Retired, But Still On the Job
The Wall Street Journal has a great story today about Martin Bennett, who spends his days hunting down unsafe products and hassling their makers to comply with federal laws and regulations. So he must work for the Conusmer Product Safety Commission, right? Not any more.
The 69-year-old Bennett retired from the agency more than six years ago. But he just can't stop spending his days researching products at his computer and making unannounced visits to manufacturers and suppliers -- even if that results in him getting thrown off the premises from time to time.
"It's part of the job," he says. "I mean my old job."
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
what not to do when you retired
get a life Posted Wednesday, March 5, 2008 2:37 PMhe needs to get a job as a contractor/consultant with the Commission and get paid, instead of doing it gratis
gayle Posted Thursday, March 6, 2008 12:40 PMAh, but I have seen the same with retired USDA employees who formerly worked to eliminate fraud, waste, etc in programs such as Food Stamps or Child Nutrition programs & their jobs were contracted out or eliminated. It is heartbreaking to see what you spent your career protecting marginalized and the pubic no longer protected.
Rgar Posted Thursday, March 6, 2008 10:14 PMThis is exactly why work-life balance is so important and additionally, why you're the ONLY one who can do it! This guy has nothing else to live for apparently and never learned how to live while working. Here's a couple suggestions: visit the grandkids (assuming they even know who you are); take the wife on a cruise every six months; take up photography; learn to golf; become an avid bicyclist; volunteer tutoring at the local high school; did I mention visiting your grandkids?
I'd bet this guy's adult children don't even talk to him anymore after years of neglect/ignoring by him. Sounds like a wasted life.
get a life 2 Posted Friday, March 7, 2008 6:29 AMMartin Bennett, I salute you. Why would anybody criticise you for being a good citizen? Why would someone say "get a life"? I don't get it. For a lot of people, having "a life" revolves around being a spectator of people who have lives (NASCAR races, Sunday afternoon football). Martin Bennett does not live "a life" vicariously. Learn something from this guy instead of criticising him.
anon Posted Friday, March 7, 2008 10:51 AMAnd the public thinks public officials don't care! Sounds like he just wants to continue to be helpful.
John McGucken Posted Friday, March 7, 2008 11:21 AMI am always amused at the assumptions made by people based on a snippet of information. Perhaps Mr. Bennett never spends time with his grandkids and has no hobbies. Perhaps he does spend time with his family, and has hobbies, but still has lots of free time that he can spend on doing his old job.
Assuming someone who is retired can afford two cruises a year, that still gives him 50 weeks where he needs to find something to do. How many weeks does he get to spend with his grandkids, assuming he has any? Give him a week a month (which is very generous and virtually guaranteed to tick off his own kids, who now have to adjust their own lives to deal with 12 weeks of visiting parents) and you still have 38 weeks.
Maybe he already plays golf, does he have to play every day? Once a week would be enough for me, and would give him four days a week for 38 weeks where he still needs to do something.
No one here knows Mr. Bennett. He could easily be (1) a complete drudge who never developed any personal interests outside his job and who subordinated his family to his professions, or (2) someone who has a full life, wants to remain active, and wants to continue doing something he enjoyed and which he found valuable. I don't know which he is, but I think anyone jumping to the conclusion that he is the first person I described is being grossly unfair.
wallyp Posted Monday, March 10, 2008 10:22 AMI have time to spend with my two children, three grand children, wife and three step-children. (I am a remaried widower.) I also spend some time on a number of other activities including collecting plants for the local botanical garden. (My first job was with the USDA.) I prefer these activities to sitting around watching spectator sports.
Martin Bennett Posted Saturday, March 15, 2008 11:27 PM