What’s about this story going around about the 800,000 furloughed to be getting full pay for their time-off; isn’t that equivalent to a paid vacation? Congress voted 407-0 to grant this candy to save themselves. The decision to cut all federal pay by 10% would have been less discriminatory, decisive and fair to all, averting a shutdown while continuing ‘non-essential services’. Disruptions to private companies would have avoided. The Fed "shutdown" is but a scare tactic to frighten the masses.
But then, congress has always coddled the federal voters for fear out of fright their votes could end their own career. Congress must go. State legislatures must do their part: 1) Reclaim their sovereign property from the federal goivernment 2) Reclaim the reserved right of state-only education 3) Summon home their state militias from waging wars on foreign lands 4) Nullify all federal gun laws within their state sovereigns 5) Nullify Obamacare 6) Remove taxes & Establish sound money legal tender laws for gold and silver coins.
Of course these are just ticklers to get your brain jump-started - hundreds more on Constitutional violations await to be be seen in the light of day.
You must start somewhere to wrench your unauthorized power transfers back from the federal government, and states their reserved powers from Congress. We urge in the most urgent form for our elected representatives to do their jobs as they've sworn fit to accomplish before the people show you the way in a manner less pleasant.
It's Illegal for Furloughed Federal Employees to Check Work Email during the Shutdown
Sunday, October 06, 2013
When is checking your work email a crime? When the employer is the federal government, and Washington has to shut down.
Most of the federal workforce found itself staying home this week after congressional gridlock left agencies with no funding to operate.
In preparation for the shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management instructed (pdf) informed employees that they cannot check their email accounts remotely. Some offices went so far as to require staff to turn in their government-issued smartphones.
If workers do access their inboxes, they will be in violation of a 19th century law, the Antideficiency Act, adopted during the Chester Arthur administration that carries a penalty of fines or even imprisonment.
The no-email prohibition also applies to managers, prohibiting them from even using their agency email systems to alert workers that the shutdown has ended and to report back to the office.
Federal bosses will have to use phone calls, television, radio or social media to inform rank-and-file that their furlough is over.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Federal Workers Who Check Their E-Mail During a Shutdown Will Be Breaking the Law (by Brian Fung, Washington Post)
Federal Workers: Hand over BlackBerry during Shutdown (by Jennifer Liberto, CNN Money)
Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs (Office of Personnel Management) (pdf)
