As DOGE is cleaning the government house, I want to heap a ton of praise upon a gent who works diligently for us at the USCG/NMC: Mr. James D. Cavo, and continuously assists us here in the forums.
Mr. Cavo has been a HUGE help to me over the years, whether it’s been in these forums or swapping emails. One bit of assistance was during a Reconsideration for a Master of Towing Vessels MMC-entry issue. I didn’t even know what a Reconsideration was before I met him.
Like most mariners (ALL?) I tend to complain a bit about anything USCG-related, but Mr. Cavo absolutely shines. Thank you Mr. Cavo and ONE HAND from a fellow Schuyler alumnus.
Has anybody ever had to wait more than 45 minutes for a reply from Mr. Cavo?
I can’t say enough good things about that man either. But as everyone who’s been through a downturn, market correction or layoff knows, the best thing to do is keep your head down & stay quite as possible. @JBinFL , don’t be surprised if your thread title gets changed & he doesn’t answer because I don’t think he’s looking for the attention. He’s has a legitimate job but I hope it is mostly done remotely which would paint a target on his back if that’s the case.
BTW, if he ever went into the private market in regards to consulting, he’d easily put all the others out of business. All license consultants should be going to bed every night praying for his continued government employment.
I too hope that he is able to keep a low profile and avoid any unnecessary attention from those who are all too eager to break things fast regardless of how it might impact the taxpayers who count on these services.
Hopefully he can keep up the great work in all the same capacities that he already does.
And then puts JD Cavo (who is at the USCG Headquarters in DC) in charge of drastically streamlining licensing and returning it to the local OCMIs (who did it well for decades).
Trump wants to decentralize government and move as much as possible out of DC. Moving licensing out to the OCMIs fits.
James Cavo is an amazing individual. I was lucky enough to be in the same STCW class with him years ago and met him for the first time. The information he provided to me saved me time and lots of money. I cannot thank him enough. Thanks again James.
Yes lets fire evwryone at the NMC without a different scheme in place. While OCMIs worked in the past, dont you think, for a federal license and credential this should be centralized?
I remember the days when you would do everything at the REC and the day you sat to test you could walk out with your license in hand.
It’s like voting in federal elections when ballots were hand counted. You knew before you went to bed who won.
Government is bloated. I don’t know if firing everyone is the answer but, the status quo isn’t working and no one else ever does more than mouthing how they’re going to downsize the government.
Go ahead Phoenix… attack me for supporting gutting the system.
Put one very capable guy in charge. Tell him to simplify and streamline the system to return licensing to the OCMIs. Immediate over the counter service that resolves nearly all problems on the spot. License exams right there, then the OCMI shakes your hand and gives you your license. It worked like this for decades.
Or when I talked to people at the REC, or over the phone with someone at the REC & they knew more about their job & uscg licensing than I did. Those were the good 'ole days. The flow chart for engineering licensing was a line diagram that took up 1 page of the CFR. On the left side of the page were days in incriminates of 365 & based on that, and taking tests, a mariner knew what they had to do to advance. The deck side was only a little bit more complicated with 2 pages needed but if you figured out Lincoln Logs or Legos as a kid, you could figure out pretty easily on how to advance. No prepping for an upgrade like a defense attorney does for a capital murder case.
Depends on which coast you live on. I remember in 1984 KNOWING Reagan won long before our polls closed here on the west coast. I mean he won every state but one.
I wholly support the MAGA movement and DOGE. That said, Mr. Cavo is certainly an ESSENTIAL employee that should be promoted.
Mr. Cavo,
Thankyou for your sage advise over the years.
CT
