In general, not too pleased; I know at least two people who had to cancel vacations because their time off was revoked. Granted, it couldn't have happened to a nicer pair of people.
Only a couple of us were looking to leave Federal service before this nonsense, and now I can't think of a single person that isn't.
For us, it's a case by case basis. If you have plane tickets and what not, they will more than likely let you go, but you may not get paid for it. This goes with sick leave. You will marked as "non-essential" for that period of time you're gone.
It really sucks that we aren't accruing leave. I want to say I have faith that Congress will authorize to retroactively give that to us, but I'm not holding my breath.
At my job we keep an eye on the date when our contract expires and ALWAYS plan for the worst around that time. Does this not happen with government employees? When you plan vacations don't you look at the calender and say, "oh shits, October. Better not make any plans..." ???
I work with idiots, assholes, and Republicans. The few individuals who don't come under one of those three categories are young and don't think of these things; one of my coworkers didn't even know a shutdown was coming, or that he likely wouldn't be paid on time because of it.
I'm on a business trip to a small lab in Durham, NC which has about 20 people working there though this week 3 local contract employee's showed up because the government facility they were contracted to was shut down So now the site is scrambling to find something for the 3 to do before the corporation decides to just cut it's losses.
Why is the National Mall being so aggressively closed? It was unstaffed during the 95 shutdown but people were still free to walk around. Now it is has more security to keep people out than it usually has when it is open! Why is EVERYONE being so childish?
I think my earlier comment about Democrats being afraid that the people will not be impacted enough by a government shutdown to care is bearing fruit. Between this and the shutdown of static web content on government websites it shows that the Democrats WANT everyone to feel the impact of the shutdown and are going out of their way to do so.
People SHOULD feel the impact of the shutdown. The population tolerating this bullshit is the biggest problem we face today. We should shut down all internally-facing federal services and see how far that gets us.
I agree with Rym, we have tried so hard to make it so adverse decisions do not effect the common folk much (see the last few wars) We need to make sure people understand there are consequences for their actions and who they support.
People SHOULD feel the impact of the shutdown. The population tolerating this bullshit is the biggest problem we face today. We should shut down all internally-facing federal services and see how far that gets us.
Indeed.
Was linked to this article in the New Yorker. Nothing new in terms of information, but I do like the phrase Suicide Caucus.
People SHOULD feel the impact of the shutdown. The population tolerating this bullshit is the biggest problem we face today. We should shut down all internally-facing federal services and see how far that gets us.
I'm on the fence with this. Yes, people should be made to understand the impact of this nonsense. HOWEVER, manufacturing crises (such as by hiring/paying staff to close down a location that would be cheaper to keep open) has a huge potential for backfiring and doesn't appeal to intelligent supporters (which the Left has a surplus of.)
Not that Obama, or much of Congress, can be considered Left anymore...
That is just as bad as what the Republicans are doing. Both sides are in full-on tantrum mode.
If something is temporarily defunded by the partial shutdown it gives us an opportunity to see if the amount of funding given it is truly necessary. While it sucks to be the one losing their job if the job is not essential why does it exist?
The definition of "non-essential" seems to vary by agency. For some, "non-essential" means "no lives will be lost as a result of this employee being furloughed." That's a pretty aggressive definition.
The definition of "non-essential" seems to vary by agency. For some, "non-essential" means "no lives will be lost as a result of this employee being furloughed." That's a pretty aggressive definition.
I semi-appreciate that definition though as my life may be one of the ones on the line.
The definition of "non-essential" seems to vary by agency. For some, "non-essential" means "no lives will be lost as a result of this employee being furloughed." That's a pretty aggressive definition.
With the partial shutdown in effect the impact of these employees not being at work can be assessed and if their departure has a noticeable impact on operations they should be reclassified as essential. However we will never learn anything if the power brokers purposefully try to make every small cut as painful as possible.
There is also a very good chance that when the public figures out that the pain and crisis is manufactured the blame will shift onto people who were previously seen as being blameless.
OH PLEASE SIR, COULD I HAVE MORE OF YOUR FALSE EQUIVOCATIONS? Please tell me how the Democrats are just as much to blame for this saga because they chose not to recant on legislation that passed that the Republicans didn't like. LEND ME YOUR WISDOM ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD DO THIS EVERY TIME A LAW IS MADE THAT WE DON'T LIKE. Thank you, Jebus, for allowing me to see the wisdom in this argument! HALLELUJAH!
