A December 1 memorandum from the Chief of Staff to President Bush to all cabinet and executive agency heads:
To provide the President-elect maximum flexibility in assembling his Administration, and consistent with past practice, President Bush is requesting letters of resignation from all non-career appointees except Inspectors General and those individuals who hold termed positions.
Please transmit the attached "Memorandum for Non-Termed Presidential Appointees" to each non-termed Presidential Appointee in your organization.
Please also collect letters of resignation from non-career SES and Schedule C appointees. These letters should be addressed to you and should indicate an anticipated departure date of no later than noon, January 20, 2009. A sample letter is attached.
Non-career SES and Schedule C appointees at independent and regulatory agencies headed by termed appointees are not being asked to submit letters of resignation at this time.
Once he becomes President, Barack Obama can fire Social Security's Inspector, General Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr. As a general matter, I would expect a new President to replace the Inspector Generals at all agencies.
Obama will also be able to fill the vacant positions of Deputy Commissioner of Social Security and Chair of the Social Security Advisory Board.
I am unclear on whether the new President will have the ability to fire Senior Executive Service (SES) and Schedule C personnel at Social Security. Even if he does have the ability, I have to guess that he would not exercise the authority as long as Commissioner Astrue cooperates with the Obama White House as well as he has cooperated with the Bush White House.
Obama will also be able to fill the vacant positions of Deputy Commissioner of Social Security and Chair of the Social Security Advisory Board.
I am unclear on whether the new President will have the ability to fire Senior Executive Service (SES) and Schedule C personnel at Social Security. Even if he does have the ability, I have to guess that he would not exercise the authority as long as Commissioner Astrue cooperates with the Obama White House as well as he has cooperated with the Bush White House.
"I have to guess that he would not exercise the authority as long as Commissioner Astrue cooperates with the Obama White House as well as he has cooperated with the Bush White House."
ReplyDeleteDoes that not suggest the Obama White House and Bush White House would have similar goals? I certainly don't claim to have any inside information nor any insight into the Obama team's thinking, but it seems to me that Bush appointees at SSA were vetted about privatization. I don't recall the Tadpole [Commissioner Astrue] publicly advocating it, but was he not asked to at least give tepid support for it before his appointment? And union treatment --the Tadpole has been less than cordial to what I assume will be a key Obama constituency.
Perhaps your statement is indeed accurate but I suspect there is hostility toward him that may be hard to ignore.
So even if every the Commissioner and every Deputy Commissioner would resign and Obama would put in his people are they going to wave a magic wand and everything at SSA will be fine.
ReplyDeleteYou keep saying the problems at SSA can be solved with more money and people, but as I have pointed out the bank is empty and if we keep printing and borrowing money the whole country is going down the tube, if it's not to late already.
Here's one more nail in the coffin
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081210/ap_on_go_co/judicial_pay_raise
WASHINGTON – If the $14 billion bailout plan for U.S. automakers passes, it will help more than just Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. Federal judges would get a pay raise, as well.
The raise — an annual cost of living adjustment, or COLA — would bring U.S. District court judges up to par with members of Congress, who will receive an almost $5,000 boost on Jan. 1. District judges and lawmakers now earn $169,300 a year but are expected to be awarded a 2.8 percent raise next year...