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Post by funkyodar on Sept 24, 2013 17:17:17 GMT -5
Titles are due respect and I have full respect for anyone that dons the robe. But private, if you are implying I must refrain pointing out blatant hypocrisy I respectfully disagree.
I appreciate bart's continued involvement with the board. His/her "untarnished" view is necessary, irregardless if the motivation for giving it is altruistic or purely selfish self aggrandizement and complaining. I appreciate all the aljs that have remained on the boards and offered perspective to us wannabes.
That doesn't require me to accept someone else's perspective or to not have the right to question their motives.
As to politics, I don't partcularly care care if bart is a card carrying member of the national socialists, communist, fascist, imperial, democratic or republican parties. What led to my heated discourse with bart was not obamacare. I expressed my disdain for the effect the shutdown and its effects on the public servants while congress itself will continue to be paid.
My opinion was met with an accusation that I should stop the "pity party" and just be happy I have a job. This, had it come from someone other than bart, would have been harsh but acceptable.
I will not sit by and be verbally attacked by someone who has routinely advised of their open disdain for the gov job they have. It is the height of hypocrisy to spend the VAST majority of your posts complaining about your govt job then to tell someone else who offers a complaint not about the job but about the possibility of a shutdown to "just be happy you have a govt job."
That was followed by an admonition for me to keep quiet cause I don't really know what the job entails. This despite bart knowing nothing of my background, this being a venue of opinion and bart continuously noting his/her difficulty doing "what the job entails."
So, private, I will offer all due respect owed alj bartebly in the capacity as a alj. The board member bartebly that has been nothing but caustic without cause and hypocritical has earned no such respect from me.
I aplogize this turned political. I admit my emotions are entangled with providing for my children and when that abilityis threatened by the whims of political theatre put on to suit merely a radical minority.
Because I may be unable to refrain from expressing my emotions on the topic and thereby inciting more political discussions, I will abstain from entering this thread in the future.
Further, since I have long since given up hope of garnering any useful info from bartelby's posts, I will simply wish him/her good luck, enjoyment of the kitties and will refrain from further Iinteraction with him/her.
Good luck all october test takers.
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Post by 71stretch on Sept 24, 2013 17:21:23 GMT -5
Apparently some people can't stop the personal snipefest even when asked to by the boss.
Some of us care about this thread not getting locked.
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Post by epic0ego on Sept 24, 2013 17:27:04 GMT -5
If folks are actually inconvenienced by the threatened shutdown, my bet is that OPM will accommodate new dates that comport with those that were inconvenienced and will reimburse airfare/hotel penalties, etc. Trust me folks, OPM does this every day of the week in myriad situations. This is why I bristle at those who denigrate gov't workers. Do we have it good? Yes, in many ways we do. But the point is that we deserve it. I know many (and I mean many), lawyers and Ph. Ds who are in the final years of their careers and can't get past GS-14 - not because they haven't worked hard, but because the slots just aren't available. Just look at the ODAR attorneys as one example. Are there gov't slackers? Yes, but that is true in every industry. The far bigger issue is not the rare slackers. It is the crooks on Wall Street, the unethical lobbyists, and those who are not willing to work but expect a gov't check.
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Post by trickbag on Sept 24, 2013 18:09:28 GMT -5
If folks are actually inconvenienced by the threatened shutdown, my bet is that OPM will accommodate new dates that comport with those that were inconvenienced and will reimburse airfare/hotel penalties, etc. Trust me folks, OPM does this every day of the week in myriad situations. This is why I bristle at those who denigrate gov't workers. Do we have it good? Yes, in many ways we do. But the point is that we deserve it. I know many (and I mean many), lawyers and Ph. Ds who are in the final years of their careers and can't get past GS-14 - not because they haven't worked hard, but because the slots just aren't available. Just look at the ODAR attorneys as one example. Are there gov't slackers? Yes, but that is true in every industry. The far bigger issue is not the rare slackers. It is the crooks on Wall Street, the unethical lobbyists, and those who are not willing to work but expect a gov't check. New dates, sure. But OPM will "reimburse airfare/hotel penalties"? Really?? Uhhhhh, no. Actual employees will be lucky to be paid for lost time, you really think they're going to reimburse applicants for their inconvenience? Seems wildly unlikely.
