Mike Causey's Federal Report is the best way to stay up to date on the latest issues affecting federal pay, benefits, and retirement. Plus, Mike's funny. New Federal Report columns can be found each weekday morning right here on FederalNewsRadio.com. Bookmark Mike's homepage or have his columns delivered directly to your email.

Dr. Strangelove: Or How We Learned To Love Sequestration

Coming soon...maybe...to a federal agency near you: Sequestration. Everybody is talking about it and nobody is doing anything about it. Congress set up the Dr. Strangelove-like time bomb to force it to do something...but so far nobody is doing anything but warning about federal furloughs and layoffs that could also devastate the contractor community.....

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When In Doubt, Mumble!

If you've been in government for a while, you are accustomed to operating without a budget...but every time Congress fails to do its job, federal agencies, federal workers and federal taxpayers suffer...

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Your Two-Month Timeline...

Unless you get a better offer or drop dead before your time odds are you are going to eventually retire from the government...maybe in the same job you have now. But Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, how soon should your realistic retirement planning begin.

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No Cal Buyouts

While some federal agencies are offering buyouts ranging from $15,000 to $25,000, the giant Social Security Administration is trying a new approach: No Cal buyouts. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says if they catch on, your agency may be next.

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When In Doubt, Slash and Burn

You've got two operations: one that brings in most of the money, the other that dispenses a lot of it to people in need. Times are tough, so tough you are borrowing billions of dollars from China. So what do you do? You trim the staff at both operations, thus limiting your badly needed revenue while also reducing services.

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Buyouts: Show Me The Money!

Are you a lifer, or are you waiting for Uncle Sam to show-you-the-money? Buyout offers abound in government but many employees say the tough economy is a good reason to stay on the job. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks have you hit the tipping point yet?

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Federal Pay: Misteakes Wuz Made

Are the experts doing all those federal pay studies working from the same database and on the same page? Or are they even on the same planet, which would explain why you are either overpaid 50 percent in one study or underpaid at least 20 percent in another, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

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Calm Before The Storm

August is hot in DC, Atlanta, Houston, St. Louis and Cincinnati and lots of other places too. But those of us inside the Beltway get a break you don't...that's because for the next month...until after Labor Day, tens of thousands of the people who at times make this such a toxic town are away — back with the folks who sent them here in the first place.

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Want Big Government Bucks ... Become a Coach or Professor!

If you want to get rich, or at least make bigger bucks, consider a career in government ... but not the federal government. Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says you should check out the help wanted ads for the state where you pay your income, sales or property taxes ...

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Was 2011 The Good Old Days???

When you think of the good old days do you think of your childhood, or maybe when you were in high school or college? For some people, like those who work for or are otherwise linked to Uncle Sam, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says the good old days may be as recent as this time last year when we thought times were tough.

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Budget showdown fizzles

Ever watch an inept team of trainees assemble then take apart an explosive device? If not, move to D.C. or watch live coverage of Congress on TV. With Congress, you get the political version which, more often than not, ends in a whimper rather than a bang, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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End of the world delayed?

Good news, bad news. The good news is that the end of the world — in your case, maybe extended furloughs or even a layoff — is likely to be extended. Things are currently scheduled to go boom early next January. But there are signs that Congress may delay the day of reckoning until March or April of 2013. Now your only worry is the Mayan calendar, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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George Clooney and us

You're a GS-13 male. You work for the Defense Department or the IRS in D.C., or Atlanta or Philadelphia. So what do you have in common with actor George Clooney that would make him jealous of you? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey thinks he's found the answer, and its more than just your TSP plan.

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Overpaid feds bite back

If one expert told you your house was overpriced by 58 percent and another said it was undervalued by 28 percent, you might want to get a third opinion. Maybe a fourth too. And that's the gap between experts trying to figure out the federal vs. industry pay gap, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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Studies 'prove' feds are either overpaid or underpaid

What would happen if you put six people in a dark room with an elephant, a rhino and a giant squid and gave them 30 seconds to describe what they discovered? Odds are, the survivors would give widely varying accounts, which may explain those studies showing you are both overpaid and underpaid, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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It's a bird, it's a plane ... Nope, it's a bird

The long-predicted retirement tsunami may or may not be out there. But if you are even thinking about retiring, you should assume the worst and protect yourself with a financial life-jacket That, or prepare for a long time underwater, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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Less take-home for feds, retirees

Thanks to the 800-pound gorilla in the room, both federal workers and retirees may suffer a cut in take-home pay next year, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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Political appointees nervous about November

Want to know who's going to win the November election? Forget about the Beltway-bound pundits, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. Check with career civil servants who have been watching their political masters for signs of fear or euphoria...

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When the S (sequestration) hits the fan?

Is your work world about to change dramatically, or end? If Congress doesn't act quickly the S could literally hit the fan, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

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Where there's smoke, there's more smoke

In most federal offices, the practice of on-the-job-smoking has gone with the wind, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But for some feds, isolated pockets for smokers outside the building need to be pushed even further downwind.

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