Just a thread to discuss the possible goverment shut downs.

How will you be affected?
How will the local state/services be affected?

Are you ready?
What could you do to be better prepared?

Vood

I'm going to participate in *NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK!!*

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/07/presidential-proclamation-national-volunteer-week

 

Funny, I didn't think coming to work and not getting paid was volunteering...it's more like volen-told.
 

Furloughed!
Man this sucks. I'm gonna go to the range. 

Good thing I got a little cash saved up. If it goes for too long I'm gonna be in some deep .
I'm glad if it happens though. This country, and this state, needs to get spending under control, and tax reform.

http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4001/No-New-Taxes-Rally-April-15Honolulu-Kona-Hilo-Kahului-Lihue.aspx

Does anyone know what we should expect if there is a government shutdown? Any services we know are going to shut down? Do the people in Washington have pretty much until Sunday night to figure something out?

heard on radio that USPS, Air traffic controllers and other essential departments won't be affected either way

take it for what its worth

(R)'s buckled and conceded 38 something in cuts, instead of the 61 bil. In a temp stop gap!
We need leaders!

Guess they are the same as before! Nothing new, nothing changed. 

If you are listening to the right sources like anything unfriendly to Obama, you likely aware already that just like for the sequester, they are trying to inconvenience and hurt the little people the most by selectively limiting or closing services.  K. I know this, but some of their shit is hysterical.  Take this screen shot for example.  I mean come on man!?  A friggin automated website that requires no maintenance unless they're updating content of scanning for viruses?  I mean come onnnnn mann?  I mean sooo shameless....like 1) as if I'm gonna believe the site really HAD to go down due to the shutdown, and 2) even if I were that dumb, like I'd say "damn those f'ing republicans, I can't look up something about Mauna Loa". I swear they are hysterical in their lack of shame. 

For a minute, I thought vooduchikn was back... 

If you are listening to the right sources like anything unfriendly to Obama, you likely aware already that just like for the sequester, they are trying to inconvenience and hurt the little people the most by selectively limiting or closing services.  K. I know this, but some of their shit is hysterical.  Take this screen shot for example.  I mean come on man!?  A friggin automated website that requires no maintenance unless they're updating content of scanning for viruses?  I mean come onnnnn mann?  I mean sooo shameless....like 1) as if I'm gonna believe the site really HAD to go down due to the shutdown, and 2) even if I were that dumb, like I'd say "damn those f'ing republicans, I can't look up something about Mauna Loa". I swear they are hysterical in their lack of shame. 

It takes time, effort, and money (salaries) to actively turn off a website when they could have simply left it up.  Had the site crashed from lack of admin support, that's one thing.  To take it down intentionally is BS.

Resurrected this thread from the dead!  lol  Funny how it hasn't changed much and we are still dealing with the same old bullshit.   

Still going to work, not getting paid.

.

I'm going to throw a curveball in here that is slightly off topic, but I work for the state and I haven't gotten a raise, a salary step movement, or a cost-of-living increase, since 2007; the media never covers it, and as always we state workers continue to get screwed by the state, the legislature, the union, and the governor(s), and we have no recourse and nobody knows or gives a crap about it.

I'm going to throw a curveball in here that is slightly off topic, but I work for the state and I haven't gotten a raise, a salary step movement, or a cost-of-living increase, since 2007; the media never covers it, and as always we state workers continue to get screwed by the state, the legislature, the union, and the governor(s), and we have no recourse and nobody knows or gives a crap about it.

I'll take a swing at your curve ball ...

I've been working since I was 8, mowing lawns, selling papers, cleaning tools and sweeping up oil-dri in a garage for $1 an hour.  I've worked in a couple of burger snack bars and restaurants, Pizza Hut, the college's math department on work-study at minimum wage 10 hours a week, textile mills for Summer to save for school (scholarships don't pay for everything you need), bowling alley as a janitor, school bus driver, etc. etc. etc. 

I graduated college on an Air Force ROTC 4-year scholarship, not because I had straight A's in High School, but because I was able to maintain an A- GPA while staying on the honor roll every quarter, working at least 2 jobs each semester, doing very well in band, participating in Jr ROTC (rising to Sqdn Dep. Cmdr), and learning a ton about cameras, darkrooms, and photography in the HS Photography Club,  Growing up poor, any extracurricular expenses had to come out of my own pocket.  My mother and grandmother supported us three kids with the basics. We were on Food Stamps for a while, and all of us kids received free lunches our entire time grades 1-12.

