Way to blow things out of proportion there, jflynn.

First, it's not like TBugs asked for those 3 weeks. That came courtesy of Mr. Gingrich.

Second, there was no guarantee that the workers would get paid for those weeks. Never mind the fact that they had no income while their bills continued to come due.

Third, if he's getting 6 weeks paid vacation, that means he's got a LOT of seniority. However, that puts him about on par with a low-lever worker in Germany.

Fourth, "through sick time pay"? I know some states still have this problem but federal workers cannot (and have not been able to for a while) cash out their sick time in a lump sum.

Fifth, define "full government pension". If I work 20 years and retire, I get 20% of my base pay as a pension - and that doesn't include geographic adjustments. In other words, I get 24% higher than "base pay" because I work in the Boston area (other areas get different percentages according to cost of living). My pension will not include that 24%.

Sixth, what "mess" are you referring to? And how is Gingrich's forced "vacation" with the retroactive pay that HE agreed to THE reason why we are in this "mess"?