Feb 8, 2013

Astrue Resigning Effective February 13

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 11:52 AM
Subject: COMMISSIONER'S BROADCAST--02/08/13


A Message To All SSA And DDS Employees

Subject:  Farewell and Thank You

In a few hours, my family and I will be going to the White House to thank President Obama for his support of the agency and to submit my formal resignation, which will be effective at the close of business on Wednesday, February 13.

The job of Commissioner is a huge responsibility and a huge opportunity.  Thanks to all of you who helped me shoulder that responsibility and worked with me to improve the lives of our fellow Americans.  I leave knowing the agency is in your good hands.

I've enjoyed meeting so many of you and really appreciate the emails you've sent to let me see our agency through your eyes.  Your many recent notes of well wishes have humbled and warmed me.  I hope that you'll keep talking with future Commissioners who will surely benefit from that engagement as I have.

You are the heart of our agency and I thank you for allowing me to lead you.  Please know that I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines.

God Bless.

Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

holla back, Mr. Juster. Kinda wish he'd written a poem for us on his way out the door...

Anonymous said...

At last! Thought he'd never leave

Anonymous said...

This guy pissed away billions from the DI trust fund. Just "allow down" the backlog!

Anonymous said...

I am so glad he is gone. He will have time to write more poems now and follow his beloved Patriots!!

Anonymous said...

Best Commissioner of our generation, by far. He has pursued his compassionate vision for the program with great intellect, common sense, and toughness. All the angry birds who leave negative commentary about the Commissioner are just peeved that he has truly been the smartest guy in Woodlawn the last six years.

Anonymous said...

Astrue despised the unions and therefore the employees suffered. He didn't feel he had to follow orders such as EO 13522. Finally, Astrue will be remembered for the Management Tango Conference at the Biltmore in Arizona that cost the taxpayers $750,000. This is one of many conferences that management enjoyed. I believe that money would have been better spent in other areas.

Anonymous said...

Best commissioner? I don't think so. He protected management too much but times are about to change.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, times are about to change, for the worst! If the agency doesn't get a high-quality replacement soon, things will get very bad and it won't take long. His apparent successor (deputy commissioner) is already showing signs of reverting back to a bloated bureaucracy of favoritism and inefficiency. Astrue's pedigree qualified him completely, and his record of getting things done (like him or not) cannot be debated. To those who are happy to see him go, just be careful what you wish for.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I got to work under Astrue before I retired. I can't imagine how frustrated he must have felt daily dealing with too many incompetent senior leaders and with a union that seems more interested in protecting official time and union space than in looking out for the daily needs of the rank and file.

SSA will suffer without him. As far as the $750K wasted, there was no excuse for that. But I would wager that a similar amount or more is wasted by paid union reps on official time sitting in the union office and NOT working on union business, but just eating up official time.

Anonymous said...

As Commissioner, why didn't he get rid of these "incompetent senior leaders" when he had the chance? A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and I think the SSA chain just got a hell of a lot stronger.

Anonymous said...

A.M. Juster thought Steve Goss was incompetent. Really? I have no mathematical ability, but I think the Chief Actuary should be dismissed for cause! Really?

Anonymous said...

"Chief Actuary" - sounds so august, but it's too bad his estimates aren't as spectacular as his title. If you compare Mr. Goss's estimates to what actually has happened over the years, you find a recurring theme - they tend to miss the mark, quite badly at times. Check out the track record anon 6:49 (it's ok, no need to fear the truth - they say it sets you free). So Mr. Goss is an actuary with some math under his belt; probably hurts him and all his fans all the more to be in the room with an intellect as powerful as Juster's. Anon 10:27 from 2/8 hit the nail on the head noting that those who bash Astrue are most likely those who do not have the humility to admire a bigger talent than theirs. I have been in the room with all the top talent at SSA - Goss included - and it has been a treat to watch the Commissioner lead. He is respectful and open to vigorous conversation; but it is probably the fact that he is always two steps ahead of the conversation that probably most frustrates the egotists with fancy titles.

Anonymous said...

Astrue was the best COSS I worked for in 30 years at SSA. He made a lot of tough calls and handled an increasingly difficult budget climate as best he could, advocating for us with Congress. He also didn't kowtow to AFGE, which is a completely worthless outfit. Best of luck to him in the future.