General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am a Fed that is going to retire and so will 1000's like me
Trump and Elon are about to screw the proverbial pooch. Once again the dummies dont realize that its not the Reagan era with 1000s of janitors, cooks, and other wage-grade federal employees. Those positions were outsourced long ago. The workforce left is lean. We lost a HUGE number of lifers around COVID - they simply retired. We have had a hiring problem since COVID. Our pay is not commensurate and we rely on benefits to attract new people. Good insurance, a pension, and flexible schedules including telework are a few of the perks I have personally used to fill in the labor gap. I typically work 50-60 hours a week (with the OT at less than my normal hourly rate) to make up the difference. Im basically doing my job as a supervisor plus a regular scientists job taking projects because I have no one to delegate it down to.
FUCK THIS! We will have a mass exodus and I, for one, am not sticking around to watch the fallout. Im tired of doing MORE with LESS. Im not going to do EVEN MORE with EVEN LESS. We are NOT attracting new talent, the pay is not commensurate with private industry, and now one of the few perks I have to entice workers is being yanked because some rich asshole from South Africa doesnt understand that federal employees dont get profit sharing and agencies by law cannot make a profit.
I am going to defer retirement for four years and work private industry or maybe teach at a college. I work for a department that has a national mission that affects the lives of many citizens. We respond to FEMA and do other critical jobs for the nations security and military.
If you thought the federal response to this years hurricane season was weak - just wait. You aint seen nothing baby!
Too bad really because I was more than willing to keep
Working. In fact, I was anticipating a phased retirement and had planned on working part-time well
Into my seventies as my mental faculties allowed. I still might, but it wont be for a federal agency.
Some dumb billionaires with limited understanding shouldnt be driving the bus - but here we are. lol. Good Luck! Youre going to need it!

Irish_Dem
(63,531 posts)Terrify and threaten federal workers to the point they quit and can no longer attract people who
will take the chance to work for the government.
The destruction of the federal government is the goal and the criminal Putin/Trump cabal
is quite successful.
Tesha
(21,000 posts)People need to understand how the hollowing out of the departments will break the departments and the people whove worked there as well.
Are there any news outlets that would touch this?
RandomNumbers
(18,394 posts)Because they sure as hell don't care what happens to federal workers or their families. They will be chortling with glee at the aspects you mention. Until they realize how it will harm them, and theirs.
Lonestarblue
(12,203 posts)They have convinced themselves that Trump tells the truth and the media lies.
magicarpet
(17,567 posts)They claim the government is broken and dysfunctional and no longer works. It is only this way because they broke it the best they can.
Now they want to accelerate the process and dismantle any functional portion of our government remaining.
Then they can easily privatize or eliminate any remaining vestiges of our government that works.
With all the savings they claim to achieve - they can now give a new round of trillion dollar taxcuts to the ultra filthy rich.
jmbar2
(6,517 posts)Thanks for sharing. I have a couple of thoughts...
I've been asking a lot of questions using ChatGPT about how these changes might unfold. In short, it will be a lot harder than they think, but they can exhaust the job incumbents in the process and drive them out, as they are with you.
This may be the whole strategy behind their plans to destroy the government and also deport immigrants. Scare people so badly that they comply in advance and quit, or deport themselves. Then they take credit for it.
They are not prepared to deal with the consequences. Those consequences, and their own infighting and incompetence will destroy their movement. At that point, essential government services and functions will need to be rebuilt.
In order to recover quickly, I hope that Feds like you will preserve records, training manuals, job descriptions, SOPs, etc. that can assist in rebuilding better. It will probably not be rebuilt exactly the same, but having good records will speed things up a lot.
Years ago, I was a workforce development specialist in the oil & gas industry. They recognized that they were going to have major generational turnover in the industry and began preserving knowledge and creating training based on that knowledge for the "Great Crew Change".
I think the same thing needs to happen ASAP in government. Please leave breadcrumbs for the next crew who will have to put things back together. This will not last.
