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Agreed. I think the point is that whatever shows up in the background check there should be some kind of Whole-Person concept much like we do with a security clearance. Spotting red flags is one part in determining the "whole person" as a risk to themselves or others.

Except it doesn't work that way once you are the POTUS.

https://news.clearancejobs.com...

Elected officials in the U.S. aren't evaluated for security clearance, they are granted access to the information by virtue of being in the position. More info here and here.

U.S. Congress members do not undergo a background investigation for the purpose of receiving a security clearance. They only have to swear a secrecy oath. See the following article for more info:

https://news.clearancejobs.com...

How much would it cost to build and launch an 50-tonne "workshop" spacecraft to do the Shuttle's job and then ditch it into the upper atmosphere after every flight?

Why would you need such a thing, especially "on every flight"? Even Salyuts were under 20 tonnes, and that was with hard (and rather rugged) structure and with all amenities. I suspect that with Bigelow's inflatable modules, you could cut that down almost by half, even when still keeping such things as robotic arms etc. Most of the mass of the Shuttle is the airframe, thermal protection, ten tonnes of engines, and the payload bay. There's absolutely no reason to haul it into orbit every time. It cost the US space program over 6000 tonnes of payload that could have been delivered to space instead. Are you saying that Dragon would have to haul (even if just for satellite servicing missions) a thirty-ton airlock and a twenty-ton robotic arm? I don't think these things are being made of lead...

Saying that the Shuttle concept was laid out in the days when scheduling launches and docking in space was not as refined as it is today so the workshop was integrated with a manned "capsule" and living space and everything went up in one stack.

No, the Shuttle concept was laid out as a rather plain crewed vehicle, until the DoD stepped in saying that they want to steal Russian satellites. That is the reason why the Shuttle had a lot of expensive capabilities that ended up vastly underutilized.

At the moment Dragon's only intended purpose is ferrying crews to the ISS

No, it really isn't. :D

If you want to know about security clearance in the US, you can check it at http://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/c10978.htm

For the cost of getting security clearance, you who is an employee would not be paying but your employer. I believe the cost is varied depended on case by case. http://news.clearancejobs.com/2011/08/07/how-much-does-it-really-cost-to-get-a-security-clearance/ gives some idea about how much but it is 2 years old...

Serious question here: as a civilian electronics engineer working for the DoD, I had to go through a rigorous background check, interview process, and polygraph to obtain my current clearance level and job. This costs an extraordinary amount of money (likely over $10K), why the hell do I have to pay and go through yet another background check and interview process for pre-check?

One would think that we'd be in the business of trying to save some time and money these days....

Same here, and reading the comments below, pilots and ground crew people not being "pre-cleared" when flying, but able to walk around all over the airport, I think we'd all take the TSA a little more seriously if they didn't seem to go out of their way to be morons.

Serious question here: as a civilian electronics engineer working for the DoD, I had to go through a rigorous background check, interview process, and polygraph to obtain my current clearance level and job. This costs an extraordinary amount of money (likely over $10K), why the hell do I have to pay and go through yet another background check and interview process for pre-check?

One would think that we'd be in the business of trying to save some time and money these days....

I work for an airline and wonder the same thing. I am cleared to work in and around planes every day, work with cargo and baggage, and for a time even had the clearance to go behind the customs and immigration areas(which has a limited number of clearances available). I go through no security beyond at most a badge check every time I go to work, and yet if i want to travel I have to go through the same system as everyone else. I fail to see how I could be cleared one day and a potential security threat the next day with the only difference being I am traveling instead of working (which would actually limit my access to only one aircraft-when I am working I have access to countless aircraft).

Serious question here: as a civilian electronics engineer working for the DoD, I had to go through a rigorous background check, interview process, and polygraph to obtain my current clearance level and job. This costs an extraordinary amount of money (likely over $10K), why the hell do I have to pay and go through yet another background check and interview process for pre-check?

One would think that we'd be in the business of trying to save some time and money these days....

I agree with you. I see no reason for someone with a US clearance (other than a DHS clearance, because who watches the watchers?) to not be given precheck for free and without any additional effort.

Actually, I see no reason why 90% of the public, US citizens and otherwise, should be subject to anything more than light screening. (AKA "pre-9/11 screening".)

As for your final line, TSA is in the theatrical business. Saving time, money, and lives is not their job.

Serious question here: as a civilian electronics engineer working for the DoD, I had to go through a rigorous background check, interview process, and polygraph to obtain my current clearance level and job. This costs an extraordinary amount of money (likely over $10K), why the hell do I have to pay and go through yet another background check and interview process for pre-check?

One would think that we'd be in the business of trying to save some time and money these days....

Tell it to Obama. The DoD, along with the security investigation office, is fully funded and open for business. Your application is being delayed to punish you and to try to make you hate Republicans.

