Posted on 02/27/2013 7:26:14 PM PST by ducttape45
Without some of the DoD workforce, those doing direct warfighter support, additional good guys will die. I for one can afford the paycut, I am not so sure the guys on the pointy end of the spear can afford to lose the support.
Gee, my Wife has been out of work since last April. She is in her late 50’s and nobody will hire her in her field of expertise.
She is now applying at Hobby Lobby and Target so she can get Health Benefits, but they aren’t offering enough hours to get those Benefits. Can you say Obamacare?
Our COBRA Healthcare is costing us $1375 a Month. I have Leukemia, so I always make sure to pay the Insurance. My Retirement Health Insurance from my former Employer will be nearly as expensive, but I am waiting until the COBRA runs out to apply for it just in case my Wife gets a Job with cheaper Benefits. Let’s just say it ain’t looking good.
I am draining my Retirement Savings three times faster than I planned. I thank God I scrimped and saved for the last 40 years so I have that money, although the Recession cost me a bundle.
My Part Time 1099 Job will be disappearing once the guy that owns the Company I contract for liquidates Inventory to a competitor so he can cash out and save his House from Foreclosure.
Not being critical. I understand how this is affecting you and your Family. Just be thankful for what you have in the age of Obama. I guarantee that you are luckier than most.
Of course, you have to be used as a pawn by the libs to whine about the end of the world if the federal government has to spend one dime less.
Even RINO’s use this ploy. When TN governor Don “The Tax Terrorist” Sunquist tried to shove an illegal income tax down our throats, he shut down rest stops. Rest stops!
So bring all the troops home and save money as well as lives. It’s pretty clear after 10 years of war there is no intent to win a victory.
And btw ignorant is as ignorant does.........and the Federal Govt is neck deep in ignorance.
Well, we're out of Iraq and we reduced Troop strength in Afghanistan, so where is all that money the Libtards said we were spending? Why is there a Deficit with all this previously wasted money saved?
Just thinking out loud. I know it's nothing that would asked of The Messiah or his Minions.
Your prior post made clear that those in command are purposefully endangering troops by refusing to let people like you volunteer to help them. How am I supposed to have any respect for a bureaucracy that acts like that? It is literally the same behavior that my kids would engage in when they were going thru the terrible twos.
As to who is at fault here, it is most clearly not the people in the private sector who want the gov't to cut spending. Nor are the Republicans in Congress at fault for wanting to make at least some attempt to control the federal leviathan. You want to see a direct threat to our national security, look to the people who are running the executive branch in Washington - they own what is going on here lock, stock and barrel. And they seem bound and determined to destroy our private sector economy - a private sector economy, mind you, which finances everything in our country, including the military.
On a personal note, I own a small business and I work 12 hours a day, 7 days week, 50 weeks a year. I've been doing that for seven years. The only exceptions are for Christmas and Thanksgiving - during those weeks I work 6 days a week. I worry every month about making payroll and paying my own rent. And I'm not complaining because I consider myself lucky. I have a business and I'm my own boss - thank God. There are plenty of people in the private sector who are much worse off than me. But to hear federals complain about stuff that is happening to them now when that stuff (and much worse) has been going on for 5 years in the private sector is a bit hard to take.
Here's to hoping you all make it through the tough times without too much personal harm. I'm all about reducing gov spending, at the same time it pains me to see good men and women suffering.
I am a DoD employee and I WELCOME SEQUESTRATION but doubt they have the intestinal fortitude to actually let it happen. I just want to see someone stand up to these clowns and say the spending must stop and the cuts must begin. It will be tough to lose 20% of pay for the next 6 months but not as bad for me as for others who have bigger families or more bills. And I consider myself fortunate to have a job the past few years when many did not.
But why are these myths about federal employee salaries and retirement perpetuated? We are just like everyone else but happen to be employed by the government. A mixture of society which, in my experience (at least in DoD), appears to be more conservative as a percentage, than the general population. Many of us support sequestration and spending cuts, and are ready to make the personal sacrifice.
