Many of the best items that appear in this space aren’t mine. And that’s fine with me.

My personal favorites are summer time guest columns. They are written by readers, some working, some retired. They are different, always good, informative, sometimes funny and educational. Many of them say things to your boss, or agency head, that need to be said.

So what’s the feedback this week?

Let’s start with reaction to Tuesday’s column, which asked people who had to work on Labor Day what they did. Which was:

• “First, let me take a moment to thank you for columns on the federal workforce. Rarely is being a civil servant prestigious, but at least your columns often make me feel good about serving my country, even if it is in the not-so-glamorous financial side of things.

  “Second, yes, I worked on Labor Day. It wasn’t because I needed to; it was because I wanted to since I take my job seriously and to be honest, I may have been secretly fighting the stereotype of federal civil servants as lazy and inefficient. They say leadership is a privilege and as a 10-year Senior Executive, I get it. When you have people depending on you for decisions, guidance and feedback, one of the worst things you can do as a leader is not respond in a timely manner.

  “Or more simply, I came in to chip away at the “to-do” items in my email and respond to the questions and comments from staff, peers and anybody else that I work with. I’m glad to say that I dropped the total of 121 “to-do” items down to 58 when I left yesterday and, as I left, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride in what I do and who I support. Federal service may not be prestigious, but it can be highly rewarding and fulfilling.” Doug

• “Mike, we were working the desk at Rainy Lake Visitor Center, Voyageurs National Park.” David and Donna Driver, Emery, South Dakota
• “TSA provides screeners and management 365 days per year. It is a privilege to provide the service to keep those flying, the equipment and the skies safe. Thank you for asking.” David Zech

Yesterday’s column about your tiny 2015 pay raise — and Web editor Michael O’Connell’s link to those Hollywood-spaghetti westerns back in the day — inspired Jim Smith to provide this history and geography lesson:

*”Nice report today Mike. The Good (we received a raise). The Bad (it was 1 percent). The Ugly (We don’t have “A Fistful of Dollars”). Sergio Leone probably never dreamed his movie titles could be all mashed up by 21st century humor. Despite their name ‘spaghetti westerns,’ I believe all three were filmed in Spain.”

Keep ’em coming!

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:

By Michael O’Connell

The original, Italian title for Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” was “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo,” which translates as “The good, the ugly, the bad.”

Source: Italian Language Blog.

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