Thanks.
Trish6521
(7 posts)Congress decides where and how to spend money. So far, Congress has ignored these guys and will probably continue to do so.
Id worry more about what congressional republicans will do. Theyll privatize Medicare and block grant Medicaid. Theyll privatize SS too and give that to Wall St. Certainly, the vote to end the department of education will happen. It might pass and then states will raise taxes to cover it. FEMA will go away. I suspect states will form cooperatives to cope with disasters- blue states.
USS_Dauntless
(8 posts)gut "entitlements" for as long as I can remember. The war criminal GWB wanted to privatize Social Security. They want to turn everything over to the ravenous corporations.
How has Congress ignored these guys when it was just announced the other day about their fascist positions?
It isn't a contest about who will do more damage. Hmmm, congressional republicans shredding our laws and diverting wealth upwards or Musk/Vivek/Marg snortin' weirdo billionaire steroid mushroom juice and dictating what the congressional republicans should do...
yardwork
(65,396 posts)PortTack
(35,222 posts)Aviation Pro
(13,851 posts).
DenaliDemocrat
(1,582 posts)Eom
Aviation Pro
(13,851 posts)The fact that that shitbag is going to have access to classified and sources and methods again is insane. But I bet there are a lot of your colleagues who are rationalizing by saying stupid things like, We need to work closer with the former Soviet Union.
Fucking morons.
Liberal In Texas
(14,865 posts)All kinds of things we depend on are going to either disappear or be so broken they won't work any longer.
Several years ago my son was working for NASA and decided to take a job in the private sector. I was pretty unhappy about him leaving his great well-paid government job but it was for a lot more money with more of a chance to do what he wanted to do. I thought he was making a mistake, but now it's probably going to work out better in the long run.
I guess their goal is for everybody to, in some capacity or other, work for a billionaire. No more government doing anything,
Zorro
(16,804 posts)This time he and the Republicans will attempt to undo every Democratic administration's accomplishments stretching back to FDR.
That is their plan in a nutshell.
This is the ultimate result of Reagan's declaration that government is the problem.
DownriverDem
(6,735 posts)the Capitol. She planned to retire in June of 2025. I told her to get out now. She's not a trumper but is concerned about her pension. What good would a few months do?
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,640 posts)In pension.
LittleGirl
(8,559 posts)I understand how you feel. I would feel the same. The problem is Musk and Ramaswamey don't know that you cannot run a government agency like a business. You cannot make a profit in government agencies.
But see these fake billionaires (I mean fake because they got their millions not by working but by buying companies and running them into the ground) don't know anything about running a government. How much value has twitter lost? Vivek created a company, jacked up the prices, sold out just before the company failed and yet, he is advising the POTUS elect and neither know how government works. They are not qualified! We did not elect them.
Deep State Witch
(11,597 posts)Who say that "government should be run like a business." No. A business's purpose is to make money for it's owners/shareholders. Government's purpose is to provide services to constituents, regulate industries to keep them honest, and protect the country. A government is not supposed to make money. In fact, if you're doing it right, you should come out even. But that almost never happens. In fact, the last time the Federal government had a surplus was under Clinton. Shrub gave it away rather than making needed investments in infrastructure.
surfered
(4,804 posts)SWBTATTReg
(24,751 posts)I'm so happy. Serves the moron right.
MaineNative
(20 posts)I worked for the federal government for several years and left to become a designee for the organization which regulates the aviation industry. Like you I witnessed many of my well seasoned friends and ex-coworkers pull the plug during COVID. Ive got 46 years in the industry and wont be staying forever and when I go, like you, I will take with me all of those years of tribal knowledge, along with regulatory and policy expertise. No, a monkey cant do these jobs which Ive heard some say, typically they are those without a clue, or just dont understand the vastness of it all. I feel an obligation to stay, to at least attempt to impart knowledge on whats left but I also have to think about my health.
