Search results for 'what-the-gov'

Can I get a copy of my SF-50 from the Office of Personnel Management?

BureauPat — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:02:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I live in Washington, D.C. Can I just go to the Office of Personnel Management to get a copy of my SF-50?

Dear Local,

Wow, the questions about the SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, just keep on rollin' in. Unfortunately, this is one situation were living in Washington, D.C. — home of the federal government and one seriously underperforming NFL team — provides absolutely no benefit.

While the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) manages the civil service of the federal government, including the policies, procedures and development of the SF-50, OPM itself is not a short- or long-term repository for your file.

If you are currently a federal employee, the best place to get a copy of your Official Personnel Folder (OPF), which includes your SF-50, is your agency's Human Resources office.

If you are a recent retiree or job-changer and left federal employment within the last 90 days, you may be able to request a copy from the HR office at your previous agency.

But in situations where the fine folks at HR are unable to help, you may request a copy of your SF-50, a complete copy of your OPF, or certain other forms by writing to:

National Personnel Records Center
111 Winnebago Street
St. Louis, MO 63118-4126

It is important to note that The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a) stipulates that requests for information from federal records be signed and dated and in writing. That's right: only written requests for records may be made. No calls, emails, or faxes regarding personnel records will be accepted. And pleading "But Bureaupat said you'd help" won't work either. Trust me, I've tried that one myself. Good luck!

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] Can the new GI Bill be used for graduate education?

[+] What is the federal Career Development Program (CDP)?

[+] Are congressional staffers covered under federal government pay plans?

Are congressional staffers covered under federal government pay plans?

BureauPat — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I'm considering moving up in government. That is, up to Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer. Can you tell me whether or not congressional staffers are covered by a federal government pay plan?

Dear Hill-Bound,

Moving from the halls of the federal bureaucracy to the home of Congress beneath the Capitol dome is quite a move indeed. Though all part of the federal government, there are some key ways the jobs are different, including on the pay and benefits side.

While federal government employees are covered by a number of different pay systems, some established by individual laws, some by administrative determination, none of these will apply to you. Your salary will be determined by the member of Congress you work for and you'll be at the mercy of his or her budget.

Congressional staffer salary can vary widely. There are caps too. In 2009, the maximum salary for a staffer for a member's personal office was $168,411. Committee staffers, in certain instances, are eligible for a slightly higher salary.

While that sounds good, only a few aides are paid at the cap. Many junior-level staffers make an embarrassingly paltry sum, for office jobs that can have a brutal intensity to them. This includes working for the sometimes wild and crazy personalities of the elected. And... all this in the expensive city of Washington, D.C.

Unlike their federal counterparts who are free to go home at the end of the day, when Congress is in session, Congressional staffers often work well into the night, sometimes into the early morning, to craft legislation or to broker deals with the administration. Not the typical day of a fed, but due to their prestige, competition for congressional jobs is fierce.

On the bright side, there is a potential pay-off. Many experienced congressional staffers leave the public sector to find jobs in the private sector making many times what they make in Congress.

Of course, their value in the private sector is sometimes enhanced not by their skills but by the personal connections they make while working for Congress.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] Can the new GI Bill be used for graduate education?

[+] What is the federal Career Development Program (CDP)?

[+] What will my new grade and step be for my government promotion?

Can the new GI Bill be used for graduate education?

BureauPat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:33:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I earned a Masters in Aerospace Administration in 2004 and retired from active duty as a USAF Master Sergent in 2005. Would the new post-9/11 GI Bill allow me to apply for a second graduate degree or a doctorate in education?

Dear Graduate,

The new Post-9/11 GI Bill is complex (what isn't these days!), so I'm half-expecting to earn a minor in GI Bill Advising with all the questions I'll be answering.

You'll be happy to read that approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate school, but reimbursement is based on undergraduate tuition rates.

