What we have here, is a failure to communicate...

Leave it to the government to do something with its right hand and somehow keep the left hand in the dark about what is transpiring. Here’s a for instance. Let’s say there is a DoD financial trainee program. In this program, fifty naïve minds are drawn in under false pretenses each year. Bait, including: substantial yearly raises, a cushy job with future security, and holiday and time off benefits which surpass many entry-level positions in the private sector, is used to lure the oblivious into its clutches. Once a person takes the job, he will soon learn that the job can be mundane at times, the interdepartmental shifting can be a hassle, and the notion of leaving town once for two months has now evolved into at least twice for four months. Excuse me; I digress. Regarding the matter of communication failure... Trainees are expected to pick up and go elsewhere in the country for four months at a time. If this is less than a two hour drive, it isn’t a big deal. A weekend trip is certainly not out of the question. However, if a person is going to work across the country, paying a couple hundred dollars to fly back for a few days is tough to justify. It might be worthwhile if the vacation were longer, but there are rules against taking an extended break while on a travel assignment. Sure, the federal employee gets a fair amount of vacation time, but with a traveling schedule, when could he use it? It turns out that trainees can actually have two trips home, per four month rotation, paid for by the government. Isn’t that nice? That trainee’s taxes are coming full circle and allowing him or her to go see family and friends twice, while away. …but wait… “Why? What’s wrong?” you ask. Herein lies the rub. The trainee program was never authorized to pay for trips back in the first place. * insert despondent sigh here. For those who found out about these return trips late, they are now back in Screwedville. …hopes boosted …hopes shattered, and no free rides home. Such is the story of a benefit not advertised, a benefit realized, and a benefit reinstated as nonexistent. O well. There is always per diem to hoard…