One a side note, I worked all of last week in Canada with a fairly large company that is already seeking supply chains that dont run through the U.S.
Aviation Pro
(13,851 posts)And the fact that the FAA remains severely underfunded will lead to more accidents and incidents.
Dont get me started on the privatization of ATC and NWS.
COL Mustard
(7,177 posts)I'm also a Fed eligible for immediate retirement. Piss me off enough and I'll give you 45 minutes notice. That's really about all it would take to sign my already-prepared retirement papers and submit them, adjust my timesheet, and turn in my laptop, Gov't travel card and phone. It's a silver bullet and I can obviously only use it once, but I'm prepared if the need arises.
Thank you for having served and for all you (and your fellow Feds) do!
HighFired49
(398 posts)I worked in a position as database manager in a State program that was 100% Fed. funded. I retired almost seven yrs. ago under a Rep. gov. who wanted to get rid of all of the "extras" like health care, psychiatric care, hunger, school funding, environmental remediation, etc. Didn't work out too well for him when he found out that so many of the programs were federally funded, but he did see to it that nobody except managers got raises for eight years. Lost a lot of people, like me. Many of those programs will be scrapped, even though they are considered essential for health, environment, education, etc. They will just disappear if they are wrecked or defunded at the Federal level. The unaware, or ignorant voters just do not realize that wrecking the Fed. Govt. will have a devastating effect on State Govts'. programs, as well. We are going to look like a third-world country in a few years under the new regime of oligarchs. Thank you to the Federal employees, but also to the rest of us who invested careers in all levels of government service.
Puppyjive
(650 posts)Last edited Mon Nov 25, 2024, 03:24 PM - Edit history (1)
I'm so tired of being understaffed. This last job has about put me over the top with the federal government. The back and forth from liberal to conservative kills morale. I've been eligible to retire for a while now. I like my coworkers a lot and it would be devastating to lose another worker in our office. I don't know if our office could operate with any less employees. The public relies on our services and closing up shop would be catastrophic. Tired of people thinking we are shit employees. Our commissioner is bailing on us as well.
jeffreyi
(2,200 posts)Will not be hiring seasonals this year because of starvation level funding. I doubt that will change with the new "administration" Tons of good natural resource work and projects benefitting our forests will probably just get dropped. I don't know how this affects the seasonal firefighter workforce. I am confident part of the magazi plan is to loot and pillage and privatize the public lands even more than has been done already. Which is just sad. Well, one "consolation," as global warming marches along, mother nature will be laughing last even more and even the rich magazis will be affected, along with the rest of us. Interesting times. I am glad I am old.
markodochartaigh
(2,225 posts)volunteers should be used instead of government employees. Maybe they will show up to rake the forests. /s
I agree with you that selling off public lands to oiligarchs and private interests is part of the plan. All those in the rural West who depend on federal lands for their recreation are going to find out that they voted against their own interests. Many states will end up like Texas with very little public land and steep fees to access what little private
land is available. Maybe if they get caught for trespassing they can rake the forests to pay their fines.
jeffreyi
(2,200 posts)and encountered a huge resource project, cutting Utah junipers out of aspen stands and sagebrush steppe, and piling the slash. These juniper trees are 80-100 years old; they have established and expanded because of fire exclusion, grazing, and changing climate which has been going on for decades. There are millions of acres of public land in this condition in the Intermountain West. The effects are basically a loss of diversity and ecological function and wildlife habitat, including sage grouse. So it's very interesting to me when a project like this happens; the crews are cutting junipers out of the scarce aspen stands as well as the uplands in several drainages. The vegetation and soils and wildlife response will be interesting to follow. I learned that this project is 3300 acres. The work is all hand work, guys with chain saws. I have done this on my little personal postage stamp acreage, and the work is brutally hard. At least my 72-year old body thinks so. Anyway, my friends and I finally found the work crew, and visited with them. They were all Latinos from Mexico and Honduras. They are working under a federal contract, so by law they are making decent wages. These guys reminded me of Sherpas on Everest, they are that strong. There is no way in hell any volunteer people in this country that I am aware of could or would do that work. I think for the crew members to work under a federal contract they have to have green cards. But I wonder if they are in the deportation cross hairs anyway. I bet a bunch of them don't stick around to find out come Jan 6. There is so much work to do on our rangelands and forests just to get the fuels down to a non-catastrophic level, much of it hand work, and 90% of the American population can't or won't do the work. I personally think that if people from other countries want to come here and work for a decent period of time on our public lands, they should have a pathway to citizenship. Assuming they want it. They very well might not these days.