The maximum basic benefit provides the following:

Cost of tuition and fees, not to exceed the most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition at a public institution of higher learning in the state you are attending school
Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to an E-5 with dependents, in the same zip code as the school
Yearly books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000 per year

You'll earn the maximum basic benefit after serving an aggregate of 36 months of active duty service, or after 30 days of continuous service if you were discharged for a service-connected disability. If you've served between 90 days and 36 months of aggregate active duty service, you will be eligible for a percentage of the maximum benefit.

For those who don't meet the requirements for 100% benefits, the percentage level starts at 40% of the basic benefit for those whose service is between 90 days and 6 months, and rises in increments up to 90% for those who served between 30 and 36 months.

The following chart represents the maximum percentage payable based on the length of an individual's aggregate active duty service:

All training programs must be offered by a degree-granting institution of higher learning and approved for GI Bill benefits. Additionally, tutorial assistance and reimbursement for one licensing or certification test reimbursement are available under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

NOTE: Individuals who are eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill as well as other GI Bill benefits will be required to make an irrevocable choice of which benefit to receive. Individuals previously eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (MGIB-AD, Chapter 30), Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR, Chapter 1606), or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP, Chapter 1607) may continue to receive benefits for approved programs not offered by degree-granting institutions. These programs include flight, correspondence, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, preparatory courses, and national tests. Individuals in these programs will be paid as if they are still receiving benefits under Chapters 30, 1606, and 1607.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] What is the federal Career Development Program (CDP)?

[+] What will my new grade and step be for my government promotion?

[+] What is the deadline for holiday mail to service members?

Government asks millions to repay tax credits... really

evan123 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:26:00 GMT

The tax credits passed in the stimulus package were implemented through reduced payroll deductions, giving some workers more money than they are eligible for. Retirees, some married couples, and people with two jobs are among the groups who may have to pay some of their credits back on tax day.

What is the federal Career Development Program (CDP)?

BureauPat — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:10:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I am a GS-14 and I have a federal government mentor who is a career member of the Senior Executive Service. He has recommend that I apply for a Career Development Program (CDP). Can you enlighten me on this program and why I should or should not apply?

Dear Governmentee,

Count yourself lucky to have a formal mentor: you are one of the few. Now, get ready for an onslaught of government acronyms in the answer!

Currently there are only two modes of entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES):

Apply directly to a Federal agency for a specific SES position
Apply for a Federal Agency's SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP). Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certified graduates of an SESCDP advertised to "all qualified Civil Service appointees" or "all qualified persons" are eligible for (but not guaranteed) career appointment to an SES position without further competition.

Clearly your mentor sees you as a future leader within government and his suggestion is right on target to fast pace you into the SES.

The Federal Candidate Development Program (Fed CDP) was designed to help Federal agencies meet their succession planning goals and contribute to the Government's effort to create a high-quality SES leadership corps.

It is specifically designed to provide a series of developmental experiences for high potential individuals to prepare them to compete for positions in the Senior Executive Service. These developmental experiences typically include formal training and seminars, a four-month assignment outside of the participant's bureau or agency, an executive mentor, action learning projects, coaching, field trips,a Capitol Hill orientation training session, and many other engaging activities.

Participants who are selected are expected to be self-starters and highly-motivated individuals who, through their experience and training, demonstrate the potential to grow into an executive leadership role. The CDP is a demanding program, and the curriculum must be completed while balancing current day-to-day job assignments.

But it's not that easy. Some, but not all, Federal agencies have SES Candidate Development Programs to identify and develop potential executive talent. Hopefully your agency has a program that's approved by the Office of Personnel Management.

Once you've found a program you must then apply and make it through the selection process which typically, includes, three parts: rating applications, interviews, and an independent assessment process leading to final selection.

Once selected, the CDP concentrates on developing candidates' skills in the following OPM Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs):

Leading Change
Leading People
Results Driven
Business Acumen
Building Coalitions

Recently, the Department of Commerce announced applications for its Class of 2011 Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), an 18-month leadership development training program for high potential employees.

