Essential Workers?

[jyoutz]

Thats no excuse to leave that much superfuel (beetle kill pine) standing for decades. I masticated my 45 acres 8 years ago, took down all of the beetle kill pine. Yes it cost me $12k, but it saved most of my property from burning. The only parts that burned were untreated (ridge lodgepole stand).

Again I understand funding and I am not disagreeing that there isnt enough. USFS should get 10x the funding it has now.

You are correct: the beetle killed timber should be addressed. Which million acres should we do first, understanding that we get funded to treat about 50,000 acres/year?

 

[grsthegreat]

Our county offices, and even the soc sec offices, here in idaho are still open. Ive never had anyone refuse to take cash….except once at sears about 8-10 years ago. They refused to accept anything over &50 due to huge problem with fake $100 going around. Myself…im always glad to take cash. The more cash the better.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Ha, ha - my drivers license was due for renewal - 2020. WA DMV had a simple answer. No driving test, no written test - just put the costs on my MasterCard - good for another seven years.

Property taxes. I should be so lucky that the annual taxes would be waived for a year. They would resurrect Scrooge, if need be, just to get those property taxes.

Indiana, you only need to go in once every 16yrs. At 8yrs, you simply pay online and they send a new card with the same picture.

 

[MossRoad]

I am likewise perturbed at the lack of service at State DMV offices and county government offices. I consider going to these places to be a major ordeal.

I will say the about 10 years ago, Indiana overhauled it's DMV. It's rare that I now spend more than 10 minutes in there. The service is great, fast, and friendly. Fantastic. Probably a model for all other states.

 

[two_bit_score]

The problem with term limits is that just as a Congressman starts to get respected by his constituents, he is booted out of office.Rather than getting on the ways and means committee his successor finds himself on that of the assistant dog catcher.

Good point!

Term limits is an attractive proposition to frustrated voters. However, it rewards and increases the power of the unelected bureaucracy. All they have to do is outlast the next “first termer”.

 

[ultrarunner]

It’s getting more brazen as essential workers have gone from hero to zero if not vaccinated.

Law Enforcement is experiencing both retirements and vaccine termination as crime becomes embolden.

Brazen mobs of dozens or maybe 50+ attacking/looting during store hours in high end locations targeting multiple Bay Area retail.

But it’s just property crime and not where we live is the old refrain but now it is coming to you.

Link to upscale Bay Area community of Walnut Creek with high end jewelers, retailers.

video shows perps driving late model cars and agile… doubt any retired folks doing this

California Nordstrom ransacked by 80 looters in ski masks with crowbars and weapons: Witness — Fox News

Roughly 80 looters stormed a Nordstrom location in Walnut Creek, California, on Saturday night.

apple.news

 

[Citydude]

Looters? How about armed robbery. Oh, never mind. It's California.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, daylight robbery in California is legal. If you try and stop it you could go to jail.


not so i. Florida….ha. This low life is going to get so trashed in jail

https://nypost.com/2021/11/20/hero-florida-girl-slugs-moms-mugger/

 

[PuffyC]

Interesting thread. All I’ll say is

- I have lots of experience with government employees and offices. Budgets aside, if my business was run as poorly as they are we would have gone bankrupt long ago.

- My extended family is about 50/50 private vs government employed. Based on what I learned from that experience, I encouraged all of my children to strongly consider working for the government. You won’t get rich but on the whole you’ll probably come out way ahead.

Not sure if that makes me a hypocrite but I’m sticking with it.

 

[jyoutz]

Interesting thread. All I’ll say is

- I have lots of experience with government employees and offices. Budgets aside, if my business was run as poorly as they are we would have gone bankrupt long ago.

- My extended family is about 50/50 private vs government employed. Based on what I learned from that experience, I encouraged all of my children to strongly consider working for the government. You won’t get rich but on the whole you’ll probably come out way ahead.

Not sure if that makes me a hypocrite but I’m sticking with it.

Businesses are not subject to the whims of ever changing politicians and can actually do long term planning without having to change course every 4 years.

 

[Hay Dude]

Interesting thread. All I’ll say is

- I have lots of experience with government employees and offices. Budgets aside, if my business was run as poorly as they are we would have gone bankrupt long ago.

- My extended family is about 50/50 private vs government employed. Based on what I learned from that experience, I encouraged all of my children to strongly consider working for the government. You won’t get rich but on the whole you’ll probably come out way ahead.

