Community Member

Member since 2 years ago

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2 ideas posted

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Department/Agency:

DHS/FEMA

City:

Denton, TX

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• Government Reform for Competition and Innovation Ideas

Ideas contributed by Community Member

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  Ideas to Make Other Parts of Government More Efficient and Effective »

  Increase Social Security Withholding

  Ensure the Social Security System is fully funded by eliminating withholding limits. Make every citizen pay into the system based on their entire income. As it is now, the social security system is in trouble and everyone knows that changes are most likely to negatively impact the lower and middle classes. This should stop. I would predict that if you eliminate the withholding limit, the program would be very solvent ...more »

  Ensure the Social Security System is fully funded by eliminating withholding limits. Make every citizen pay into the system based on their entire income. As it is now, the social security system is in trouble and everyone knows that changes are most likely to negatively impact the lower and middle classes. This should stop. I would predict that if you eliminate the withholding limit, the program would be very solvent and then you could actually consider lowering the percentage withheld so that the lower and middle class would actually see a benefit - and the extra money in their hands would help stimulate the economy.

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  1 comment for Idea: Increase Social Security Withholding

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Ideas to Make Other Parts of Government More Efficient and Effective »

  Force Review of Staffing Needs

  As a first level supervisor, I am always amazed at how there is more incentive to create new positions (build an empire) than there is to review and maintain an appropriate level of staff. FEMA is a classical example - hiring excessively following Katrina and now no one is looking back to see if there is a real need to maintain our current number of positions. In the FEMA Radiological Preparedness Program and in the ...more »

  As a first level supervisor, I am always amazed at how there is more incentive to create new positions (build an empire) than there is to review and maintain an appropriate level of staff. FEMA is a classical example - hiring excessively following Katrina and now no one is looking back to see if there is a real need to maintain our current number of positions. In the FEMA Radiological Preparedness Program and in the NRC, there has been a significant increase in new positions (where costs are passed on to the licensees) in anticipation of an increase in building new reactors. Now nothing is happening and there are a large number of employees with not enough to do to keep them from just being bored. As a first level supervisor, I am sick of it. There is pressure to find or create work that just doesn't exist. My thought - change the hiring of new employees such that no position is made permanent until the employee has been in the position for over three years. Require a mandatory review of need for that position to be made permanent. If the workload no longer justifies the need - separate the employee. Provide incentives for mid and upper level managers to maintain a "correct sized" workforce instead of the current system that encourages the empire builder mentality. I know this may not resonate with other federal employees, but I firmly believe that people actually want to have something to do when they come to work (that is meaningful) rather than sit on their hands trying to figure out how to fill the day.

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  2 comments for Idea: Force Review of Staffing Needs

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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