It's Public Service Recognition Week here in DC, which means public servants are renting tuxes and giving awards to each other. It's a lot like the Oscars, except there are no red carpets, no designer clothes, not everyone is beautiful, and the industry congratulating itself is not beloved by fans around the world. But other than that...
On Wednesday, the Service to America Medals were held (More on that later). Then last night, the "2009 Distinguished Executives and Professionals" of the Presidential Rank were honored. Senior Executives, whose pay ranges from $145,700 to $199,700, received bonuses as a result of the awards worth up to 35% of their salaries, or $29,140 to $69,895. Not bad for servants.
Bonuses are a useful way to incentivize performance, unless you work on Wall Street, in which case they are tantamount to theft. Seriously, though, there are some differences between bonuses in the public and private sector. One nice thing about government bonus programs is that once they are established, they can never go away. And, since the government isn't in the business of making money--just taking money--they can't by definition be tied to profitability. In other words, no matter what the economy does, no matter how much or how little the government is running a deficit, some government working is going to get some bonus every year.
Unless it's 2009.
You see, last night was the ceremony for the 2009 awards. Apparently, the Office of Personnel Management was supposed to hold the ceremony in the fall, but inexplicably didn't get around to it.
It's somehow fitting that awards for excellence in government were handed out six months late.
On Wednesday, the Service to America Medals were held (More on that later). Then last night, the "2009 Distinguished Executives and Professionals" of the Presidential Rank were honored. Senior Executives, whose pay ranges from $145,700 to $199,700, received bonuses as a result of the awards worth up to 35% of their salaries, or $29,140 to $69,895. Not bad for servants.
Bonuses are a useful way to incentivize performance, unless you work on Wall Street, in which case they are tantamount to theft. Seriously, though, there are some differences between bonuses in the public and private sector. One nice thing about government bonus programs is that once they are established, they can never go away. And, since the government isn't in the business of making money--just taking money--they can't by definition be tied to profitability. In other words, no matter what the economy does, no matter how much or how little the government is running a deficit, some government working is going to get some bonus every year.
Unless it's 2009.
You see, last night was the ceremony for the 2009 awards. Apparently, the Office of Personnel Management was supposed to hold the ceremony in the fall, but inexplicably didn't get around to it.
It's somehow fitting that awards for excellence in government were handed out six months late.
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