Tag: Northern Virginia

Furloughs and Your Retirement

Well, it’s furlough time — or, as my friend Herb Hayes calls it, “furl-ouch.” Suddenly, every day feels like a snow day. But where I live in Northern Virginia, the sun is shining and it’s as hot as a summer day in mid-July. When government shutdowns happen, it is not as much fun to have a day off as some people seem to think. The emotions are many: fear (will I be paid?), curiosity (how is everyone handling the situation?), and anger (why would our government allow this to happen?).

While I’m not currently a federal employee, I am a government contractor who also is affected, because there are no employees at work to attend my pre-retirement seminars. I always try to look on the bright side of any situation, but there are many people — feds as well as those who depend on the government to stay in business — that will not see any bright side to this situation. Continue reading “”

Part 3: In Presidential Race, Both Sides Woo Federal Workers

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Part 3: In Presidential Race, Both Sides Woo Federal Workers

Government workforce a key vote in 2012 election

By: Matt Laslo // August 1, 2012
 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stands with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell as he campaigns at Electronic Instrumentation and Technology in Sterling, Va., Wednesday, June 27.
AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stands with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell as he campaigns at Electronic Instrumentation and Technology in Sterling, Va., Wednesday, June 27.

Virginia is one of the most hotly-contested states in this year’s presidential election, which makes political outreach to federal workers in the region all the more important. Some Democratic campaigns think they have the votes of most federal employees in the bag, but it’s more complicated than one might think.

There’s been no shortage of Republican rhetoric about shrinking the government — even eliminating entire agencies — during this year’s presidential race. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney epitomized the argument during a speech on the campaign trail after he won the Michigan GOP primary in February. Continue reading “Part 3: In Presidential Race, Both Sides Woo Federal Workers”

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