Not sure if that makes me a hypocrite but I’m sticking with it.

One of the few times I’ve ever agreed with you.
I would add it’s rare you ever lose a govt job, either. Private sector? No comparison in job security, either. The reason is simple. Those who create those jobs are using taxpayer money, not their own, so theres less care on how much gets spent.

 

[jyoutz]

One of the few times I’ve ever agreed with you.
I would add it’s rare you ever lose a govt job, either. Private sector? No comparison in job security, either. The reason is simple. Those who create those jobs are using taxpayer money, not their own, so theres less care on how much gets spent.

Government employment has always provided more long term job security than private industry, but lower salaries.

 

[Hay Dude]

Government employment has always provided more long term job security than private industry, but lower salaries.

I don’t know about the lower salaries. And then there’s govt union bennies.
Government jobs have excellent benefits and many have pensions which are extremely beneficiary to the recipient and their families. I equate them to a union job WITH job security virtually for life.

 

[jyoutz]

I don’t know about the lower salaries. And then there’s govt union bennies.
Government jobs have excellent benefits and many have pensions which are extremely beneficiary to the recipient and their families. I equate them to a union job WITH job security virtually for life.

Most federal pensions aren’t that much. For example the formula for the pension is: the average of the last three years salary times 1% times the number of years of service. Do the math. For a salary of $75k with 30 years service, the annual pension is $22,500. Of course federal employees also pay social security, so we can also collect that. Also we have the option to withhold funds to contribute to the thrift savings program (similar to a 401k). Many corporate employees do better in retirement.

 

[Jstpssng]

I would add it’s rare you ever lose a govt job, either.

I always find this viewpoint rather humorous. My first job out of college was working for the State Bureau of Public Lands. I was laid off the first 3 winters before getting on full time... that lasted 6 months before somebody with more seniority had her position terminated and I was out of work again. We had gone almost 2 years W/O a pay raise... the day that I was laid off everybody else got a retroactive pay raise.

 

[Hay Dude]

I always find this viewpoint rather humorous. My first job out of college was working for the State Bureau of Public Lands. I was laid off the first 3 winters before getting on full time... that lasted 6 months before somebody with more seniority had her position terminated and I was out of work again. We had gone almost 2 years W/O a pay raise... the day that I was laid off everybody else got a retroactive pay raise.

Well, there’s always the exception.
Laugh all you want but overall, government jobs have less layoffs than private sector.

 

[jyoutz]

Well, there’s always the exception.
Laugh all you want but overall, government jobs have less layoffs than private sector.

Yes, government employees trade off higher salaries for more job security.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yes, government employees trade off higher salaries for more job security.

And gain more back in better bennies and a pension.
Not losing your job over the course of 30 years compared to losing a private sector job 2,3,4 times is like making more money. There’s no interruption in the income stream.
How about government union protections and medical benefits? Something tells me they are better than average joe in private sector, too.

 

[PuffyC]

Businesses are not subject to the whims of ever changing politicians and can actually do long term planning without having to change course every 4 years.

Ha! That quite literally made my chuckle out loud. Big league multinationals internally re-org constantly. The running joke is that if you don’t like some policy just wait six months and the next guy or gal will change it. If we stayed on any course for even two years my eyes would pop out in surprise.

I’ll add that the idea of making more in the private sector is just as often a myth as it is reality. If you look at total compensation (salary, benefits, retirement, etc) it’s about 50/50, and if you figure in the hours worked for that compensation the government employee often comes out ahead. The ones in my family sure did. I know that’s not always the case but I’d still push my own children to work for the gov instead.

 

[jyoutz]

Ha! That quite literally made my chuckle out loud. Big league multinationals internally re-org constantly. The running joke is that if you don’t like some policy just wait six months and the next guy or gal will change it. If we stayed on any course for even two years my eyes would pop out in surprise.

I’ll add that the idea of making more in the private sector is just as often a myth as it is reality. If you look at total compensation (salary, benefits, retirement, etc) it’s about 50/50, and if you figure in the hours worked for that compensation the government employee often comes out ahead. The ones in my family sure did. I know that’s not always the case but I’d still push my own children to work for the gov instead.

Corporate changes in direction and policy are self imposed, not subject to the whims of politicians who often change from one extreme to the other. It is a fact that salaries for like jobs are higher in the private sector. Many studies have confirmed this. But I’m talking about like jobs: engineer vs engineer.