Federal employees have not received a cost-of-living raise in the past 3 or 4 years. Federal employees salaries are supposed to be similar to private sector jobs but we continually lag behind for comparable positions and responsibilities. And we must try to pay competitively to attract some of the best and brightest. Otherwise we end up with more of the not so best and brightest. Many employees work 50-60 hours a week without complaint or extra pay. The DoD mission is self-rewarding - supporting all the brave young men and women defending this country and serving far from home fighting our enemies. There are other federal employees in other agencies working just as hard. Not all of course, and yes, it is difficult to get rid of the slackers. Is the federal government bloated? ABSOLUTELY. Much can be cut, including people, but it has to be done correctly (and start quickly). Sequestration is only for show - few in power in Washington want to cut spending, regardless of party.
By the way, ANY federal employee hired after 1984 is covered by a 401K and Social Security, with a small defined retirement benefit (the govt. contributes 1% of pay to an account). So, any federal employee that started after 1984 gets a small pension based on years of service and salary, draws from their 401K and gets social security. That’s it! Not bad but dependent on how well your 401K performs and whether social security survives, pretty much like everyone else these days. Those who were here before 1984 (fewer and fewer) still have a pretty sweet retirement but it will eventually go away all together.
Let the cuts begin!
Starwolf, many here on FR appreciate your patriotism and sacrifice. Don’t let that “All Government Employees Are Bad” few get you down.
Thank you for your willingness to support the troops.
I admire your attitude and work ethic Jim-x.
Here's to hoping you all make it through the tough times without too much personal harm. I'm all about reducing gov spending, at the same time it pains me to see good men and women suffering.
I'm in the private sector - construction/engineering and the last 5 years have completely sucked! I've dealt with the reduced work weeks, no vacation or sick pay, etc.
It would be really easy for me to look down on Fed employees that maybe haven't suffered as much but that would be an easy escape and one that is totally undeserved in my opinion.
Yes we need to reduce Gov spending, my opinion is that you and folks like you that actually work for us should be the last to see cuts. There are plenty of welfare cases that do nothing that can be reduced before your ticket comes up.
Please know that there are plenty of us that appreciate your work and it pains us to see you suffering just as I know it pains you to see us in the private sector suffering.
This is all totally unnecessary and we here are all on the same side as far as politically correcting the situation we are currently in.
Government Workers Earn More Than Their Private-Sector Counterparts
The CBO study shows that federal employees earned an average 16% more in total compensation, meaning pay and benefits, versus workers at private companies. . . .
The CBO study compared workers of similar characteristics, including length of employment, level of education and occupation, based on government household data for 2005 through 2010.
Health and retirement benefits were on average 46% higher for federal workers with a bachelor’s degree; 71% higher for federal workers with some college; 36% for federal employees with a master’s degree; and 72% higher on average for federal employees with a high school degree.
Driving the big 16% swing higher in average total compensation for federal workers are the retiree benefits government workers get. Specifically, the CBO says that federal workers can get “both a defined-benefit pension and a defined contribution plan,” or 401(k), whereas private sector workers tend to only have 401(k) plans. Workers must contribute a percentage of their own salaries to participate in 401(k) plans while workers do not have to contribute to pension plans. . . .
A USA Today analysis of the federal “job for life” issue in July 2011 found that in 2010, federal workers enjoyed a 99.43% job security rate, and in many agencies, employees were more likely to die of natural causes than get laid off or fired by the federal government.
The paper also says the federal government fired just 0.55% of its workers in the budget year ending September 2010, versus a rate of firings in the private sector that was about six times higher, at around 3%.
Employees are exempt, exempt non bargaining and bargaining. Exempt has but to work one hour a week to be paid for that entire week .... This sequestration will only effect non bargaining exempt and bargaining . In a right to work state that includes non union and union bargaining employees.
My point is exempt folks will take those Fridays off but will retain full pay and benefits if sequestration kicks in.
Most goobermint hell holes are more chiefs than Indians per se so most of this budget controll act of 2011 is total BS as far as saving money.
Either do it for week at a time so all employees are tasked and savings do occur or do such for a calendar month and be done with the experiment and evaluate the results.
Sequestration should be done by .....
Stopping all foreign aid for 1 calendar year.
Park all non essential vehicles, aircraft etc to save costs on PM and fuel.
Reduce or stop unemployment aka do not feed the bears as it makes them dependent and lazy and DANGEROUS.
Provide hospitalization insurance versus the HMO get to the doctor for every hangnail crap we have now versus pay as ya go for minor illness and injuries.