People who complete the program and obtain certification by an SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) of OPM approved SESCDPs advertised to "all qualified civil service appointees" or "all qualified persons" are eligible for a career appointment to the SES without further competition. However, graduates are not guaranteed a SES position.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] What will my new grade and step be for my government promotion?

[+] What is the deadline for holiday mail to service members?

[+] What is the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

10 Rules for being a good government Twitterer

Jenifer123 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:50:00 GMT

Since Twitter evolved from obscurity to media obsession (yes, we see the irony in that comment), an entire new economy has launched around the platform, including social media consultants offering advice on the best way for organizations to conduct themselves on this new social medium. The advice, called everything from twitter manners to twitterquette, provides at the very least some puzzling new words and fodder for punchlines. But how to behave amidst the deep crevasses of the twitterverse is far more important than learning all the vernacular.

Two federal agencies provide an excellent example of what to do and what not to do with promotional twittering. NASA (@MarsPhoenixhas) had great success with Tweeting about the Mars rover which toured the surface of Mars, sending back never-before-seen images from deep space. "By writing in the first person and being cute, followers were treated to what seemed like a firsthand perspective of what was going on with the successful Rover," said Ethan Klapper of socialgovernment.com, a blog devoted to covering Gov 2.0.

In the what not to do category, we have the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Since the USCBP feeds its regular news briefs onto Twitter, there is little reason to visit the handle over the website. "Hands down, the worst government Twitter account I've seen," said Klapper.

Of course, if the goal is to put information out there in various forms, the agency meets the requirement. What they don't meet, is the desire for followers on Twitter to be interested, entertained and informed; the killer combo every media organization aims for that few organizations master.

These days, every company and federal agency is devising or has devised its own rules on using Twitter, especially while on the job. In some cases, employees are required to sign contracts giving the organization rights over all creative output, to include twittering from your cell phone. Most people are familiar with the dangers of using a company computer for personal business, but it may not have occurred to them that their tweets might also be within earshot.

On the other hand, using Twitter in a manner that benefits organizations is something that many are encouraging. A number of federal agencies and businesses are taking advantage of this social media tool to get their information to the public in a hip and cutting-edge way, giving them access to a demographic they may otherwise not reach. When used well, Twitter can offer an agency or company that personal touch not available through a Web design and the ability to develop a personality to help branding efforts.

Branding. That's not a word most federal employees use, but that's not to say it isn't important for feds. Think about your views on NASA. Now consider how you perceive FEMA. Despite both having very publicized debacles, their brands are quite different and the power of NASA's brand allows them to continue retain public support even in the midst of incredible tragedy and failure. The same cannot be said about FEMA and part of the reason is the manner in which these agencies regularly communicate with the public, one aspect of which now, like it or not, involves Twitter.

To aid in navigating this new social media terrain, OhMyGov! has brought you the following tips, gratis.

1. Always know what your organization's rules are. If you aren't sure of the rules, or they are unclear, speak to your supervisor or human resources office to clarify. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

2. Everything you do online leaves a record. While it may be common sense to some, it's best to tweet your buddy about the football game while you're having a discussion with your boss about your last accounting error. These things do have a very traceable time stamp and can now be searched by other in real time.

3. Be very open about who you are, who you work for, and why you are on Twitter. A simple disclaimer saying that you work for the National Park Service but are twittering because you want to share your thoughts on "Dancing with the Stars," will provide you with a good cover at work and draw the kind of followers that you're actually looking for.

4. Remember someone reads these things. So always try to be as personable as you can when you tweet. Nobody likes automated responses or lazy self-promotion. This is equally true if you are a federal agency. In the case of NASA, a program that requires high public satisfaction to stay in business, they have found a way to tweet that makes you feel like you're a friend. In the case of USCBP, they make you feel like you're a bulletin board that just got a paper pinned to it.