After graduation and commissioning, I did my job the best I could.  After 8 1/2 years, during the Clinton military draw-down, I switched from active duty to DoD contractor.  I, too, was not happy that promotions had been slowed -- kind of like you are now.  I've been with that same company for 21 years, and we currently support a Hawaii state-sponsored energy-related contract.

In the 21 years with my current employer, I moved from Virginia to Hawaii, and I've worked to support PACAF, COMPACFLT, and PACOM.  I took these opportunities to improve myself and my employment situation long term.  Each and every time there was a federal budget problem, we were told of the chance of furloughs, lost contracts, and so on.  Only once was I ever in a position where my compensation was reduced.  The rest of the times, we might have to take some leave or work without promise of payment, but things always worked out eventually.

The lesson here is, you might think the state, the federal government, your employer, or whoever else pays your wages owes you something.  The reality is, they do not exist to give you a job nor provide cost of living raises. They have a need, and they will try to fill that need as inexpensively as they can while getting the best candidate they can afford.

You are free to put your resume on the street or network with people you know to find a better job.  Nobody, I mean nobody except YOU, is holding you back.  If you don't want to risk the security of a government pension, then you need to understand something else.  Retirement, medical, education, and all the other benefits a company or government job offers are there for the purpose of recruitment and employee retention.  They are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.  Once they have you and want to keep you, they use these carrots to keep you there.

So, if the amount of money the government is NOT TAKING FROM EVERYBODY ELSE so they can PAY YOU MORE makes you upset, then don't cry to me.  You are free to look for another job, as I said.  In this market, it might not be easy, but the jobs are out there.  I switched in 2010 and improved my salary by $15K.  It's all a matter of timing and your own drive to be the best you can be.

What you are exhibiting is the same entitlement attitude that the Obamaphone gal, the EBT/Food Stamp recipients this weekend, and the unions exhibit. 

Before you whine that you aren't paid what you deserve, first tell us what you have done that warrants an increase in pay.  This is especially disturbing when so many are, and have been for years, unable to find a job at all.  Count your blessings, improve your skillset, and do your current job better than you have to.  The rest usually takes care of itself in the form of opportunities.

The founders never offered equal outcome, but merely equal opportunity.  There are people out there every day making their situation better and better.

What's stopping you?  Nobody in this entire world is as concerned with your welfare than you.  If you can't depend on yourself to improve your situation, why would you ever believe someone else is going to?

** I've never been much good at baseball    **

.

I'll take a swing at your curve ball ...

I've been working since I was 8, mowing lawns, selling papers, cleaning tools and sweeping up oil-dri in a garage for $1 an hour.  I've worked in a couple of burger snack bars and restaurants, Pizza Hut, the college's math department on work-study at minimum wage 10 hours a week, textile mills for Summer to save for school (scholarships don't pay for everything you need), bowling alley as a janitor, school bus driver, etc. etc. etc. 

I graduated college on an Air Force ROTC 4-year scholarship, not because I had straight A's in High School, but because I was able to maintain an A- GPA while staying on the honor roll every quarter, working at least 2 jobs each semester, doing very well in band, participating in Jr ROTC (rising to Sqdn Dep. Cmdr), and learning a ton about cameras, darkrooms, and photography in the HS Photography Club,  Growing up poor, any extracurricular expenses had to come out of my own pocket.  My mother and grandmother supported us three kids with the basics. We were on Food Stamps for a while, and all of us kids received free lunches our entire time grades 1-12.

After graduation and commissioning, I did my job the best I could.  After 8 1/2 years, during the Clinton military draw-down, I switched from active duty to DoD contractor.  I, too, was not happy that promotions had been slowed -- kind of like you are now.  I've been with that same company for 21 years, and we currently support a Hawaii state-sponsored energy-related contract.

In the 21 years with my current employer, I moved from Virginia to Hawaii, and I've worked to support PACAF, COMPACFLT, and PACOM.  I took these opportunities to improve myself and my employment situation long term.  Each and every time there was a federal budget problem, we were told of the chance of furloughs, lost contracts, and so on.  Only once was I ever in a position where my compensation was reduced.  The rest of the times, we might have to take some leave or work without promise of payment, but things always worked out eventually.

