Allen Ezell checked in briefly when it was over for today. Apparently it was (all or part) on C-SPAN after all. Pellar's cousin was a popular witness, expressed some remorse, rehashed details, said Pellar didn't trust banks and buried money in the ground. She was all in black, with flaming red hair. Several Senators stopped by briefly for sound bites and photo opps. Inouye of Hawaii assured us that they used to be bad, but all under control now. Lieberman was there. The GAO report was so non-specific, it will be impossible to figure out who they found. No job titles or agencies named. The 28 findees are turned over to authorities for further investigation. The room, which could hold about 300, was about 1/4 full. He got the impression that many were lawyers for the schools. Kennedy-Western mentioned frequently, and included on the various graphics. (Copies of PowerPoints to be made available. Big color photo of Pellar's yacht.) Allen Contreras from Oregon has clearly become a national figure of stature. Lots of testimony today, and he will continue tomorrow. Ezell felt the main sense of things is that this will be the end of it. The federal government has done its duty. Sound bites. Photo opps. And life will pretty much go on as before. Mark your calendar for 2024 when it may come 'round again. On the other hand, 60 Minutes II was there, and they do have the power to shake things up -- viz the Iraq prison photos they revealed last week.
actually the GAO report does identify agencies. DOD has the most. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04771t.pdf So many things were absolutely wrong with this entire process. The general public is unaware of the rules governing civil service so this document will fly by as valid. For instance, GS-15s (or above) were determined to be the interest group. Education, except for some professional positions, is not a qualifying factor for this paygrade. So the answer is they were not hired based upon their education but based upon experience. The group should have included all positions with a positive education requirement.