5. FGS, try and keep the grammar correct and the acronyms limited. There exists an ongoing debate as to whether texting and tweeting are undoing the English language as we once knew it. To avoid fanning the flames, keep your messages plain and simple. Your followers will appreciate it if they have some idea of what you're talking about. This is especially true if you are tweeting on behalf of an organization.

6. Be courteous. This is not about please and thank you's. On Twitter, courtesy means giving proper citation (@ohmygov) if you lift a quote or idea from someone else, or by simply retweeting it (relaying what one person says to your audience). And if someone sends you a direct message, the respectful thing to do is reply, even if the reply contains a template message.

7. Exercise Discretion. Don't tweet about your boss and your co-workers; don't say things that you don't want everyone to know; and don't tweet while under the influence.

8. Mix it up. Don't just post the same titles to your already boring federal press release. Provide a fact from that press release with a link to the actual document instead. You have a new audience on Twitter; act like it. Feed them different information. You'll be surprised just how far a factoid can travel. When we tweeted that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook was women 54-79, it was retweeted 15 times within three minutes quoting OhMyGov! as the information source. In those three minutes, we reached an audience of approximately 60,000 people.

9. Less is more. We can't emphasize this enough. Even at 140 characters or less it is tough to keep up with all of the information out there. So send out only the most important information -- the stuff you really want people to know and think they would find interesting. Bombarding people with tweets every 15 seconds is a surefire way to turn them off, unless you are a celebrity and they have already developed an unhealthy obsession with you. In a crisis situation, less is still more as it ensures people follow the right advice and are not confused.

10. Benchmark. Don't just take our advice; get out there and see what other people are saying. Use Twitter Search to find them and ask them through Twitter about what they have learned. It is a great medium for communicating, so make the most of it!

What will my new grade and step be for my government promotion?

BureauPat — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:00 GMT

Dear BureauPat,

I am a GS 14 with permanent status. If I apply for another government job in a different agency which is advertised as GS 15, what will my new step level be if I'm selected for the new position?

Dear Promotion Seeker,

During these economic times, we all need and want the extra cash, but don't forget that when seeking more responsibility you also get more accountability, so hopefully the boost in pay will be commensurate.

Since I don't know your current General Schedule (GS) pay step and duty location, I'll run through two different scenarios, since there is a government-wide rule which applies to promotion within the GS.

The basic rule is that you take the current Grade and step and increase the step two levels and compare to the new grade.

For example, if you are GS 14 Step 1 which currently has a 2009 base salary of $83,445 (not including locality pay), add two steps. This puts you as a GS 14 Step 3 with a base salary of $89,009. Next you compare that salary to the new GS-15 grade which starts off at $98,156. Since GS 14 Step 3 base salary is below the GS 15 step 1, your promotion would bring you in as a GS 15 Step 1, a $14,711 pay increase. Nice raise!

Let's say you're a seasoned GS 14 step 6 with a 2009 base pay of $97,335. Using the same procedure you add two steps. This puts you as a GS 14 Step 8 with a base salary of $102,919. Next compare that salary to the GS-15 table which puts you between GS 15 step 2 and GS 15 Step 3. We always round up in government so your promotion grade and step would be GS 15 Step 3 with a base salary of $104,428, a $7,093 pay increase. Not so bad!

Again, remember your promotion not only provides additional pay but additional responsibility and more importantly increased accountability. So, you may want to think twice... after all a GS-14 is a pretty cushy place to be!

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] What is the deadline for holiday mail to service members?

[+] What is the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

[+] What tenure group does the Senior Executive Service (SES) fall into?

In Iceland, Trying to Reprogram Government

samuel123 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:00:00 GMT

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Gudjon Mar Gudjonsson is not your typical entrepreneur. Although he has founded numerous high tech companies — his first at the age of 17 — and is clearly the sort of businessman that companies like Google and Microsoft recruit, Mr. Gudjonsson has instead chosen to devote much of his time and technological know-how to a think tank called the Ministry of Ideas. The group’s mission is no less attention-getting than its name: it is pursing how Icelanders can breakdown hierarchies that elevate people like himself far above the rest of society in the first place.