The lesson here is, you might think the state, the federal government, your employer, or whoever else pays your wages owes you something.  The reality is, they do not exist to give you a job nor provide cost of living raises. They have a need, and they will try to fill that need as inexpensively as they can while getting the best candidate they can afford.

You are free to put your resume on the street or network with people you know to find a better job.  Nobody, I mean nobody except YOU, is holding you back.  If you don't want to risk the security of a government pension, then you need to understand something else.  Retirement, medical, education, and all the other benefits a company or government job offers are there for the purpose of recruitment and employee retention.  They are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.  Once they have you and want to keep you, they use these carrots to keep you there.

So, if the amount of money the government is NOT TAKING FROM EVERYBODY ELSE so they can PAY YOU MORE makes you upset, then don't cry to me.  You are free to look for another job, as I said.  In this market, it might not be easy, but the jobs are out there.  I switched in 2010 and improved my salary by $15K.  It's all a matter of timing and your own drive to be the best you can be.

What you are exhibiting is the same entitlement attitude that the Obamaphone gal, the EBT/Food Stamp recipients this weekend, and the unions exhibit. 

Before you whine that you aren't paid what you deserve, first tell us what you have done that warrants an increase in pay.  This is especially disturbing when so many are, and have been for years, unable to find a job at all.  Count your blessings, improve your skillset, and do your current job better than you have to.  The rest usually takes care of itself in the form of opportunities.

The founders never offered equal outcome, but merely equal opportunity.  There are people out there every day making their situation better and better.

What's stopping you?  Nobody in this entire world is as concerned with your welfare than you.  If you can't depend on yourself to improve your situation, why would you ever believe someone else is going to?

** I've never been much good at baseball    **

.....HO-LEE-CRAP BROSEPH!!!??
Where do I friggin start?
Lemme try......

First, you go on like you know me intimately, like you've been debating this issue with a welfare entitlement king back and forth ad nauseum, and have finally had enough and decided to put me in my place.  Do you realize how profoundly odd it is that you went so deep and detailed and tore into me like we've been having a back-and-forth for ages, when I never even remotely intimated I had the attitude you assumed I do?  You might have tested the waters before diving into this one because you are no where near where I was coming from. 

So, like a crazy person in the street swatting at flies that aren't even there!  You utterly misread what my angle was, though it should've been obvious.  My point was a criticism of how the media is covering the effects of the shutdown, like the sequester, to show how the little man is affected, solely because it is predicated on the tea party and Ted Cruz being responsible. 

And my point was further that the local media coverage of state workers like me, who get a five percent salary cut - times two - over 7 years, with no furlough, went non existent after Lingle stepped down, because if they don't have a republican to blame the hardship on, they won't cover it.  Better put, once Abercrombie came in and along with the almost all democrat legislature, supported and expanded the salary cuts - THE SAME ONES THEY OPPOSED WHEN LINGLE IMPLEMENTED THEM - the media went dead on the issue. 

So that was my point.  Your treatise on hard work, manifest destiny, self determination, etc., is wonderful, but since you misread my angle, it amounts to deafening preaching-to-the-choir.  As such I'll not react to all the wild assumptions and baseless accusations because they were just that! 

And don't let me lose you just yet, cause there's one thing that fascinates me; that is that for a person like you who has a healthy grasp on the reality of life and right and wrong, your response to me absolutely ignores the reality of why the effects of the sequester, shutdown, and local salary cuts and freezes are absolute bullshit - and that is because while the fed and local gov claim to need to cut expenditures, they engage in countless grotesque wastes of taxpayers monies, and further, they inexplicably raise others' salaries.  When you preach about how the state gov neads to conserve money and so is justified in cutting my salary, you have to completely ignore the money they waste - WHICH IS WHERE THE CUTTING SHOULD BEGIN,

Remember during the sequester, Obama raised his, biden's and the entire congress' salaries?  Pakistan hides bin laden, but they still get their 2bil a year?  We get a sequester, but the Muslim brotherhood gets f16 s and 2 bil a year? When my salary got cut, norm chow, got a raise?  When my salary got cut again, Marcy greenwood got a raise and a 60G housing allowance?  My CEO, also on the taxpayer dole, got a raise to a quarter of a million, when I didn't get a raise?  After my salary cut the legislature got a 39% raise?  Then recently, another 15% I think! while I still didn't get a raise?  Billions are spent on a rail project no one but Inouye and his balllickers wanted, but I don't get a raise?  Grabowski from HART gets nearly 400k with housing and stipends and salary, and I don't get a raise?  I could go on forever, but here's the point again:

I wasn't complaining about not getting a raise in and of itself, I was complaining how the fed and state gov over taxes, and sometimes cuts salaries, while they piss - no - f'ing explosively shit away our money on other things.