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Post by minny on Sept 24, 2013 18:14:38 GMT -5
I have not received a reply to my email, either. I fly on Monday, of course, so will burn a flight and at least 2 days of leave if there is a shutdown on Tuesday. C'est la vie.
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Post by epic0ego on Sept 24, 2013 18:19:06 GMT -5
trickbag, I am telling you that it is done everyday. If you are not aware of these situations, I accept that. But I have personally seen this happen on several occasions.
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Post by trickbag on Sept 24, 2013 18:45:01 GMT -5
I don't doubt there are circumstances in which they could/have/might reimburse individuals for such expenses, I just view it as wildly improbable that they would do so for every applicant impacted by the shutdown - a class that likely includes more than just ALJ exam-takers. Of course I hope for the sake of all those impacted that they do.
(edited to add): my opinion is informed by watching the shutdown "preparations" in past years in other agencies...which did not necessarily appear to be tailored to minimizing the inconvenience or expense of persons affected by the putative closure...hmmmm.....
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Post by ALJD on Sept 24, 2013 19:00:18 GMT -5
I haven't seen folks this agitated in a long time. I think the uncertainty of the pending government shutdown situation is getting to all of us. However, I am encouraged by the fact that people are calming down just a little. So I'll leave things be and continue to monitor. And please, no more witty remarks about the less fortunate of our citizens. Quick zingers can easily be misconstrued, so let's all stay polite, OK?
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Post by Buffalogal on Sept 24, 2013 19:07:36 GMT -5
To those scheduled for the WD and SI, if you plan to check the Alert, OPM typically doesn't post the closing status for a given day until about four or five in the morning. I wonder if the SI is more likely to proceed, since it doesn't rely on a government building. Ideally, OPM would name the administrators of the WD and SI "essential employees." If you find yourself in town with no WD or SI, we've been having some gorgeous fall weather that you may be able to enjoy. Good luck!
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Post by hopefalj on Sept 24, 2013 19:26:27 GMT -5
I have not received a reply to my email, either. I fly on Monday, of course, so will burn a flight and at least 2 days of leave if there is a shutdown on Tuesday. C'est la vie. On the bright side, if there's a shutdown, you won't be using leave on those two days. Hopefully it won't come to that, though. Unfortunately for next week's testing group, I just don't see how OPM can actually tell you anything when they're just as clueless and concerned as the rest of us on what is going to happen over the coming week. I suppose they could reschedule everyone for a later date just to be safe, but that would create a need to reschedule all SI panels for next week, employees administering the tests, and possibly conflicting with other testing for other positions in the testing room. And they would do this knowing that there is a very real possibility it would all be unnecessary if an agreement is reached by next Tuesday. It's a tough situation for all involved.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Sept 24, 2013 19:58:30 GMT -5
However, I am encouraged by the fact that people are calming down just a little. So I'll leave things be and continue to monitor. Like many things - panic, rage, violence - as a leader of fighting men and women for over 25 years, I can assure the board, even under the most austere and serious circumstances, calm and civility can be contagious and spread in a positive way. We do not have to remain silent and bite our tongues, but to have a calm, professional discussion we must detach overly passionate urges and caustic language from reasonable discourse - particularly those of us who are, or aspire to be, judges.
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Post by 71stretch on Sept 24, 2013 20:07:02 GMT -5
To those scheduled for the WD and SI, if you plan to check the Alert, OPM typically doesn't post the closing status for a given day until about four or five in the morning. I wonder if the SI is more likely to proceed, since it doesn't rely on a government building. Ideally, OPM would name the administrators of the WD and SI "essential employees." If you find yourself in town with no WD or SI, we've been having some gorgeous fall weather that you may be able to enjoy. Good luck! Well, they would have to decide it was okay to do the SI before the WD, which seems reasonable and logical enough that it wouldn't happen.