“I am a big fan of an active democracy and a participatory economy, and have been looking into open source governance for some time,” Mr. Gudjonsson explained, as we sat down to chat in his office. It is known as the House of Ideas, a former furniture store near Reykjavik's harbor that once also served the country’s fishing industry. The House of Ideas — no relation to the House of Blues — now provides free office space to successful applicants who have business ventures that are all dressed up with nowhere to go.

What sparked Mr. Gudjonsson's desire to be a social reformer was actually the same thing that drove the furniture store out of business. It is a nationwide calamity that will affect Iceland for generations. It’s what spurred the University of Reykjavik and the Icelandic Academy for the Arts to establish a place like the House of Ideas. And “it” is this: Iceland’s bankers, with the tacit support of its politicians, bankrupted the country.

In Icelandic, it is simply known as the kreppa.

Society Down The Kreppa

When Iceland plunged into financial crisis in late 2008, Mr. Gudjonsson decided that the raw emotion of demonstrations was not for him.

“People wanting change were basically split in two groups,” he said. “There were people who went to protest, and people who joined groups like the Ministry of Ideas, planning for the future.” The problem, as he saw it, did not arise because of one specific government, but was a result of the way that representative democracy functioned, or didn't. It was too passive, and a whole new social construct was needed.

The protest movement was spawned by the traumatic nature of the financial crisis. The value of Iceland’s currency, the krona, collapsed on foreign exchange markets, which led to vanished savings, high inflation and even higher foreign debt payments. Iceland's main banks – Glitnir, Kaupthing and Landsbanki – which had only been privatized at the start of the decade, had managed to acquire up to nine times the size of the country's GDP in debt. When, in the aftermath of Lehman Brothers' collapse in the U.S., the big Icelandic banks were unable to obtain the refinancing they needed for their gargantuan interest payments, they went into government receivership. Icelandic taxpayers found themselves stuck with the bill after the banks were re-nationalized, leaving them a touch upset at the ruling class to say the least. Weekly protests gained momentum and eventually forced a change in government in January 2009. The whole affair came to be known as the Kitchenware Revolution, named after the pots and pans Icelanders used as noisemakers.

At the Ministry of Ideas

In the wake of the Kitchenware revolt, Gudjohnsson felt that a grassroots think tank like the Ministry of Ideas, which is unaffiliated with any political party, could achieve something that the system itself could not. “[Parliamentarians] have worked for many years to get voted,” he said. “Certainly, to open everything up – it doesn't really fly for them.”

On Nov. 14, Gudjonsson’s Ministry of Ideas and several affiliated groups — known collectively as the Anthill — are hoping to take a significant step towards opening everything up. They are hosting a National Assembly where Icelanders will be invited to give their input about what sort of society the country should build in the aftermath of the kreppa.

Gov 3.0?

For the Anthill’s efforts to be taken seriously, they need mandate-like participation. That means inviting a large number of people to Laugardolshöll, the sporting arena in Reykjavik where the Assembly will be hosted. So Mr. Gudjonsson’s group has invited 1,500 people — roughly 0.5% of Iceland's population — to attend.

About 1,200 of these invitations will go to people picked at random from the national registry. If some fail to RSVP, more will be invited until the 1,200 “randoms” confirm that they will be attending, Mr. Gudjonsson said.

At the assembly itself, the masses will be broken down into groups of nine. With the help of discussion facilitators who have been trained to ensure the roundtable discussions are healthy, participants will discuss what values defines them as a nation. To ascertain exactly how these groups of nine will arrive at a larger consensus, when each participant comes up with a proposed value – Mr. Gudjonsson expects 20,000 ideas to be proposed – it will be “tagged” by that group electronically, like on a blog.