Maybe you didn't know this, but the DoD isn't the only agency which conducts security clearance investigations. Some security clearance investigations are conducted by the FBI and many more are conducted by the Office of Management and Budget since Executive Order 13467 was issued: http://news.clearancejobs.com/2009/07/21/executive-order-13467-unified-security-clearance-structure/

It wouldn't be at all surprising if OMB were part of the shutdown, except for those parts which must remain open to make sure the other agencies shutdown.

I've worked with two companies for contracts in Iraq. The first was ITT and it paid around 130K a year with bonuses. The pay was low but they give plenty of time off (which you shouldn't take if you want to max out your $) and are a good company to start with as they will hold your hand in getting you from the states to the AOR. If you don't have a military background and haven't worked overseas before then they might be a good option. Generally everyone else will pay more than them, so do look around for other companies. My second contract was also for work in Iraq (nearly identical work in fact) but paid over 250K a year. It was also nice that no pay was tied to completion bonuses so I wasn't stuck with any loss of pay if I had decided to go elsewhere. Speaking of, feel free to network like crazy when you get in country, and also to jump ship for another contract if you want. If you are wanting to work in IT then you will almost certainly require a security clearance. A Secret can be had in as few as 2-3 months if it's just a simple records check and you don't have anything too sketchy in your past. If you want more info on clearances and what can keep you from getting one then http://www.clearancejobs.com/ is a good site (run by DICE now I think). Also note that while you are earning a good salary (30-38$ an hour) you are also possibly working seven days a week twelve hours a day. You should also check on the uplift that the country you are looking at will get you. Uplift is a percentage of your pay that is added on to the hours you work (capped at the first 40 hours if you work with ITT) and will make a big difference in your take home pay. The State Dept sets these rates and currently the rates for Iraq and Afghanistan are the same at 70% but this may go down if Iraq becomes more stable after the troop withdrawl. Speaking of specific locations, your company will probably not be able to tell you where they are going to place you because they may not know where the openings will be by the time you finish your training and go through CRC ( http://www.campatterbury.in.ng.mil/NationalDeploymentCenter/tabid/1101/Default.aspx ). They may not even be able to tell you what country. If you want to maximize your chances of getting to Iraq (the lesser of two battlefronts) then you may want to stick with companys that are hiring for jobs with the Dept of State and not the Dept of Defense. If you really want to come away with something after your contracts are over then you should look for a company that is willing to sponsor you for a Top Secret position. It will take much longer to get (possibly more than a year) and you won't want to quit your current job until you have it but it is a great way to seperate yourself from others in a tough job market that is still going to be tough in a year or two when you get tired of working in a war zone :)

It's these low end "background checks" and "clearances" that suck. I used to be in the aerospace business, working for a company that did business with the 3-letter agencies. I've been through the clearance process for the higher level clearances. At that level, there are real background checks, where Government investigators go out and quiz your neighbors, friends, previous employers, and creditors in person. Fingerprints are taken and checked. Police records are checked. Birth certificates are checked; not only do you have to show yours, they check it against the hospital birth records. There are interrogations, lie detector tests, and an interview with a shrink. The whole process takes about a year.

But because the high level clearance process is reasonably thorough, it's not as random as the low-end stuff. It's not "competitive", in the hiring sense. There's a limited list of things the security people worry about, and they're the items that, historically, have caused people to sell or give secrets to the enemy - relatives in an enemy country, vulnerability to blackmail, financial problems, gambling or drug or alcohol abuse history. They don't care if your Facebook page makes you look like a jerk.

And speaking of Rails, check out this job posting. Requirements are TS/SCI, Lotus Notes, and... Ruby on Rails experience. Seems like some high security clearance government folks may be converting some things from Notes to Rails.

As a military employee working for the USCG, we have two types of security clearances. The first level of security is "secret", which is what I have, and you fill out a number of questions on an electronic format and then it takes between 3-6 months on average to get clearance. "Secret" clearance gives you access to semi-restricted assets, like server rooms. The second level of security is "top secret", and it's a very thorough check of your background, but by having it you gain access to buildings that have additional electronic locking mechanisms and other privileges, including a secured data network. Having a security clearance is of course very valuable, because you can basically work for more branches of the federal government if you have one. Also, websites like www.clearancejobs.com can show you additional jobs...to check on your security clearance status, you need to know, or talk to someone who deals with security (such as a Command Security Officer) clearance-related topics.

Money is not that good? I tend to disagree...

http://www.clearancejobs.com/index.php?action=view _job&jobID=775472

$100,000 - $150,000 for an MCSE network admin? It is widely known that many contractors hire people based on clearances, not skills. It is also widely known that they pay very inflated salaries for having a clearance. So, you have a large army of contractors, of which many are unqualified for their jobs. Couple that with record profits for defense contractor companies (meaning a dot com bubble style for defense employment), and you have a situation ripe for mistakes. Just my $0.02.

Have you looked on http://www.clearancejobs.com/?

did you try searching for a GS job at usajobs.com? I plan on getting a GS job when my enlistment is over. if you have a clearance try clearancejobs.com. hope that helps.