FIRED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT - (Biographical)

Andrew McCabe and I share something in common in that we both were fired by the Federal government.  True, mine was not as sad as his, but the upshot is the same.

McCabe was fired for "lack of candor" (not being truthful) in some of his answers to questions.  The full report by the Inspector General has not been released.  but I will say one thing, if they sig the Inspector General onto you, he (or she) will find something to be critical of.

I find it hard to believe that his firing will stand.  For one thing, he was not given an opportunity to appeal the decision.  For another, it was done after work hours on a Friday night with no scheduled work hours on the weekend.  I'm sure he had already signed his retirement papers by close of business on Friday if not before. thirdly, I'm sure there was too much Presidential interference in the matter. Whatever he did, it should have been enough punishment to force him into an early retirement.  To also fire him is double punishment.  It is said that the following Monday he would only turn 50, still a man in mid-career.

In my case, the firing used a polite name of Reduction-In-Force where I was one of more than 500 let go or forced into retirement by the Geologic Division of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1995 as part of  Vice President Gore's Reinventing Government effort.*  A nice touch was that we were told to vacate the building by 4:30 PM on a Friday the 13th.  But someone remembered that our contract was to go through Sunday (end of a pay period) so the pressure was off to leave by 4:30 PM.  Management then could not get anyone to tell us to leave (something they resisted in the first place) even on the following Monday.

In the Federal Government, researchers have no Civil Service protection because they pretend you can only do the project you are currently on (no matter what projects you have done in the past).  It is crazy, but the U.S. Geological Survey used this to decrease their staff when pressed by over 500 mostly researchers (including me).

I was on a five-year project to evaluate the mineral resources of the Upper Midwest that I was asked to do. and where I had no expertise on  I was in the fourth year of this project.  I asked to be able to finish the project in another year and then I would retire, but they were desperate so they scrubbed the project, said they didn't need it after all.  My evaluations were Excellent in 4 of the previous 5 years.

It wasn't very long when I realized that what happened was just as well.  They did let me use facilities (a desk, file cabinets, and computers) to finish research projects; however, by law, I couldn't finish the project they said they didn't need. My rule was, if it was something I wanted to do, it was free.  If it was something they wanted me to do, they had to pay me.  Everything I did was free as I was finishing incomplete studies.  After five years of this, I moved on.

Why did I have unfinished research projects to work on?  It was because a number of times my current research was interrupted by some project the organization needed.  Some examples were that I was loaned out to NASA to help set up the Lunar Sample Program of Apollo.  I supervise setting up a geology exhibits trailer to tour minority colleges to show opportunities in the Earth sciences.  Another was I was loaned out the National Park Service to help set up stone test sites for acid rain studies.  The National Park Service also wanted me to examine Memorials and Monuments for pollution damage.  When I said that I didn't have experience in this kind of study, they said, "You are a scientist aren't you?"  How could I refuse?  Some others were administrative details.  I do not regret doing any of these things, but I found I was glad it was over.  Being a Federal Civil Servant is being a political football.

When I moved from northern Virginia to North Carolina, I still had two studies to write up, but the fire went out of me, and they were never finished.  There is a lot of scut work in putting a manuscript together.

* Included in the firing were several electricians and electronics specialists who had military service and had to be rehired.