish Spending at TSA > > By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer > > WASHINGTON - The government agency in charge of > airport security spent nearly a half-million dollars > on an awards ceremony at a lavish hotel, including > $81,000 for plaques and $500 for cheese displays, > according to an internal report obtained by The > Associated Press. > > Awards were presented to 543 Transportation Security > Administration employees and 30 organizations, > including a " lifetime achievement award " for one > worker with the 2-year-old agency. Almost $200,000 was > spent on travel and lodging for attendees. > > The investigation by the Homeland Security > Department's inspector general, Kent Ervin, also > found the TSA gave its senior executives bonuses > averaging $16,000, higher than at any other federal > government agency, and failed to provide adequate > justification in more than a third of the 88 cases > examined. > > The report said lower-level employees were > shortchanged, with a far lower percentage receiving > bonuses. > > " A substantial inequity exists in TSA's performance > recognition program between executive and > non-executive employees, " the report said. > > TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter said the agency > believes the bonuses and party were justified " given > the hours and productivity of the work force during > this critical period. " > > This year, said von Walter, the TSA will conduct > awards ceremonies at individual airports, as well as a > much smaller and less expensive event at its > headquarters in November. > > Congressional skeptics have criticized the TSA's > hiring and spending practices during its short > existence. Republicans say the agency has grown far > larger than they envisioned when it was created > following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. > > Ervin also is investigating why the agency's private > recruiters worked out of lush resort hotels with golf > courses, pools and spas. > > Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., > said that he had not seen the full report but that it > indicated " a colossal waste of money. " > > " There's something terribly wrong with that agency, " > Dorgan said. " Of all the agencies, that's the one > that's supposed to be working full-time against > terrorist attacks. " > > The awards banquet, which cost $461,745, was held at > the Grand Hyatt, which bills itself as " one of the > most magnificent " hotels in the nation's capital. > According to the report, the agency chose that site > because it was the only hotel available on Nov. 19, > 2003, the agency's second anniversary. It also was one > of the few places that could accommodate about 600 > honorees and as many guests. > > While the inspector general noted the agency sought > competitive bids for the party planner and chose the > company with the lowest estimate, it found the " costs > of the ceremony and reception were higher than > necessary. " > > The event planning company, MarCom Group Inc. of > Fairfax, Va., was paid $85,552 for its work and given > an additional $81,767 for plaques, $5,196 for official > photographs, $1,486 for three balloon arches and > $1,509 for signs. > > The reception included finger food, coffee and cake > that averaged $33 per person. Seven cakes cost a total > of $1,850; three cheese displays, $1,500. > > In a written response, the TSA said the costs " were > neither extraordinary nor incurred without careful > consideration of the amount, the reasonableness of the > cost, and value the activities would have to the > employees. " > > The inspector general also expressed concern that the > TSA was more generous than most other federal agencies > in awarding bonuses to executives. Federal agencies on > average gave cash awards to 49 percent of their > executives in 2002, while 76 percent of TSA executives > received them in 2003. > > The inspector general reviewed 88 employees' files and > found that 38 percent " had no individual > recommendation and justification for the performance > award. " > > " The legitimacy of such large awards is called into > question by the lack of an appropriate selection > process and the reliance on boilerplate justifications > that could be applicable to anyone, " the report said. > > The report also noted that fewer than 3 percent of > nonexecutive employees received bonuses in 2003. > > In its response, the TSA said that executives who got > a bonus didn't get a pay increase and weren't eligible > for a presidential awards program that can amount to > as much as 35 percent of their base pay. The agency > agreed, however, that more could be done to equalize > treatment of top executives and lower-level employees. > > ___ > > On the Net: > > Transportation Security Administration: > http://www.tsa.gov > > Homeland Security Department Inspector General: > http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme89 & content3309 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Actually, according to the studies, we overpay for most Medicare services anyway. It's the " edge " services that get underpaid - doctor visits, EMS expenses, etc. There are significant gains in savings to be found through consolidation of current services, particulary leveraging the purchasing power of the VA system to buy and dispense Medicare supplies. Mike > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > have to buy plaques and cheese! > > -Matt Kuhl > > > > > > > > > Actually, RTFA. $33/head isn't bad for a ceremony like this, especially in DC. > > > > Whether or not a 2-year old agency should be having an awards ceremony > > this large, though, is an appropriate question. > > > > Mike > > > > > > On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 14:24:52 GMT, lanelson1@... wrote: > > > > > > > > > We can't get flu vaccine, WMD equipment or training, or secure borders, but THEY can pull off this travesty! > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > have to buy plaques and cheese! Rather cheap cheese, too, by the sound of it. Sounds like bulk government cheese... Plaques, OTOH, do have an incentive value with regards to employee morale (productivity, more work for the dollars we pay them) and retention (cheaper to retain than rehire/retrain). Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > have to buy plaques and cheese! Rather cheap cheese, too, by the sound of it. Sounds like bulk government cheese... Plaques, OTOH, do have an incentive value with regards to employee morale (productivity, more work for the dollars we pay them) and retention (cheaper to retain than rehire/retrain). Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > have to buy plaques and cheese! Rather cheap cheese, too, by the sound of it. Sounds like bulk government cheese... Plaques, OTOH, do have an incentive value with regards to employee morale (productivity, more work for the dollars we pay them) and retention (cheaper to retain than rehire/retrain). Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 Save room for hubby and me, Gene : ) > > > > > > And we wonder where the budget goes. Sorry Medicare Recipients, we > > > have to buy plaques and cheese! > > > > Rather cheap cheese, too, by the sound of it. Sounds like bulk > > government cheese... > > > > Plaques, OTOH, do have an incentive value with regards to employee > > morale (productivity, more work for the dollars we pay them) and > > retention (cheaper to retain than rehire/retrain). > > > > Mike > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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