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Federal News Radio
Thank you,
federal employees
Tuesday - 11/25/2014
Commentary by Jeff Neal
It is Thanksgiving week and before everyone heads out of the office to
take a well-deserved holiday, I want to give thanks for our federal
workforce. Fed- bashing may be a popular sport in some places, but not
in my home. I believe that majority of federal employees do a great
job, care about their work, do more than is necessary, support their
co-workers in times or need and provide tremendous benefit to the
American people.
Let's look at just a few things federal employees do.
They support our troops. The Department of Defense relies heavily upon
700,000 federal employees to provide supplies, rebuild ships, aircraft
and other equipment, provide IT, financial management and personnel
support, conduct intelligence work, and countless other tasks that
enable our men and women in uniform to carry out their missions.
They collect revenue. Some folks might wonder why I would be thankful
for tax collectors, but I like roads, our military, the Social Security
program and many other aspects of what our government does. None of
that happens without the taxes collected by the IRS.
They protect our food supply, environment and medicines. Federal
workers inspect our food, promote agriculture, provide assistance to
small and large farms, regulate pollutants, review new drugs to ensure
their efficacy and safety, and manage over 200 million acres of
National Forests and Wilderness Areas.
They preserve and operate our National Parks. The U.S. has a
spectacular array of National Parks, ranging from Yosemite to
Yellowstone and as unique as Wolf Trap, the only National Park for the
Performing Arts.
They ensure we can travel safely by air, rail and highways. They
forecast the weather and help us understand when dangerous storms can
put us at risk, manage fisheries, explore outer space and conduct
groundbreaking medical and scientific research.
They respond to natural and man-made disasters, protect our borders,
promote legitimate commerce and protect American businesses and
consumer from counterfeit goods and currency.
They run the Social Security program, Medicare and veterans programs,
along with many more that are too numerous to list in one blog post.
I don't think we take time to say thank you often enough. We learned
following the bitter years of the Vietnam War that we can honor the
warrior even when we do not want the war. The same applies to the
federal workforce. Whether we think our federal government is too big,
too small or just right, we can respect federal workers for what they
do for us every day and say Thank You.
So this Thanksgiving week — Thank you, federal employees. Thank you for
you loyalty, your dedication, your hard work, and the difference you
make in America. I appreciate it — and you — very much.
Read this and other articles at Federal News Radio
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