It's the one time of year that people have a lump sum, a bunch of extra cash they can spend on that big-ticket item.

For me, you could sum it up with one word - emotion

The lump sum is not a bonus, but it feels like a bonus.

I think many people end up taking buyout offers quickly because $100,000 (or some other lump-sum payment) can seem like a great deal of money, only to end up realizing after the fact that it wasn't enough to justify leaving. People need to avoid the wide-eyed feeling of I'm winning the lottery and make sure they think about if I am 50 I still got decades ahead of me.

If you spend enough time in or around Washington, you'll meet amazing people who work for the government.

Animal rights people lump everyone into one big pile. It's my personal opinion that they're the biggest bunch of misinformed people I've ever met.