markodochartaigh
(2,225 posts)is hard work. I have Brazilian pepper and earleaf acacia trees, which are invasive species, which I cut down on my few acres here in Florida.
At least 80% of native born US citizens have absolutely no idea what hard work is. After high school I worked at a factory slaughterhouse for a year and a half to get money for college. This was the only job that paid more than minimum wage ($2.65/hr) that was available in Amarillo without education or connections. Failing at this job meant moving 300 miles away or resigning oneself to a
life of poverty. There were two starting groups a week. Of the US workers half would quit within the first week, many before lunch on the first day. Very few made it a month. I only know of one who didn't become a foreman who stayed as long as I did. The workforce was almost entirely refugees from Viet Nam or Laos or workers from México. Still, the facts don't stop people who have never had to sweat for 8-12 hours a day from minimizing the work of those who do.
Brenda
(1,463 posts)I've done a little farm work and lots of personal gardening, landscaping and none of it is easy on your back at any age.
There are so many hard working immigrants (with papers and without) doing so many difficult and necessary jobs in the US. When they voluntarily leave to avoid being violently rounded up or are rounded up there will be a HUGE hole in the workforce.
I thought society would begin to unravel in the next 5 years from climate collapse and the fact that governments and corporations shrug with indifference instead of preparing and mitigating. But since the Chump-Musk train cheated their way into DC I fear the economic collapse will get here first.
And sooner rather than later.
BumRushDaShow
(146,957 posts)although it was still painful watching "from afar" - especially with that "longest shutdown in history (35 days)" - because I had family, friends, and former co-workers who had to live through that.
And at various points, it became "do more with NOTHING" (they wouldn't fund the FTEs already assigned and mandated to do the work).
h2ebits
(810 posts)The rampant greed that has taken over the country is disgusting. I didn't work in government but will say that the private sector is brutal as well.
I wish you well in your future endeavors. . . .
TBF
(35,001 posts)For many of us who have spent our time in Washington (I was in private law firms for my stint there), we understand what it is like. There are so many career gov't workers who have high education levels and are not paid what they would get in private positions. In fact, attorneys will go back & forth between public jobs and private. The public jobs can be incredibly interesting and rewarding, but the private firms get your kids through college.
Thanks for the time you've served, and I know your future will be even brighter.
Deep State Witch
(11,597 posts)I was planning on retiring, then coming back as a contractor for a few years, as many in the Intel Community do. Or as a part-time employee. A COVID scare in November changed that. I walked out on December 31, 2020 and never looked back. I wave every time I go by my old agency. Mostly with one finger.
I recently bumped into a former co-worker. He's eligible for retirement, and his tour at another government agency was ending. He was on the fence about getting out. I told him to get out while he could. Especially because he's also a fellow liberal.
Dem4life1970
(688 posts)...we sometimes forget to recognize people like you who have given so much to our country for so many years. Thank you. They are going to screw the people who voted for them (but they don't realize it yet). FAFO.
cstanleytech
(27,340 posts)They can't get anyone to help her as they simply aren't offering a good job to people that will actually pay their bills so consequently she's having to do the work of three people literally.
stollen
(695 posts)Was FEMA underfunded and unable to do its job properly?
AverageOldGuy
(2,449 posts). . . FEMA did not do its job properly?