Tags will be monitored by a backroom staff who will ascertain which values were deemed important most frequently. The top nine will be considered Iceland's moral pillars for the purposes of the National Assembly. From there, slightly larger groups will discuss how to build social frameworks — economic, educational, justice, and health care systems — based on these core values. For each value, the assembled groups will come up with nine ideas on how to improve society (nine, according to Mr. Gudjonsson, is an ideal number for group work.)

Mining the data for a consensus in this section will be relatively more qualitative, but at the end of the day participants will have drafted a manifesto that will give the country a better idea of what sort of future society it would like to build. Not bad for a Saturday’s work.

“Before entering the meeting, no one knows what the values will be. We have a feel for it, but it’s up to the people of the meeting to find a government for themselves,” Mr. Gudjonsson said. Giving effective control of the nation’s monetary supply to a few avaricious profit seeking individuals will probably not make the cut.

The resulting manifesto won't have any sort of legal significance, but Mr. Gudjonsson said that holding such an event will be useful in holding the government more accountable. “We can always refer to the 2009 November national assembly,” he exclaimed. “If there are going to be discussions [about reform] in parliament,” which there have been and will be, “then the national assembly will be kind of a guiding light.” In fact, holding a Constitutional Assembly is something that some of the major parties in Parliament have discussed, and the National Assembly is something from which that they may draw wisdom. Even if it is just the case of politicians blowing hot air, then at least the National Assembly will be an exercise in participatory democracy.

First we take Reykjavik...

Of course, it is information technology that makes this all possible. The whole ordeal is essentially the first attempt to crowdsource a socio-economic-political manifesto in history. More importantly, as the whole event will be on an open source software platform, Mr. Gudjonsson claims that the entire world can look to the National Assembly as a model for reform. In addition to allowing the participants and the Icelandic public to scrutinize the information collected, people around the globe will be able to analyze the data and how it was obtained, thus ensuring the process' transparency and maximizing its utility to people everywhere.

People who are interested, for example, will be able to find out what age group in Iceland esteems which values more highly than others. Curious programmers, if they are interested in agitating for their own assemblies, can find out how the code was written so that the Anthill's administrators could quickly deduce the shared values of dozens of groups. If someone wants to produce a copy of the final manifesto, they will be able to do that as well, free of charge. This open aspect to the meeting, Mr. Gudjonsson hopes, will not only garner the attention of like-minded people abroad, but will encourage people in Iceland to act upon the ideas discussed by the National Assembly.

“Instead of focusing on a particular solution, I want to focus on the process. With a process, its something that can scale,” said Mr. Gudjonsson, detailing his inspiration for open source social reform. “It's like how Linux competed with Windows because of its open source software. The beauty was in the process, which can scale so clever people all over the world can participate.” And what better place to experiment with a scalable project in social engineering than one of the smallest, most educated countries in the world? When the house of cards that is global finance came crashing down, Iceland, one of the first to take a massive blow, was called the canary in the coalmine. Mr. Gudjonsson is now hopeful that the world will once more look to Iceland as an indication of what the future holds, but this time for all the right reasons.

“In terms of use of technologies, more people per capita use Facebook in Iceland than anywhere else in the world,” he said, pointing out the role that the social networking website played in Iceland's Kitchenware Revolution. Facebook isn't just a place where you can update your status with the angst ridden Alanis Morisette lyric du jour, you know. Such a tech-savvy, educated democracy as Iceland that took Facebook and used it to organize an effective social movement, with apologies to Iranians, could very well be a leader in government innovation.

“The feedback system so fast. You can implement change so quickly and you have access to politicians and leaders within the country,” he noted. Being a country with a population of just over 300,000, Iceland is a place where, despite a lack of trust between the population and politicians, a tightly woven social fabric makes wide reaching consensual reform possible. The government has even given support to the National Assembly, although it gets financial backing from a wide range of donors. Having such an in tune civil society as exists in Iceland, in Mr. Gudjonsson's opinion, makes the country “the testing ground for a more sustainable democracy.”

