Posted on 02/09/2018 7:43:30 PM PST by ducttape45
I am writing this partially because I really want to know where the Freeper community stands on a whole on the issue of government workers and partially because of my disgust for certain members of the Freeper community.
There is a member on a another post who I won't mention (but who I'm sure will make his/her presence known here) who thinks that just because I work for the federal government that I should be forced from my job and unto the streets begging for money. This person apparently has a very low opinion of anyone who works for the US government. Over the past several years I've encountered many more like this person.
Yes, I work for Uncle Sam, but I am also a military veteran of 10 years (United States Air Force), and I've been in the employ of the US Government at a local military base supporting first a civil engineering squadron and now an air refueling squadron.
I do not make a whole of lot money. I am a GS-05 and I barely scrape in $24,000 a year. I'm paying on bills that I racked up helping to put my kids through college. I do not regret ever doing that because they are all very successful now in their adult lives, yet, as a single father I barely have two nickels to rub together most of the time. So to hear Freepers wish me "out on the streets or working at McDonalds and Walmart" just because they hate the government so much, I feel like I'm being lumped in with the crooks on Capital Hill. The vitriol that has been spewed at me by members of the Free Republic community has been nothing less than totally disgusting, yet at the same time I give credit to the many who have been very supportive.
Now don't get me wrong, yes, I know there ARE crooks on Capital Hill. I will be the first person to agree with you. I've seen folks here locally take advantage of the system. They have two retirements going and are still working part time racking in the dough. Yes, it's wrong, and I'll be the first person to stand up and say so. That's also part of the reason why I'm still a GS-05 because many years ago I dared to stand up to the system and have been kept from promoting ever since. I see the cronyism and nepotism that takes places on a government installation and it sickens me to the core of my being. Yet, I'm being lumped in with them. I see the wasteful spending going on, yet I'm being lumped in with them. I see people working in positions they have no business working in, while people (like myself) are being kept from being in positions they are more than qualified for because we don't suck up to higher management, yet I'm being lumped in with them. I see the evil in people like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Obama and his boyfriend Michael, yet I'm being lumped in with them when I'm nothing like them nor will I never be!
So it's reckoning time, members of Free Republic. Do you honestly feel that every single person who works for the federal government is evil? Is this "guilt by association?" Are folks like myself to be branded as "less than human" because we work in an office or in a capacity that many of you find reprehensible? If so, and if people like me are not welcome here, then I'll leave Free Republic. There are many great people here, to be sure, and if I am forced to leave because of the bad apples then I will be the less for it, but I will not tolerate the hateful attitudes and insults of those bad applies any longer if those feelings are representative of Free Republic on a whole.
It's time to make your positions known. Are you anti-government to the point where you could care less for the good people who work within government, or do you have the capacity to realize not everyone who works for the US Government is out to scam and steal from the tax payer and is just trying to make an honest living?
Lots of government workers are top notch in their jobs. Some are the best of the best, and I’ve had the privilege of having met some of these fine folks.
But there are some who fell within themselves, and thinking there wouldn’t be discovery or consequences, allowed an addiction to power, consume them.
I’ve seen it in many occupations where folks thought they held the reigns of even a little power.
Combine that with the ‘Stockholm’ syndrome that’s bound to attach itself over time, it can and frequently does become a slippery slope of moral bankruptcy.
It used to be called the “good ole boys club”. It’s alive and well in all segments of society.
Federal employees are no different from anybody else in that they are human beings, first.
The question always arises “who will watch the watchers”? I think when things can’t be hidden in darkness, and folks must answer for their decisions and actions, there will be less of the kinds of corruptions we are seeing crawl out from under the carpet these days.
But each and every human being MUST be willing to take responsibility for decisions and their deeds in addition to being transparent and accountable.
That’s my POV anyway.
Trust me, I would love to move in order to find a better job if the opportunity ever presented itself. My problem was that when the opportunity did present itself 6-7 years ago, I had family concerns that kept me where I am and prevented me from moving; once to Colorado Springs and once to Grand Forks (my father had a heart attack). Maybe it was Providence because I'm in a wonderful position now working for an air refueling squadron (these folks are great) but I really wish I was in a better paying position.