OH PLEASE SIR, COULD I HAVE MORE OF YOUR FALSE EQUIVOCATIONS? Please tell me how the Democrats are just as much to blame for this saga because they chose not to recant on legislation that passed that the Republicans didn't like. LEND ME YOUR WISDOM ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD DO THIS EVERY TIME A LAW IS MADE THAT WE DON'T LIKE. Thank you, Jebus, for allowing me to see the wisdom in this argument! HALLELUJAH!
...is this a non sequitur, or are you reading a different thread than I am?
However we will never learn anything if the power brokers purposefully try to make every small cut as painful as possible.
Except that this isn't a cut. It's a shutdown. It's an impasse. It wasn't a cut in services due to legistlation. It wasn't a budget experiment. It was a failure of the congress to pass basic legislation.
Cuts should be handled pragmatically. But this? This is all just bullshit.
However we will never learn anything if the power brokers purposefully try to make every small cut as painful as possible.
Except that this isn't a cut. It's a shutdown. It's an impasse. It wasn't a cut in services due to legistlation. It wasn't a budget experiment. It was a failure of the congress to pass basic legislation.
Cuts should be handled pragmatically. But this? This is all just bullshit.
Responding by manufacturing more bullshit isn't much of a solution, if that's what's going on.
This tactic by the GOP is completely unacceptable and woefully regrettable and an embarrassment to the country, but the real issue is that it's legislatively possible to do this without direct and immediate consequences for the "lawmakers" involved.
The area's most affected happen to be regulation of industry, Healthcare and Science which will not be felt by the majority of the population in the short term. It's the long term stuff that is not so great, experiments ruined, studies put on hold and dangerous practices continued. The national parks and such are the only way the general public will really see any effect immediately AND even that's a small %.
Bonus: If you live in fear of the FDA they are not going to make any surprise visits this week :-p
People seem to have forgotten that the last shutdown happened before 9/11, of course things have changed since then.
The same politicians complaining about monuments being closed down are the same ones that would scream if something happening security wise during the shutdown at one of these sites.
Sure but exaggerating it by spending money on a PR campaign isn't likely to impress anybody. The GOP base will be told what to think about it and the rest are likely to be offended by the pandering.
Explaining the truly critical impacts (research, etc) isn't likely to get much traction either, admittedly.
The GOP is counting on all of this. They're not actually stupid, just sociopathic.
The only true change since 9/11 is that people are unreasonable paranoid about an almost non issue like global terrorism, which accounts for fewer deaths than obesity.
Comments
Only a couple of us were looking to leave Federal service before this nonsense, and now I can't think of a single person that isn't.
It really sucks that we aren't accruing leave. I want to say I have faith that Congress will authorize to retroactively give that to us, but I'm not holding my breath.
I think my earlier comment about Democrats being afraid that the people will not be impacted enough by a government shutdown to care is bearing fruit. Between this and the shutdown of static web content on government websites it shows that the Democrats WANT everyone to feel the impact of the shutdown and are going out of their way to do so.
Was linked to this article in the New Yorker. Nothing new in terms of information, but I do like the phrase Suicide Caucus.
Not that Obama, or much of Congress, can be considered Left anymore...
If something is temporarily defunded by the partial shutdown it gives us an opportunity to see if the amount of funding given it is truly necessary. While it sucks to be the one losing their job if the job is not essential why does it exist?
There is also a very good chance that when the public figures out that the pain and crisis is manufactured the blame will shift onto people who were previously seen as being blameless.
That said, do you have much evidence that this is really the case?
Cuts should be handled pragmatically. But this? This is all just bullshit.
This tactic by the GOP is completely unacceptable and woefully regrettable and an embarrassment to the country, but the real issue is that it's legislatively possible to do this without direct and immediate consequences for the "lawmakers" involved.
Bonus: If you live in fear of the FDA they are not going to make any surprise visits this week :-p
The same politicians complaining about monuments being closed down are the same ones that would scream if something happening security wise during the shutdown at one of these sites.
Explaining the truly critical impacts (research, etc) isn't likely to get much traction either, admittedly.
The GOP is counting on all of this. They're not actually stupid, just sociopathic.
The only true change since 9/11 is that people are unreasonable paranoid about an almost non issue like global terrorism, which accounts for fewer deaths than obesity.
EDIT: Almost there!