Rockefeller Foundation, This Isn't

A breach of trust by the country's elected representatives wasn't the only thing that irked Icelanders about the kreppa. It made many question how it was that a small group of bankers and investors essentially squandered all of the country's money and then some without any real democratic process. Voters may have given a mandate to the Independence Party to privatize the banking system, but that wasn't a carte blanche to bankers to pillage the country's savings accounts. The government wasn't the only one to blame.

This injustice has not gone unnoticed by the Ministry of Ideas who, Mr. Gudjonsson said, are also researching the idea of democratizing economics in addition to its work with the Anthill's National Assembly. “We've seen that [a grassroots economy] is based on trust, but we are still trying to see how it can work.” However it can work, it would need a reformed financial system, that Mr. Gudjonsson said should be “based on common values.” Again, in this respect, he believes that his diminutive country can set an example by combining lessons learned about resourcefulness in the private sector with the sympathetic worldview of non-profit organizations.

“[Iceland] could become a key partner in the G-20 for prototyping these new values, tools and processes for a more sustainable capitalism,” he said.

And what a better place to start than one's own institution? Promoting both a more active citizenry and innovating are both clearly important to Mr. Gudjonsson. As with the work it is doing for the National Assembly, the Ministry of Ideas does not claim copyright to any of its published material or ideas. “We are not about egos,” he ironically boasted. “We are about making society better.” When the Ministry of Ideas holds its weekly meetings, for example, individual enterprises are born, from which the Ministry itself – financed by donors and staffed by volunteers – sees no monetary reward. Mr. Gudjonsson himself expressed an interest in an economic system without copyright, even though he has filed a number of patents in his time. “We somehow need to pay for clothes and food and stuff,” he lamented.

What else is on?

The National Assembly and the idea of increasing participation in the economy and government don’t have the support of everyone in Iceland. Just who are they to decide Iceland's future, anyway? some have asked. Mr. Gudjonsson responds that the group’s experimental work is not legally binding and is fairly inclusive.

It is perfectly reasonable to question the results that can come from a grassroots effort, especially when a nation’s very political and financial structure are involved.

Nevertheless, Mr. Gudjonsson hopes the Assembly’s mission will catch on because “the right people will pick it up and do something about it.” By helping to found the Ministry of Ideas and getting involved with the Anthill, he hopes to increase the odds of that happening.

“If you have a grassroots meeting at 8 o'clock” Gudjohnsson said, describing the challenge, “then it has to be clear that it’s more important to join that meeting than it is to watch Jay Leno. To make that desire is to basically make people feel that they can have a role – that their voices can be heard, and that they have a sense for their role within the big picture.”

Perhaps more people, at least in Iceland anyway, will be convinced they can play an active role in the big picture after the National Assembly on Saturday. That is, unless there's something good on television.

What is the deadline for holiday mail to service members?

BureauPat — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:55:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I have loved ones that are serving in the military overseas during the holiday and I want to ensure that they get my holiday mail. What is the deadline to ensure they get my holiday cheer?

Dear Holiday Mailer,

Great question, especially after Veterans Day when we are remembering those that have served and given their life for our freedom.

While you can send main and packages anytime, the U.S. Postal Service says that if you want to ensure it arrives before Christmas, you must hurry.

Today, Friday, Nov. 13, is the target deadline for sending holiday packages to troops stationed overseas using Parcel Post to all Air/Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) zip codes.

But you have a little more time if you use priority or first class mail (see below). The USPS is encouraging the use of these early deadlines to make sure that packages reach their destinations in time for the holidays.

The USPS places APO/FPO mail on special charter flights, commercial airlines, and military service aircraft to reach Armed Services members overseas as quickly as possible.

And get this...ALL military mail, regardless of destination, is sent by domestic mail rate. International rates do not apply to military mail delivery.

