On the one hand, I am immensely pleased that such a great parody was created by some of my fellow USG employees. On the other hand, this video, and the award it received at GSA's incredibly stupid and wasteful Las Vegas conference, is a massive self-inflicted wound on the agency itself.
The guy who does the singing is so good that he ought to do it professionally. Which is a post-government career path that he just might have the opportunity to pursue before long, because the video is pluperfect material for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The Committee has posted the video online:
The House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform has released a rap video made by a GSA employee in Hawaii in which he pokes fun at buying "everything you field office can't afford" and says he'll "spend BA 61 all on fun."
According to the GSA, "BA 61" is a "budget activity that provides funds to all Government-owned facilities that are maintained and operated by the General Services Administration. ... BA 61 also funds staff support (including salaries, travel, training, etc.). ..."
The rapper also says, "I'll never be under OIG investigation."That part about the OIG investigation is no longer correct.
This video is very far from being the worst example of waste or abuse that I have ever seen. On balance, it's really pretty innocuous. Let him who has never goofed off a little on company time cast the first stone. But don't put it on video. That's a little advice I offer from the bottom of my government-employed heart.
9 comments:
Great Post TSB! I wonder if Professor Obama has heard about this? gwb
GWB: The administration fired the head of GSA this week, so they seemed to be taking responsibility. Then, today, a new line came out of the White House blaming it on - wait for it - George Bush.
It seems that GSA's spending on this annual Western conference had started to increase during the last couple years of the Bush administration. And that's enough to blame it on him every after, apparently.
That's funny! Trying to outdo the Bush people seems to have been a theme song en route to hell! gwb
TSB: It is interesting to listen to a bit of the fired GSA bureaucrats testifying today. It looks like 20 years of the executive and legislative branches letting everything run on auto pilot have produced this shining example of "triple branch ineptitude". gwb
I listened to the hearing yesterday, but missed it today. T think the Republicans are bashing GSA in order to make a broader point about out-of-control government, and the Democrats are bashing individuals (like Neely) in order to personalize (depoliticize) the scandal.
I'm just having a hard time hearing all this coming from U.S. Congressmen, a group that makes GSA look like cheapskates when they go on their frequent junkets and 'fact-finding' trips.
Yes... the congress guys are real hard to listen to but the sour pusses on the bureaucrats at the table were something to behold last night!.. the key is to leave the sound off!
gwb
Good idea. The OIG witnesses ought to look pretty satisfied, I guess. But the commissioners and administrators, ah, much less so.
The guy in the video is still at GSA.
Anon.,
Thanks for your comment. I'm kind of glad to hear the rank-and-file employees survived. Jeff Neely, the big shot who was responsible for the whole Las Vegas fiasco, just pled guilty to criminal charges a week or so ago. I was glad to hear about that, too.
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