DenaliDemocrat
(1,582 posts)But the Republicans criticized the response as slow. Over the years, the increasing red tape HAS slowed response times down. They dont realize that FEMA is a skeleton crew. They depend on volunteers from other agencies to fill in the labor gap during an emergency. It makes sense. You cannot have thousands of people getting paid just being on standby for a national disaster.
How is that going to work when you put out an APB for volunteers to respond - and there is no one there to respond? Or even better, you have to contract EVERYTHING because its privatized and even
with a MATOC you have to give them 30 days to propose? Or there is a protest? Also, the Contractor demands hazard pay?
stollen
(695 posts)The hillbilly videos bashing govt were causing misgivings on my part for having spent a few $ thousands to help them out. Their basic goal was to get rid of govt.
stollen
(695 posts)hardest hit areas. From their blogs alone I knew NC was lost for Harris.
spanone
(138,129 posts)LogDog75
(277 posts)If I was in your position, I'd do the same thing. One of the things about having a government job is you're not going to get rich but the benefits make up for it. Pension, healthcare, Social Security (for federal government jobs), etc.. I have a friend who works for the Navy at a major aircraft rework facility where they repair and recondition Navy and Air Force planes and helicopters. He's retired Navy enlisted man and he has nearly 20 years working there as a civilian and he's planning on retiring as soon as possible. If Musk thinks he can wipe out government jobs without knowing what the ramifications are then he's really a danger to the people of the U.S. and our national security.
Who seriously thinks it's a good idea to give the guy who gave us the Cybertruck the power to decide which federal employees should be fired.
IronLionZion
(47,481 posts)they want to make federal service as unappealing as possible so they can destroy it. They want to undermine regulators so they can get rid of regulations.
underpants
(188,492 posts)That everyday people can get along without the government. The people who do actually live in their own maybe can do that but people have been lead to ignore all the Fed and States do everyday.
Nigrum Cattus
(372 posts)All across the board competent professionals will be calling it quits for
the same reasons and more. The brain drain will not be filled by wanna-be's.
The multiplier effect of all those jobs not being filled will take some
time to realize, but it will eventually hit very hard.
Smackdown2019
(1,274 posts)Turning 50 next month and under FERS, when i get to 57, i will have the over 30 benchmark done. I totally understand how things are nowadays. Workforce is a joke. No one wants to work and those you think might, get into that slow pace routine. 7 more years!
WarGamer
(16,247 posts)Every Federal employee who resigns and they don't hire a replacement is one less pink slip that goes out.
In fact... I think part of their plan will be allowing retirements with no replacements.
Response to DenaliDemocrat (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Aussie105
(6,689 posts)At least Dem voters can see ahead and realise what is in store for the country, and can make preparations to defend their lives, as best as they can.
I have a mental image of Musk driving the bus off the edge of a cliff, with half the passengers not knowing it is happening.
Historic NY
(38,418 posts)when a tooth or two go missing in the cog it will be a mess, The Trump idiot replacements will make that apparent.
LymphocyteLover
(7,260 posts)SomewhereInTheMiddle
(433 posts)Got out and back into traditional academia. Would not have minded staying in the government, but it did not work out that way.
I worry that what I do have in FERS will disappear or I will somehow be prevented from accessing it when I do retire. Of course, I worry the same thing about my SSI and TIAA/CREF.
Anyone have the winning lottery numbers they want to share?
Ugh!
Mike 03
(18,079 posts)Thank you for your service to our country. It is tragic that we are about to lose so many extremely smart, qualified people. I'm sure that our climate scientists and experts on international relations will be among the first to go--the ones we need the most.
It's sickening.
biophile
(588 posts)Brenda
(1,463 posts)Great post. I wish you luck moving into private industry or teaching.
LAS14
(14,964 posts).. of Democratic Underground????? I KNEW IT!! DEEP STATE!!! I just knew they were right.
:SARCASM:
Edit: How come my thingey didn't work?
Edit: Oh, you can't use all caps.