That said, the hatred I've seen for government workers from some here on FR is disheartening, but seeing the responses from folks like yourself is truly a blessing. Thank you.
It helps, thank you!
Trust me, I’m thankful every day I’m NOT in the People Republic of California!
That depends on what part of the country you're in. A GS-05, Step 4 in Indiana barely makes $35G, but you also have to factor in federal, state and local taxes here. It's my take home pay that's $24,000 a year. Uncle Sam and the Indiana DOR eats up over $11,000 - $12,000 a year!
I’ll leave that to Jim to decide. If he deletes him, that’s fine, but that’ll be his call.
As for my position, ummmm, you're right, I didn't share it in the initial post but I have since then. I work at a military base for an air refueling squadron. I work for and with the guys and gals who fly the planes that refuel the planes other guys and gals fly. I hope that is satisfactory.
I do not work for one of the myriad of agencies that I agree contributes to the bloated federal government we now have. And without even looking at the video, I am of the opinion that the government should be in the business of providing two things; a national defense and a national currency. That's it. We'll see how that fairs with the film when I watch it.
I am of the sect that does not believe that anyone owes me anything. I get what I earn by the sweat of my brow, or in my case, by the number of gray hairs earned trying to keep the squadron's IT infrastructure running despite the Air Force's best attempts to the contrary, and boy, are they trying their darnedest to make life difficult these days!
So, do I pass the test? Do I meet your expectations or do you believe I am still one of the many unentitled that folks rail against as being a part of the bloated gubermint infrastructure? Inquiring minds want to know!
On that you and I totally agree!
It matters because I want to be a part of a website that matters, not a part of one that tolerates trolls like the one I pointed out.
And that’s the type of system that needs to be given an enema. Equal rewards for good and bad work is no system at all.
That's actually pretty good!
Read through some of the other posts I've made. See if you still think that.
Too true, and point taken!
Then you need to see the world I work in. Maybe you’d come out with a different opinion.
I agree with you. As I’ve said in other posts, the government should be in the business of national defense and provide a currency, that’s it. Then, yes, leave everything to the states. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
The AFGE, a total waste, get rid of it.
Going from a WG-02 to a GS-12, totally illegal. Should have been investigated. Had someone here go from a GS-05 to a 07, then get offered a 09 without the position ever being advertised. Total cronyism.
In my previous position, I was a GS-04, yet I was doing the job of a GS-07 Engineering Assistant, a GS-09 Computer Support Administrator and a GS-06 Office Automation Clerk yet no one would raise my grade or pay because, as they put, "why would we raise your pay when you're doing what we want for less?" Talk about a punch to the stomach. I'm busting my butt to ensure other folks can do their job and that's all the thanks I get?
Sounds like you and I have had similar experiences and could swap stories into the wee hours of the night.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Be sure and factor in the correct Cost of Living for the region, then subtract the federal, state and local withholdings. THEN WHAT DO YOU HAVE LEFT????
**When i see people make blanket criticisms and idiotic statements like”get a real job.” I wonder how long they would last inside.**
When I see posts like that directed toward public school teachers, I cringe & get riled up.
I truly know, that when I worked 23 years in the ‘hood, in neighborhoods the cops didn’t even like being in, that comments like yours are true and worthy. They wouldn’t last 10 minutes. All their tough talk would be caught in their weasel throats.
How many of them are physically assaulted in their workplace; shot at; car stolen from the parking lot; tires slashed; personal stuff stolen; deal with a racist boss?
Meh.
Keep on. Carry on. Ignore the fools.
I agree totally, and I pray to God in Heaven above that He reminds me of that very point every single day of my life. I'm not saying I've held that viewpoint every day of life from childhood (who has!) but as I've transitioned into my older adult life I would like to think I've grown to the point where I know I have to do the very thing you wrote and be honest, humble and have integrity in every facet of my life.
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