Non-Essential Workers? Most Are in Government

Townhall ^ | 20 April 2o | Barney Brenner

[Bruiser 10]

There’s a stark contrast in suffering between the private and public sectors in this era of unprecedented government intrusion into American life and business. Millions of mom-and-pop shops are shut and their income is decimated and large-company employees are furloughed. But we hear virtually nothing about government workers being laid off – or even taking a pay cut.

Let that sink in: the folks whose work and taxes underwrite bureaucrat pay are cut off from livelihood while those they support in government are not only not hurting, but many are being given what are essentially paid vacations. And we’re hearing talk about non-essential workers? The vast majority of non-essential jobs are in government.

Where are all the altruistic Fed, state and local workers who volunteer, as Trump has, to give up their salaries? How about those characters in Congress? We know about the swamp in D.C. There are mini-swamps nationwide which also need draining.

[Bruiser 10]

When the Fed, State, and local government workers are laid of proportionately, I'll start to sign on to all this nonsense.

[Sacajaweau]

Decided that can make more from unemployment with the $600 thrown in...and sit on their already lazy ........

[cuban leaf]

The “non-essential workers” thing is actually part of our western civilization. That paradigm may shift, thanks to the virus. This video covers it in a very well presented format. It uses the TV Show “The Office” to drive home the points made in the book, Bullsh*t Jobs by David Graeber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lngf3J8vN4

Wanna know if you have a Bullsh*t job (this is my test, not his)? You’re able to do a lot of reading and posting on the internet while you’re at your desk.

[Gay State Conservative]

That's a point that Howie Carr,a great Boston talk show host,has been making regularly in recent weeks.”When are the (Massachusetts) state employees going to start getting layoff notices?” he asks.And,as he's proven so many times over the years,state government here in the Gay State is one huge...multi billion dollar a year...scam.Always has been,always will be.

[Bruiser 10]

Or semi-retired and self-employed.

[Drango]

Time for a 25% pay cut for ALL* Government employees.

* Constitution protects congress critters salaries so this needs to be effective after November election. Along with a 50% reduction in perks such as banking, gym, paring, franking, haircuts etc.

[cuban leaf]

Or semi-retired and self-employed.

---

This is interesting. When I’m in my “own time”, reading and posting on the internet is a bit of a waste of my time. Almost all my posting is done “on the clock” because I’m waiting for my work computer to respond to something, waiting for a meeting, in a boring meeting that doesn’t need me, etc.

I just started watching “The Office” about four months ago and got through about three seasons and just got bored with it. I’ve worked in IT in 18 companies and my job has went from being an essential employee at $6.50 and hour in the early 80’s (cobol programmer) to spending most of my day doing mostly nothing and yet getting glowing reviews at almost ten times the salary (at one time it was actually significantly over that).

A lot of the problem is poor managers and office politics that pummels the old fashioned “good” managers because you have to be politically incorrect to really be a good manager.

This is why I think our culture is doomed to total economic collapse and I think our response to the virus is highly likely to be the black swan to bring it on.

[Bruiser 10]

>because you have to be politically incorrect to really be a good manager.<

This is the primary reason that I’ve been self-employed for almost twenty years.

The Infantry Officer management style simply doesn’t fit today’s workforce.

[Joe 6-pack]

"A lot of the problem is poor managers and office politics that pummels the old fashioned “good” managers because you have to be politically incorrect to really be a good manager...This is why I think our culture is doomed to total economic collapse and I think our response to the virus is highly likely to be the black swan to bring it on."

Very well stated. As an ROTC cadet, and later an Army officer, I was groomed to think of "management" skills as a subset of leadership qualities. In the past few decades, I think this has become inverted, and now most executives see management as an overarching quality, with the concept of "leadership" as a secondary trait. I have my theory as to why this has happened, but that's a lengthier discourse for another time.

Nonetheless you are spot on in your assertion. A manager, director, supervisor etc. needs to be vested with the authority concomitant with his or her duties and responsibilities. Political correctness, as manifested in workplace policies and regulations has eroded a manager's authority and options while simultaneously increasing their responsibilities. As this imbalance grows in the day-to-day workplace something will have to give, and probably sooner rather than later.

[Bruiser 10]

>This is why I think our culture is doomed to total economic collapse and I think our response to the virus is highly likely to be the black swan to bring it on.<

An old friend called last night. Although he was an international banker, he is quite the historian (attended Oxford, dontcha know) and he got onto one of his pedantic discourses about the parallels of the end of the Roman Empire and where we are today.

The only thing the Romans didn’t have, said I, in their self-destruct arsenal was fiat currency. But he corrected me in that they continually debased the currency by cutting the silver content until it was almost worthless.

The remaining years of our lives portend to be interesting.

[Kirkwood]

So you’re flying in a twin engine airplane and one engine stops. Your solution is to turn off the engine that is still working and gives you any chance of a controlled landing. Yeah, that’ll work.

[EVO X]

That's a point that Howie Carr,a great Boston talk show host,has been making regularly in recent weeks.”When are the (Massachusetts) state employees going to start getting layoff notices?”

At the state and local levels I would expect to see furloughs before layoffs, especially in the civil service ranks. Government moves slow as molasses, but I expect to eventually see both furloughs and layoffs this time around...

[Gay State Conservative]

Yes,I meant furloughs.However,although it might be different in other states,here in Massachusetts the Rat Party has a death grip on state and local government.As a result they're not gonna do anything to annoy their biggest supporters (and contributors)...government paycheck recipients.

In this state "molasses" isn't part of the equation.

[P.O.E.]

Every government employee and department needs to prove they are needed.

I’d love to see a checklist with the benefit and cost for each outlay and a chance to vote / veto on each one.

My guess is that would be one public opinion poll they would rather not report on.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

State goverments MUST balance their budgets, by law. They are already pounding the table for fed bailout cash! Coumo wants half a trillion dollars!!! What will Congress do?

NO!!!!

[DugwayDuke]

The same old ‘non-essential’ worker BS. The only workers considered ‘essential’ are police, fire fighters, and a few other public safety workers. There are many ‘non-essential’ workers who do things we can’t live without.

No one in my last organization was designated as ‘essential’. That organization managed a $400M annual contract to deliver ammunition to the Army/Navy/Air Force. Things like making sure the deliveries meet specification. Do you think those workers were truly ‘non-essential’?

[ml/nj]

Wanna know if you have a Bullsh*t job (this is my test, not his)? You’re able to do a lot of reading and posting on the internet while you’re at your desk.

It has been my experience in the various Dilbertoriums I've worked in, that the people who stay at work into the night and show up on weekends are the ones who get the accolades and promotions. (Usually they are there because of small explosions and other mishaps that occurred during the day.)

The real work gets done by the people who can finish what they have to do in less than 40 hours a week.

ML/NJ

[EVO X]

Ditto here in Illinois, but they may have no other choice. Another thing in the toolkit is to offer incentives to retire. That gets rid of the more expensive dead weight on the operational side, but puts more strain on the pension system..

[ml/nj]

So you’re flying in a twin engine airplane and one engine stops. Your solution is to turn off the engine that is still working and gives you any chance of a controlled landing. Yeah, that’ll work.

Actually, unless you really know what you are doing, most low time pilots should do exactly that.

ML/NJ

[bert]

Locally, essentials include factory workers and administrators. Some administrators can and do work from home, but the enterprise is functioning

Also, tradesman such as HVAC workers and yard/landscape guys are working