I'M SURE you've had enough turkey
I'd like to start with news about our friends over at the U.S. Postal Service. I haven't talked much about them lately; things have been pretty quiet there.
By the way, in case you haven't heard yet, the Postal Service board of governors voted to accept the Postal Rate Commission's recommendation to increase most postal rates.
To you and me, that means first-class stamps will go from 37 cents to 39 cents and postcard stamps will go from 23 cents to 24 cents.
The good news is that the increase will not take effect until Jan. 8, 2006. So you can still mail all your holiday cards at the old rate and feel like you're getting a deal.
For those of you who are into financial planning and didn't budget for this postal increase, I have a suggestion. You could mail all your bill payments for the entire year before Jan. 8, and avoid the higher postage costs. However, if you are anything like me, that will result in a substantial number of returned-check fees.
In addition, the Postal Service is the first government agency to implement major procurement reform and do it very quietly. In May, the Postal Service streamlined its procurement rules and basically cut out many of the tedious regulations, replacing them with what they call "guidelines and policies."
Postal Service officials hope the move to the new system will increase flexibility and introduce the principle of best practices into their operations.
While the management staff within the Postal Service appears to be happy, it seems some contractors are not. They are worried that the new guidelines are not enough to prevent the Postal Service from acting irresponsibly when it comes to awarding contracts.
The Postal Service denies there is any need for contractors to worry. In fact, it believes the new rules will give them the flexibility to manage their procurement program more effectively.
So if a huge agency such as the Postal Service can implement a major change like a new procurement policy quietly and successfully, I wonder why other agencies are having difficulty implementing other changes.
Finally, if you have been hearing all the buzz about the flu and are confused, I don't blame you. I wanted to leave you with a source for information so you can stop worrying and get correct and complete information.
The Centers for Disease Control has a Web site at cdc.gov/flu; you can also get information at hhs.gov/flu. This and other good information is available from the Office of Personnel Management; contact your personnel office for more information.
MICHAEL KOLE of Spotsylvania County is a career federal employee. Write him c/o Federal Feedback, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401. Or e-mail
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com.