Drop all federal elected employees and their staff from federal payrolls. Let their own state pay their wages and upkeep.
Stop spending. Do the paperless office crap. I can look on line and in local paper for my polidiots goals. I don’t need the junk mail from my polidiot.
Travel , conferences, seminars, congressional fact finding trips ect.... Stop em for a calendar year.
Polidiots in key positions as to chain of command to the POTUS aka 6 people should be provided security and a hardened vehicle ride to and from work etc .... The rest, let em carry a snub with 5 rounds if they feel they have to piss the people they represent off to the point said people want to kill them..
Defund HLS. Kill TSA and make Airlines pass the cost of their security on to those that fly versus the Feds. Use the former to boost policing in high crime areas.
Tax reduction in all arenas so jobs for restoration of infrastructure for 6 years. More prisons to keep criminals in vs parole pity parties for punks that never grow up.
Stop export of natural resources until Americas strength, fiscal and physical strength is restored .
Goobermint motor pool buying, stop it. .... My vehicles last me with everyday use at least 6-8 years. Use prison vocational education rehabilitation to fix goobermint crap. Be it vehicle or office furniture. Restore prison industries for government civilian officials needs.
No more free meals and working lunches for polidiots, elected or staff....brown bag it like the rest of us. Kill off the royalties.
Flat tax, 16% with 4% each to Feds, state, county and cities. Every dollar “spent” versus every dollar earned is taxed at the 16% rate. Encourages saving and frugal living aka “conservative” and puts burden of IRS on business only. You have a business license, you report what you took in as profit etc .... No loopholes, all ages, no deductions. Every dollar spent, 16% divided up.
Just ideas, thoughts, good or bad my own.... This sequestration is political propaganda positioning for 2014 versus any real reduction and savings.
These socialist bastards ARE RUNNING OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY ...... And now they seek to stop working people’s wages, who pay taxes ? Per my take here in the cheap seats this will not bother the little poser beauracrat goobermint employee as much as it will the food chain that is part of that. Construction, suppliers, manufacturers, the community around them etc will be impacted more than the Pelosi / Bohner / Obama waste express.
Only real cure I see is isolationist approach to all but our proven foreign allies we enjoy DOD ports and bases etc with.....
The penny a day doubled every day for 30 days of foreign fiscal support is killing us as well as the welfare handouts to healthy working age men and women.
My rant ....
Stay safe ...
Well, Obama needs to make sure that PP gets their abortion funding.
Reference bump
I’m in a similar situation, Starwolf. Senior professional supporting our warfighters at risk managing the gear in the rear. Forced to take one day off per week without pay because of nothing I did or had the slightest control over. Plotting what work I can take home with me to work on undetected by the personnel weenies. My wife and I have saved enough over the years so our wellbeing is not at risk. But I worry greatly about our younger employees who are somewhat thinner at the margin with kids, new house, and the expenses of living and working in one of the highest-cost areas in the country. I’m willing to accept this token effort because I know that far greater cutting in fed spending is required. Mainly in the sector of takers, not workers. Hang in there Starwolf.
TC
“Frankly, I can’t drum up any sympathy for “government employees” at this point. Your hours wouldn’t be cut if you were “essential”, and if you are not “essential”, why are you employed by the government?”
Yes, it is about time the government did what it has been telling us to do for years: cut back, do without, stop borrowing. I’ll even include the military in that; I see no point in gay/minority workfare programs around the world if they won’t even protect our borders.
Agreed. Got laid off in 08 and been scrapping ever since while watching my relatives and friends who work for the feds doing great, getting significant raises, taking tons of vacation I never got in private sector and generally not doing much work. People here can hate me but I have zero sympathy for the fed employees. They are getting just a tiny tiny sample of what the rest of us have endured the past 4 years.
I am sorry for your job situation. However, your facts are a little off. First of all there has not been a raise in the Federal Government at all since 2008. Secondly if 12 days a year vacation is tons of vacation then I guess I don’t know the definition of ton. Again best of luck for you getting a great job!!!!
The typical Government worker maybe but you don't have a single sympathy for your fellow FRiends here on Free Republic at least. Now you know for a fact that the conservatives working for the Federal Government are not the problem and that they put in a full days work and are not the slacker types. Just a thought...
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