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Post by mcb on Sept 24, 2013 23:29:16 GMT -5
And please, no more witty remarks about the less fortunate of our citizens. Quick zingers can easily be misconstrued so let's all stay polite, OK? Or misunderstood. While folks here were beating up on each other, I was trying to add some sobered levity to the proceedings, and point out who is really bearing the brunt of the mess up on the hill. The poor and the disabled, who are having their food stamps cut and the credibility of their disabilities questioned by politicians and the media, as if they're the reason for our economic downturn. Try telling that to the claimant with the gliosblastoma multiforme tumor, who I found out just before his hearing today had passed away. Oh wait he's dead, so you can't.
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Post by Buffalogal on Sept 25, 2013 5:36:57 GMT -5
Fortunately, I don't have any hearings next week, so I won't have to deal with the unhappy lawyers and executives whose travel and hearing proceedings will have to be rescheduled. If any shutdown lasts longer than that though, then rescheduling will get messy. There's no doubt. My cases involve multiple parties, so scheduling is typically complicated to begin with. A shutdown couldn't come at a worse time than in autumn, when the order writers have returned from vacation and so the agency is churning out orders, setting cases for hearing. We've been threatened with a shutdown so often lately though that it is becoming the new normal.
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Post by 71stretch on Sept 25, 2013 6:06:59 GMT -5
Fortunately, I don't have any hearings next week, so I won't have to deal with the unhappy lawyers and executives whose travel and hearing proceedings will have to be rescheduled. If any shutdown lasts longer than that though, then rescheduling will get messy. There's no doubt. My cases involve multiple parties, so scheduling is typically complicated to begin with. A shutdown couldn't come at a worse time than in autumn, when the order writers have returned from vacation and so the agency is churning out orders, setting cases for hearing. We've been threatened with a shutdown so often lately though that it is becoming the new normal. I hear you. My calendar for the rest of the month is not pretty, either....
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Post by maquereau on Sept 25, 2013 7:40:44 GMT -5
Love how some people agree that we should leave politics out of the discussion while simultaneously injecting a political point of view that's bound to upset a number of the posters here.
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Post by whalerfan on Sept 25, 2013 12:31:29 GMT -5
I hope I am wrong and I feel for those of you counting on OPM to have planned for this current mess. However, based on past experience with OPM, I am concerned. I would hope they would have enough staff deemed excepted/essential to conduct the testing. But even if they do, then the problem becomes is whether the ALJs from the various agencies that do the SI interviewing be deemed excepted/essential by their agencies to attend the SIs.
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Post by privateatty on Sept 25, 2013 19:08:48 GMT -5
ALJs are considered "essential" (see 2011 furlough thread) and in any event would have had travel plans paid for the Agency with reimbursement from OPM. I'd be surprised if OPM canceled the SI.
Now as to the WD and your other test, the LB something (showing my ignorance here) that is adminstered by the rank and file at OPM and they may well be cooling thier heels at home. However, if I was betting I'd put my money on the test being adminstered--too much of a headache to reschedule. I think OPM would have some flexibility on who to order to come in. Of course, there are those who might read this who actually know, so please jump in if you do.
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Post by bartleby on Sept 25, 2013 20:18:37 GMT -5
And so what is your point in resurrecting these posts? This is old news. Funky and I are BFF now. Are you trying to start something? Won't work. We are all chilled out, so if you are trying to stir s-it, to use your own words, "keep it on topic or JUST GO AWAY FROM THIS BOARD."
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Post by 71stretch on Sept 25, 2013 20:48:31 GMT -5
And so what is your point in resurrecting these posts? This is old news. Funky and I are BFF now. Are you trying to start something? Won't work. We are all chilled out, so if you are trying to stir s-it, to use your own words, "keep it on topic or JUST GO AWAY FROM THIS BOARD." I don't live on this board, I have a private criminal defense trial practice, a family and am a very busy man, BUT the comments posted by Funky and others are less than 24 to 48 hours old and you still seem too sensitive about your comments to Funky or whomever. SO CHILL OR GET OVER IT, but as a ALJ you should of kept your political comments to yourself as required by the Judicial Code of Ethics. I think the problem was taken care of by ALJD, bartleby, and the other people involved, and there was no reason for you to bring it back up again, with or without capital letters.
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