Now do you get where I was coming from?

.....HO-LEE-CRAP BROSEPH!!!??
Where do I friggin start?
Lemme try......

First, you go on like you know me intimately, like you've been debating this issue with a welfare entitlement king back and forth ad nauseum, and have finally had enough and decided to put me in my place.  Do you realize how profoundly odd it is that you went so deep and detailed and tore into me like we've been having a back-and-forth for ages, when I never even remotely intimated I had the attitude you assumed I do?  You might have tested the waters before diving into this one because you are no where near where I was coming from. 

So, like a crazy person in the street swatting at flies that aren't even there!  You utterly misread what my angle was, though it should've been obvious.  My point was a criticism of how the media is covering the effects of the shutdown, like the sequester, to show how the little man is affected, solely because it is predicated on the tea party and Ted Cruz being responsible. 

And my point was further that the local media coverage of state workers like me, who get a five percent salary cut - times two - over 7 years, with no furlough, went non existent after Lingle stepped down, because if they don't have a republican to blame the hardship on, they won't cover it.  Better put, once Abercrombie came in and along with the almost all democrat legislature, supported and expanded the salary cuts - THE SAME ONES THEY OPPOSED WHEN LINGLE IMPLEMENTED THEM - the media went dead on the issue. 

So that was my point.  Your treatise on hard work, manifest destiny, self determination, etc., is wonderful, but since you misread my angle, it amounts to deafening preaching-to-the-choir.  As such I'll not react to all the wild assumptions and baseless accusations because they were just that! 

And don't let me lose you just yet, cause there's one thing that fascinates me; that is that for a person like you who has a healthy grasp on the reality of life and right and wrong, your response to me absolutely ignores the reality of why the effects of the sequester, shutdown, and local salary cuts and freezes are absolute bullshit - and that is because while the fed and local gov claim to need to cut expenditures, they engage in countless grotesque wastes of taxpayers monies, and further, they inexplicably raise others' salaries.  When you preach about how the state gov neads to conserve money and so is justified in cutting my salary, you have to completely ignore the money they waste - WHICH IS WHERE THE CUTTING SHOULD BEGIN,

Remember during the sequester, Obama raised his, biden's and the entire congress' salaries?  Pakistan hides bin laden, but they still get their 2bil a year?  We get a sequester, but the Muslim brotherhood gets f16 s and 2 bil a year? When my salary got cut, norm chow, got a raise?  When my salary got cut again, Marcy greenwood got a raise and a 60G housing allowance?  My CEO, also on the taxpayer dole, got a raise to a quarter of a million, when I didn't get a raise?  After my salary cut the legislature got a 39% raise?  Then recently, another 15% I think! while I still didn't get a raise?  Billions are spent on a rail project no one but Inouye and his balllickers wanted, but I don't get a raise?  Grabowski from HART gets nearly 400k with housing and stipends and salary, and I don't get a raise?  I could go on forever, but here's the point again:

I wasn't complaining about not getting a raise in and of itself, I was complaining how the fed and state gov over taxes, and sometimes cuts salaries, while they piss - no - f'ing explosively shit away our money on other things.

Now do you get where I was coming from?

That's what you get for going "slightly off topic!"     

I made the point, albeit via the scenic route, that when you said

... I work for the state and I haven't gotten a raise, a salary step movement, or a cost-of-living increase, since 2007; the media never covers it, and as always we state workers continue to get screwed by the state, the legislature, the union, and the governor(s), and we have no recourse and nobody knows or gives a crap about it.

it sounds like the same entitlement BS that we hear from everyone who believes there is supposed to be some safety net that keeps us all from getting hurt when the gravy train is running low on biscuits (mixed metaphor, but work with me here!).

I wasn't taking you personally to task.  I simply offered my opinion that if more people would take care of themselves, particularly those who are unhappy with their current income, then there would be no need for the media, legislature, unions, or whoever else to "give a crap" about the situation.  You shouldn't have to depend on others for a fair wage.  If what you have is not meeting expectations, make a change.  Oh, and it's a long road sometimes to find that next big break.  In the meantime, you do the best you know how and learn new things.  All knowledge is good, and I have never said the phrase "that's not my job."  If it needs to be done, and it's a chance to learn something I don't know yet, I'll volunteer!  Soon, people see you as the guy/gal who is capable of doing just about anything they need.  That's how you get noticed, not the media!

