The Purge

[GO-NAD!]

Huge F ups involving nukes are not acceptable.

The "accidental" firings continue.
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them

 

[Nondemo01]

I place blame squarely on Congress.

Trump and Elon were the eventuality for an absolute free for all in spending and creation of departments and agencies that were "good ideas/intentions" but we can't afford/WON'T afford. Both LEFT and RIGHT. They were kids in candy stores. Elon and Trump are the mean parents who've had enough.

However, the speed with which this is taking place is unnecessarily causing extreme undue hardship for people who have taken less pay than private counterparts to serve their country. Many of us are being fired under false pretenses that we are "under-performing" or "not fit for federal service". Firing probationary workers saves the government from having to pay each of us up to $25K in Reduction In Force (RIF) monies. So they're coming up with complete B.S. reasons and this also means that we have negative SF-50s and can't continue in any government role. RIF us, sure. But don't make us unhireable.

For the "fire them all" crowd, understand that 50% of civilian servants in the DoD are age 60 (!) or older. 90% of the probationary hires are under 30. That means that ALL of the technology that they want to move to, MOST of the people who they'll keep, have NO IDEA how to use. They live in a phone call and email world. Getting them on a Teams call or having them complete their travel claim is an HR nightmare.

I'm a probationary employee who retired almost a year ago from the Military after 23 years. I was asked to accept a direct hire position within the DoD, moved across the US and will most likely be fired a few weeks short of my probation ending. I'm 50, disabled (broken back jumping from airplanes) and no college degrees. The dream of serving young military members in a new capacity to "fix things" is over. Sadly.

 

[Mikado463]

Sadly, as I've stated before, Congress is a dysfunctional mess.

 

[highfigh]

I certainly see your point. But, a federal public workforce that hasn't changed numerically in 4-5 decades should indicate that it hasn't become bloated and requiring drastic cuts.

Where did you get the idea that the Federal workforce hasn't changed, numerically? The link shows that about 500K have been added since 2000.

https://www.fedweek.com/wp-content/uploads/crs_fed_workforce.pdf

 

[GO-NAD!]

Where did you get the idea that the Federal workforce hasn't changed, numerically? The link shows that about 500K have been added since 2000.

https://www.fedweek.com/wp-content/uploads/crs_fed_workforce.pdf

From the link I posted. I think it may be a difference in methodologies that explains the different totals. If you look at the notes in the link you posted, you'll see that does not include all federal employees, notably the USPS. That organization alone has reduced its workforce by 300,000 employees.
US federal workers: Key questions and employment trends | Pew Research Center

 

[Trell]

From the link I posted. I think it may be a difference in methodologies that explains the different totals. If you look at the notes in the link you posted, you'll see that does not include all federal employees, notably the USPS. That organization alone has reduced its workforce by 300,000 employees.
US federal workers: Key questions and employment trends | Pew Research Center

And the link in that post is supported by the one I gave when replying to it. He must have missed both those two posts.

 

[trochetier]

Conflict of interest?

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fda-staff-reviewing-musks-neuralink-were-included-doge-employee-firings-sources-2025-02-17/?utm_campaign=health_tech&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=347816648&utm_content=347816648&utm_source=hs_email

 

[mtrycrafts]

... notably the USPS. That organization alone has reduced its workforce by 300,000 employees.
US federal workers: Key questions and employment trends | Pew Research Center

No wonder why it is so horrible.
What's his name, postmaster DeJoy is resigning, halfway through his 10-year term. Great, not soon enough.

 

[GO-NAD!]

No wonder why it is so horrible.
What's his name, postmaster DeJoy is resigning, halfway through his 10-year term. Great, not soon enough.

Meh. People here complain about Canada Post, as well.

 

[mtrycrafts]

An $8 billion saved on a contract is actually an $8 million save. Depending on the contract size, it is peanuts.
And the exaggeration continues.

 

[GO-NAD!]

The Plot Against America - by Mike Brock

 

[highfigh]

No wonder why it is so horrible.
What's his name, postmaster DeJoy is resigning, halfway through his 10-year term. Great, not soon enough.

How would you recommend sending postage from one end of the counrty to the other, for whatever the current cost? The fact that they have to supplement the revenue with junk mail keeps our cost low but we can opt out of that.

How would you improve USPS?

 

[mtrycrafts]

How would you recommend sending postage from one end of the counrty to the other, for whatever the current cost? The fact that they have to supplement the revenue with junk mail keeps our cost low but we can opt out of that.

How would you improve USPS?

Certainly not by selling it and privatizing it to a for-profit company.

Yes, the United States Postal Service is in the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, Clause 7

 

[highfigh]

Certainly not by selling it and privatizing it to a for-profit company.

Yes, the United States Postal Service is in the Constitution in Article I, Section 8, Clause 7

And Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster, appointed by the Crown in 1753.

 

[Mr._Clark]

The Plot Against America - by Mike Brock

View attachment 72457

Interesting but I have not seen evidence that the DOGE crew is planting AI in government computer systems. The lack of transparency is unsettling but where’s the evidence? Maybe it’s out there and I missed it.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Interesting but I have not seen evidence that the DOGE crew is planting AI in government computer systems. The lack of transparency is unsettling but where’s the evidence? Maybe it’s out there and I missed it.

I can't speak to the AI bit, but the rest looks like a fair assessment to me.

 

[Mikado463]

How would you improve USPS?

well, back in the day ........

 

[mtrycrafts]

Interesting but I have not seen evidence that the DOGE crew is planting AI in government computer systems. The lack of transparency is unsettling but where’s the evidence? Maybe it’s out there and I missed it.

Or it is coming, still being brewed.

 

[mtrycrafts]

How would you recommend sending postage from one end of the counrty to the other, for whatever the current cost? The fact that they have to supplement the revenue with junk mail keeps our cost low but we can opt out of that.

How would you improve USPS?

One thing I would do is have local mail to local addresses be sorted locally, not sent to some sorting center who knows how far and back where it started. We had that as probably many locations did as well, then someone had a great idea.

 

[cpp]

I would do is have local mail to local addresses be sorted locally, not sent to some sorting center who knows how far and back where it started.

Agree, I can mail a letter from my home in Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach which is 10 miles down the road, it goes to Jacksonville ( 60 miles away for sorting) unreal.