Jobs to die for – or in

Some trades and professions come with a built-in downside. Goes with the turf.  So if you had to make a list of potentially creepy or nerve-wracking jobs, which of the following would make your list?

• Sumo wrestler dresser
• Taser tester
• Being  cast as William Tell’s son in the school play which wants to be as accurate as possible
• Hairdresser to certain presidential candidates
• Alligator wrestler
• Federal civil servant
• Hollywood marriage counselor

All of the above mentioned occupations have their obvious drawbacks. But if you were reading the trade papers last week the clear winners (as in biggest L-O-S-E-R-S) were civil servants (that would be you).

First off, there was supposed to be a government shutdown on Friday. If it had happened and if it was like the last one (which lasted 16 days) that would have put a dent in a lot of people’s Christmas or holiday plans (like eating).

The good news is that it didn’t happen. The bad news is that the legislation that blocked the Dec. 11 shutdown moved the showdown to Dec. 16. That’s the day after tomorrow.

In political Washington the shutdown delay passed for both decisive and courageous action. It was a tough “fight” with more of the battle yet to come.

In the real world beyond the Beltway it’s yet another jam from Congress, which does one thing — go on frequent and extended vacations — very well. In its other duties, not so much.

We should know this week whether the kids of feds will have a happy holiday, or get stockings stuffed with coal.

Then what?

The administration, after nearly seven years of thought but not much action, has decided the Senior Executive Service should be overhauled. Among other things, executives would be more closely monitored and more mobile, and could get assigned to other agencies and even the private sector. Sort of like the military system that the Defense Department wants to change for its officer corps.

The planned SES reforms would make it operate, in fact, the way it was supposed to operate when it was created during the Carter administration.

On the off chance that Congress goes along with yet another “reform,” it likely won’t be launched until the next President takes office. What he or she does with it is anybody’s guess. Possibly reform the reform.

Now that the 1 to 1.3 percent federal pay raise is chiseled in stone, a number of members have proposed a not-gonna-happen 3.9 percent raise.

Congress next year is certain to revive and reintroduce proposals to lower future COLAs for federal retirees, make it easier to fire workers and executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs, tighten the government’s odd and erratic bonus program, and privatize some of the Internal Revenue Service’s tax collecting chores or abolish it altogether. And the beat goes on.

Oh, also in 2016,  look for (another) White House effort to make government service “cool” again and persuade more top notch college grads to sign on with Uncle Sam. Preferably before they find out what it’s really like once inside …

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Meredith Somers

Naki Sumo is a centuries-old tradition in which two sumo wrestlers stand across from each other holding babies and try to make them cry. The first baby to cry is the winner, though the belief is that both children will be blessed with good health.

Source: Huffington Post

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