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5 Fallacies of Government?

Go to any conference and listen to different speakers, or hear what those in Congress say and invariably someone will perpetuate a stereotype of the federal government. The government wastes money when it buys goods and services. Federal employees don't work hard. Several thousands of federal employees will walk out the door in the next year or two or five. These are among the most common observations made about the federal government. And over time, these statements have developed their own lives. But are they really true? Or are they just fallacies, like urban myths, no one has ever tried to prove wrong? FederalNewsRadio is taking on these perceptions to once and for all see if these stereotypes are indeed fact or fiction. All this week, we go myth busting and will analyze five common observations about the federal government and let you decide if the depictions are deserved.

The federal retirement wave is coming

October 22, 2009 - 4:47am

For more than a decade, agencies have been told that thousands of workers one day will get up and walk out the door. This "retirement tsunami" has turned out to be nothing more than a drip. Even so, experts continue to prophesize the exodus and warn that agencies remain unprepared for the "brain drain". What contributes to this foreboding? We ask current and former OPM officials about retirement projections, experts who study employment trends across all sectors, how agencies are planning to replace those who do retire and what it takes to create a cohesive workforce with an influx of people who have never known life without the Clinger-Cohen Act. We also heard an interesting theory from our own Mike Causey.

The Retirement Wave
In today's look at the "5 Fallacies of Government?", FederalNewsRadio turns the focus on the "retirement wave" of the future. FederalNewsRadio's Jane Norris reports.

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REPORTS, COLUMNS AND OP-EDS

OPM Director John Berry: No impending retirement disaster
"Bottom line we're not seeing anything right now in the data that would show us this is a problem. Obviously if it starts to show up we will be ready for it," said Berry. To read the entire article, click here.

The Retirement Wave
In today's look at the "5 Fallacies of Government?", FederalNewsRadio turns the focus on the "retirement wave" of the future. To read the full story, click here.

Brain Drain or Trickle?
What does the War of 1812 have to do with long-running, dire warnings of a government brain drain? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey thinks he's found a direct connection which explains why this is the crisis du jour year after year. Click here for a special Federal Report.

IRS keeps pipeline of qualified employees flowing with interns
Tax agency officials are not overly worried about potential retirement of large number of workers. IRS sees internship programs as one way to attract entry level workers. Students receive high impact assignments from senior agency officials to ensure they gain the experience and understanding of what the agency does. To read the full story, click here.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Credit: http://www.govloop.com/forum/topics/5-fallacies-of-government-2

Federal News Radio wants to know what you think! Retirement tsunami? Really? Join your peers in discussion on this topic at GovLoop.com. All this week, Federal News Radio will be hosting discussion boards on GovLoop, a social networking site for feds, where you can weigh in with your thoughts on each of our topics.

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