'F***ing Failure': Obama Ethics Chief Slams Biden for 'Illegally' Hiring Kids of Top Aides

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ondma

Platinum Member
Mar 18, 2018
2,999
1,520
136
This is ridiculous. Every company I've ever worked for has had married couples, parent/kids, and siblings. If they aren't working for or around each other, who cares? If one of them is a high up boss, they're family shouldn't be in that agency, but there is no reason why the Security of State's kid shouldn't be same to get a job for the IRS as long as they are qualified and got the job based on merit.
Yea, but that is the point. There are probably tens or hundreds of other applicants that are qualified as well. If a relative or family member of a prominent official is hired, it always makes it difficult to rule out favoritism, both in hiring, and in how the person is treated and promoted after hiring.
 

Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,244
10,818
136
private company vs government. these are actual laws/guides/rules in the manual for hiring.

any argument you want to make here doesn't apply across private industry. It's just a damn tick of a box that is easily preventable, outside of any other argument or comparison to anything else.

It's a lazy thing that still shouldn't have happened, regardless of qualifications. The attempts to compare this to Trump levels of criminality are made no less absurd under the simple fact that such hiring is still a general violation and is easily avoidable.

Think about it: this is the exact kind of shit that torpedoed the Grant administration, and it's exactly why these rules exist.
The comment I was replying to was saying no two connected people should be able to work in the government, I know that isn't the law currently but what I was responding to.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,142
5,089
136
The controversy being captured in this thread is about "appearance of impropriety" in absence of following up whether impropriety exists.

"I have observed family members getting positions in government!!!"
- Did they obtain these positions outside normal channels?
"I didn't check"
- Are they in positions where they can received special treatment such as working under a relative
"I didn't check"
- Are they unqualified for these positions?
"I didn't check"
- Were more favorable candidates overlooked?
"I didn't check"
- Do the high level staff involved serve to benefit by having relatives in these positions?
"I didn't check"
- Do these relatives have the ability to benefit from having other relatives in higher positions?
"I didn't check but....you know. How could they not? Its the way it is and that just wrong. It doesn't matter if they are in completely different agencies are building or even states. It's wrong. They OBVIOUSLY stole those positions from more qualified people!! They OBVIOUSLY only got the job because they are connected!!!"
- What positions?
"I didn't check"
- What is the normal process for getting a job at the White House?
"I didn't check but you know how it works!!! If you know the right people...."
- Are you saying that the White House doesn't have formalized HR? Are you saying that the Biden administration is bypassing established protocols?
"I didn't check"

- What did you check?
"Some guy from POGO wrote an essay and it got picked up by a few media outlets which then showed up in my feed so I'm just really upset on what I read."

Obviously everyone is on edge after having 4 years of what the reality TV personality did to public service.
 
Nov 17, 2019
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The comment I was replying to was saying no two connected people should be able to work in the government, ...
My position is that no one connected to an Executive Branch appointee should be eligible for a Federal job until that appointee is out of office.
 

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,142
5,089
136
My position is that no one connected to an Executive Branch appointee should be eligible for a Federal job until that appointee is out of office.
So if I'm the nations leading expert on sino-arab relations with established credentials and my sister is currently serving as assistant to the managing director of the white house council of environmental quality, the state department should remove me from talent pool list.

Gotcha. They should go get that other guy on the list.
 
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Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,244
10,818
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My position is that no one connected to an Executive Branch appointee should be eligible for a Federal job until that appointee is out of office.
There are like 2500 appointees, that is as massive chunk of the talent pool being removed from consideration. I could made see not hiring someone connected to them, but if they are already employed, I really don't think they should be let go over it.
 
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