I've never gotten a raise by protesting in the streets, calling MSNBC to complain on camera, or even joining a union in hopes they can cause a strike over some contract dispute and twist a political arm for more gravy.

My PERSONAL story is one of achievement ...PERSONAL achievement.  Yes, I had help.  Who doesn't?  But, I did MY part, too!  I have a profession, not just a job.  I don't work my 8 hours and leave for the day.  I work long, sometimes difficult hours quite often.  And guess what?  I get noticed, I get raises, and I get promotions.  Study the people who you like in life, and learn to do what they do.

When I was in between contracts for 2 months, I had already gotten an offer from a company working at Hickam AFB.  They offered a $15K raise, totally free medical (no premiums), and so forth.  When I negotiated for the job I wound up taking, obviously within my long time company, I had that other offer as leverage.

No one can fault you for looking around for better compensation if the grass elsewhere is greener and tastier.  That's just business.  Gone are the days of employee loyalty.  There is no employER loyalty -- first time they need you gone, you'll be gone.  Why be loyal to anyone other than yourself and your family?



As for the REAL tangent you meant to go down, the media is going to do absolutely whatever they can to push the Liberal agenda, ignore the mistakes of the Liberal Democrats, demonize the Conservatives whether in Congress, Iowa, or in DC knocking over barricades ... pretty much the same crap they have done for a couple of decades, it's just getting much worse (Benghazi, the cover-up, and the lack of media attention just infuriates me!).  The fact that local news ignores Abercrombie and the other Dems in our State government falls (IMO) under the heading of "Well, Duh!"   

Sorry if you took it personally.  That post was intended to be more of a soapbox moment than a ridiculing rant!

Have a good one!

    

Just food for thought...It’s all a crock of shit! From a federal perspective, we absorbed six furlough days during the sequestration, which equates to a 20% pay reduction for that period and now federal employees are working under three different categories:

1)   Furloughed – LWOP
2)   Excepted – Deemed critical and mission essential but there is no FY14 appropriations, so you are ordered to work and will get paid when Congress appropriates FY14 funding or under CR.
3)   Exempt – Commands that have funding in house that did not expire on Sept 30, 2013. There are several funds that fall in this category, such as FMS, RDT&E, SCN, WCF, WPN, etc.

Title 31, U.S. Code, Section 1301and Title 31, U.S. Code, Sections 1341 and 1517 are the laws that dictate how managers govern the conduct of financial operations and we must strictly adhere to them.

So, basically employees are confused and very frustrated, not to mention there has been no legislation to my knowledge mandating lending companies to allow a grace period on payments during the shutdown. Some have allowed extended grace periods, while others have not. This will impact security clearances down the road because any financial blemish is a red flag for security clearances. No clearance and you can be terminated or reassigned somewhere that doesn’t require a clearance. Collateral damage that DC could care less about it appears.

Not to mention unions and law suites...why are some employees with the same skill furloughed, while others are excepted and on and on. Possibly employee discrimination issues in some areas that may result in law suites (who works, who doesn't). What about unemployment benefits given to employees and then they eventually get paid...double pay so now employee owes state money. It can get very messy from a logistics/financial standpoint. How is DPDS handling finances for all of these categories and the varying situations...magic question that everyone is scrambling with.

I could go on and on but the bottom-line is it impacts a lot of people and their families and will start impacting the stock market and the economy, especially if they don’t increase the debt ceiling by the 17 Oct deadline. Everyday is a new challenge for government managers and new direction to their employees. It will ultimately impact most people in one way or another if they don’t get their shit together in DC.

What really annoys me is why we have 800,000 non-essential employees in the government, when I know for a fact every budget cycle requires the supervisors and organization heads to justify the number of workers they need.

If these social dependence programs that impact people's lives are so critical, shouldn't the administrators who ensure the recipients get their aid be classified "essential"?

My observation over almost 30 years in government offices is that the number of employees always exceeds requirements as long as the budget is available.  I've worked in many offices with people double-billeted, meaning two people are assigned, and getting paid from a generous budget year even though the position for only one person was ever requested and approved.

The way the government pretends to run, and the way it REALLY is run, are night and day most places!!