5 ms·

There's plenty of funding, but salaries are capped by law: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/maximum-gs-pay-l

There's plenty of funding, but salaries are capped by law: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/maximum-gs-pay-limitations/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-admi... So Congress would have to pass a law to fix that particular problem.

roymurdock 11y ago
How much interaction does the USFS have with Congress? Do you have any idea when we'll start to see more technically-minded and possibly younger representatives in Congress who might make these issues more of a priority?
- gboone42 11y ago
  Pretty sure it's illegal for federal entities to lobby Congress. The Anti-lobbying Act makes it pretty hard, anyway. But folks like you could lobby your reps and senators and attempt to get them to increase federal pay. This is a democracy, after all, and you are the constituent.
  - roymurdock 11y ago
    I didn't mean lobbying Congress per se, but simply the level of interaction between the two orgs. E.g. does the USFS work on projects to help improve/streamline Congress and do Senate/House reps meet with heads of USDS and 18F. I'm afraid my net worth isn't high enough for me to have any real say in the way our country operates at the moment. Maybe one day :)
  - jon-wood 11y ago
    It's off topic, but the legal status of lobbying in the US always baffles me. Today I learned It's entirely legal for a company to lobby a congressman, but not a government department. How does that make any sense at all?
    - danielrhodes 11y ago
      A department or agency of the federal government acts within the laws and regulations set by congress and is overseen by the president. Thus, even if you wanted them to do or change something, they could not. Congress on the other hand is set up to listen to and respond to constituents (constitutionally), and thus lobbying congress is entirely legal as that it what you are supposed to do.
    - eli_gottlieb 11y ago
      Well, the system is designed to make sure companies can dominate and control government departments. So, hey, working according to plan.
reagency 11y ago
That problem was solved decades ago by government contracting. See above, the healthcare.gov folks formed contracting companies so they could go back to work for the govt at double the salary.
- vinceguidry 11y ago
  That's not a solution. At all. The contracting companies end up pulling up the ladder so that nobody else can compete in the particular vertical they've managed to commandeer. And then they lose all incentive to work hard. They wind up hiring less and less competent workers and pocketing the difference. Contractors are a big reason why the US government has the reputation it does today.

roymurdock 11y ago

How much interaction does the USFS have with Congress? Do you have any idea when we'll start to see more technically-minded and possibly younger representatives in Congress who might make these issues more of a priority?

gboone42 11y ago
Pretty sure it's illegal for federal entities to lobby Congress. The Anti-lobbying Act makes it pretty hard, anyway. But folks like you could lobby your reps and senators and attempt to get them to increase federal pay. This is a democracy, after all, and you are the constituent.
- roymurdock 11y ago
  I didn't mean lobbying Congress per se, but simply the level of interaction between the two orgs. E.g. does the USFS work on projects to help improve/streamline Congress and do Senate/House reps meet with heads of USDS and 18F. I'm afraid my net worth isn't high enough for me to have any real say in the way our country operates at the moment. Maybe one day :)
- jon-wood 11y ago
  It's off topic, but the legal status of lobbying in the US always baffles me. Today I learned It's entirely legal for a company to lobby a congressman, but not a government department. How does that make any sense at all?
  - danielrhodes 11y ago
    A department or agency of the federal government acts within the laws and regulations set by congress and is overseen by the president. Thus, even if you wanted them to do or change something, they could not. Congress on the other hand is set up to listen to and respond to constituents (constitutionally), and thus lobbying congress is entirely legal as that it what you are supposed to do.
  - eli_gottlieb 11y ago
    Well, the system is designed to make sure companies can dominate and control government departments. So, hey, working according to plan.

reagency 11y ago

That problem was solved decades ago by government contracting. See above, the healthcare.gov folks formed contracting companies so they could go back to work for the govt at double the salary.

vinceguidry 11y ago
That's not a solution. At all. The contracting companies end up pulling up the ladder so that nobody else can compete in the particular vertical they've managed to commandeer. And then they lose all incentive to work hard. They wind up hiring less and less competent workers and pocketing the difference. Contractors are a big reason why the US government has the reputation it does today.