Of course, I am retired on a full government pension. I worked for the Dept of Veterans Affairs for 36 years - helping veterans find jobs. When did I work for the government? US Army 1966-69, VA 1971-2005.

The 3 weeks of retroactive pay for the government shutdown was due to Newt. The 6 weeks (240 hours) was what I earned each year.

Did I have sick leave? Yes, I earned sick leave each year that carried over the unused balance to the next year.

Did I have a generous health insurance plan? I had Kaiser Permanente HMO which was excellent. I paid for it, too, just like anyone else. I also paid into the Civil Service Retirement System - at a higher rate than Social Security. I paid into Medicare, too.

Sounds as though you are jealous of my benefits. You certainly had the opportunity - as I did - to take the Civil Service exam and compete for a government job after getting out of the military or college.

I do not know what kind of career you had, but I would not mock it due to the inactivity of Congress one year that shut down the government workforce and cost the public an untold amount of money.

So, JFlynn, where did you work for your career? Did you belong to a union? Did you ever go on strike? Did you get to buy health insurance? Did you get annual vacation and sick leave days? Do you get a pension? Do you now have health insurance (paid by your former employer or entirely on Medicare)? So you get Social Security in addition to your company pension plan? You asked me about my perks - I answered, you please answer, too.