The 50-percent larger Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box offers a $2 discount to APO/FPO destinations and ships for just $11.95. Customers can access shipping information by adding Delivery Confirmation, which is available for almost all military destinations outside the U.S. Delivery Confirmation provides customers with the date, zip code of delivery, and time the package was delivered. This information can be accessed on line at www.usps.com.

The USPS's popular Military Care Kits also help military families and friends keep free shipping supplies within reach. Each kits contains three Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, two cube boxes, nine address labels, and 16 customs forms. The kit may be ordered by calling the USPS Expedited Package Supply Center at (800) 610-8734.

Remember, all packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members, as required by U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

Deadlines

Space Available Mail. Nov. 21 for AE ZIP 093; Nov. 28 for AE ZIPs 090-092 and 094-098, AA ZIP 340, and AP ZIPs 962-966.
Parcel Airlift Mail. Dec. 1 for AE ZIP 093; Dec. 4 for AE ZIPs 090-092 and 094-098, AA ZIP 340, and AP ZIPs 962-966.
Priority Mail. Dec. 4 for AE ZIP 093; Dec. 11 for AE ZIPs 090-092 and 094-098, AA ZIP 340, and AP ZIPs 962-966.
First Class Mail Letters/Cards. Dec. 4 for AE ZIP 093; Dec. 11 for AE ZIPs 090-092 and 094-098, AA ZIP 340, and AP ZIPs 962-966.
Express Mail Military Service. N/A for AE ZIP 093; Dec. 18 for AE ZIPs 090-092 and 094-098, AA ZIP 340, and AP ZIPs 962-966.

There may be no bigger morale booster than mail for our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen during the holidays and your packages and letters bring them closer to family and to the comforts of home.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] What is the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

[+] What tenure group does the Senior Executive Service (SES) fall into?

[+] Does my 21 months of federal service count towards a career federal appointment?

What is the Senior Executive Service (SES)?

BureauPat — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:02:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I'm an aspiring federal worker who is interested in increased responsibilities. I have risen up the GS ranks fairly quickly and I'm currently a GS-14. Can you tell me more about the Senior Executive Service and if I have a chance in obtaining an appointment?

Dear Aspiring Fed,

You sound like a fast burner, so don't burn out! Your chance will come, as long as you have the knowledge, skills, experience and background.

The Senior Executive Service (SES) is comprised of the men and women charged with leading the continuing transformation of our government. With more than 1.8 million civilian employees in the Federal Government and only 7,467 career, non-career, and limited-term members of the SES, the competition is stiff, especially for younger feds.

This was recently noted by Carol Bonasaro, president of the Senior Executive Association, who said the SES is facing a number of issues as it looks to the future, one of them being attracting a new generation to the group.

Members of the SES serve in the key positions just below the top Presidential appointees. For a qualitative comparison example, SES members working in the Department of Defense (DoD) have status equivalent to general or admiral rank of their uniformed counterparts. In general, SES members are the major link between the presidential appointees and the rest of the Federal (civil service) work force. At the executive level, they operate and oversee nearly every government activity in approximately 75 Federal agencies.

The SES includes most managerial, supervisory, and policy positions classified above General Schedule (GS) grade 15 or equivalent positions in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.

These positions are excluded:

positions requiring appointment by the President with Senate confirmation;
legislative and judicial branch positions;
positions in law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies, in the Foreign Service, and in other agencies excluded by statute or by the President.

Is it worth the extra responsibility and the job title? I'll leave that for you to judge. There are many detractors: more responsibility, more risk. You'll work late hours and telecommute on evenings and weekends for pay that is not much different than a GS-15. However, if you're saying, "Gee, I really want to do this because it is important work," then it may be for you.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:

[+] What tenure group does the Senior Executive Service (SES) fall into?

[+] Does my 21 months of federal service count towards a career federal appointment?

[+] Is the Thrift Savings Plan website changing?