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Can you justify keeping them if we don't?
Government Waste and Corruption thread
- Thread starter R.Caerbannog
- Start date
Can you justify keeping them if we don't?
Unless the Iranians do something like nuke one of our cities, I don’t see us going in heavy on the ground. Not right now, and not with this president.
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Which ones, the flags or the civilians? From the guidance we’ve received we are cutting civilian jobs just to cut them. Every department has been told to identify whatever number of billets which equals between 8 and 10%. I can easily justify keeping the ones in my division where I’m currently at. Who do you think is picking up the work of CENTCOM work as the staff disperses or the new extra tasks as a result of their increase? The work isn’t stopping.
I agree with this but we have a recent history of not thinking through everything.
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I don't even know where to put this.
This week we received an email with an Intelink URL for a survey about some "civilian cybersecurity reserve". Basically a group of qualified (allgedly) volunteers tasked to respond to cybersecurity events and threats, which I don't know if anyone knows what that means, but whatever. I Googlate civilian cybersecurity reserve and see the concept goes back to July 2021 and signed as part of the 2023 defense bill or some such nonsense.
2023 and we're just now dropping a survey to collect input on the value of such a force. Discussed for two years before it was approved and then 2 years later we're going to survey the need for such a thing. Regardless of what I think of this...entity, why does it take 2 years to send out a survey? If folks are serious about draining the swamp and improving government as a whole for all Americans, it is dumb shit like this which needs scrutiny. You want to talk about an inefficient government or government waste and fraud, here you go because the survey is also being done in conjunction with a university. That university will want to be paid for its efforts, I'm sure it has a nice 6 figure grant to participate.
This little nickel and dime shit is killing us. 100k here and 100k there flies under the radar, but it adds up.
This week we received an email with an Intelink URL for a survey about some "civilian cybersecurity reserve". Basically a group of qualified (allgedly) volunteers tasked to respond to cybersecurity events and threats, which I don't know if anyone knows what that means, but whatever. I Googlate civilian cybersecurity reserve and see the concept goes back to July 2021 and signed as part of the 2023 defense bill or some such nonsense.
2023 and we're just now dropping a survey to collect input on the value of such a force. Discussed for two years before it was approved and then 2 years later we're going to survey the need for such a thing. Regardless of what I think of this...entity, why does it take 2 years to send out a survey? If folks are serious about draining the swamp and improving government as a whole for all Americans, it is dumb shit like this which needs scrutiny. You want to talk about an inefficient government or government waste and fraud, here you go because the survey is also being done in conjunction with a university. That university will want to be paid for its efforts, I'm sure it has a nice 6 figure grant to participate.
This little nickel and dime shit is killing us. 100k here and 100k there flies under the radar, but it adds up.
Speaking to a supervisor I'll probably go work for in a few weeks, the cuts to DoW aren't the win people thought they were getting. As I mentioned before, we lost a lot of skill positions such as engineering, cyber, and contracts (probably others, I only know about those). You know what we didn't lose?
Management. Those GS-14's and -15's who spent careers getting there and then amassing power? Still there.
You talk about the Deep State and yet left that very apparatus in power. My command actually added management at a time when the workers were being encouraged to take DRP, VERA/VSIP, etc. We didn't even shuffle management and break up their hold on power, we GAVE them power because they will have the first (and only in most cases) say in who stays and who goes. That's a huge L. We've focused so much on the worker level we didn't think about the managers because we assumed they would go. They didn't.
With the RTO sick days are through the roof. Situational telework we would use in the past is gone, so instead of getting a full day out of people we're taking sick days. I'm typing this from home for this very reason, a situation where I'd stay home but work now results in not working at all when I take a sick day.
There's another area I'd love to expand upon but can't given the subject. 30k view though, "doing more with less" is impractical in some areas so covering down after the departures just isn't getting it done.
Chasing down fraud, waste, and abuse in the DoW via these avenues is a huge swing and a miss. At least the F-35 has funding and promotions galore.
ETA: the original "doing more with less" was reversed. Oof.
Management. Those GS-14's and -15's who spent careers getting there and then amassing power? Still there.
You talk about the Deep State and yet left that very apparatus in power. My command actually added management at a time when the workers were being encouraged to take DRP, VERA/VSIP, etc. We didn't even shuffle management and break up their hold on power, we GAVE them power because they will have the first (and only in most cases) say in who stays and who goes. That's a huge L. We've focused so much on the worker level we didn't think about the managers because we assumed they would go. They didn't.
With the RTO sick days are through the roof. Situational telework we would use in the past is gone, so instead of getting a full day out of people we're taking sick days. I'm typing this from home for this very reason, a situation where I'd stay home but work now results in not working at all when I take a sick day.
There's another area I'd love to expand upon but can't given the subject. 30k view though, "doing more with less" is impractical in some areas so covering down after the departures just isn't getting it done.
Chasing down fraud, waste, and abuse in the DoW via these avenues is a huge swing and a miss. At least the F-35 has funding and promotions galore.
ETA: the original "doing more with less" was reversed. Oof.
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The guidance is clear but some managers are refusing telework requests regardless of the circumstances.
You know what else looks good? The SECWAR in a little bird shooting at targets on Dam Neck or in a F18…
We also have zero TW right now, but are being pushed by our 06 to have everyone still sign a situational agreement in case the base needs to close so we can work from home. Hah!
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Box
Verified SOF
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It's all just a misunderstanding - but folks are starting to get it...
You aren't "part of a team" - you ARE a disposable employee.
Your boss doesn't give a shit about loyalty - your boss wants compliance.
Until now, pretending to give a shit about your "work/life" balance didn't get a second glance.
...until you get told you have to come in and work during the furlough.
...and you get an email reminding you to be "ethical" should you decide to take outside employment while partisan bickering prevents you from getting a pay check
"People are our Platform" seems so much more propagandized when your job is cut - or someone else's job getting cut results in you having to pull their dead weight - with no pay raise or promotion.
Americans have become so full of bullshit that most of them cant even recognize their own face in the mirror anymore.
Besides, what fun would government be without a little bit of corruption to keep things interesting?
...come on folks - focus - quit complaining - keep the noise down - and row harder.
You aren't "part of a team" - you ARE a disposable employee.
Your boss doesn't give a shit about loyalty - your boss wants compliance.
Until now, pretending to give a shit about your "work/life" balance didn't get a second glance.
...until you get told you have to come in and work during the furlough.
...and you get an email reminding you to be "ethical" should you decide to take outside employment while partisan bickering prevents you from getting a pay check
"People are our Platform" seems so much more propagandized when your job is cut - or someone else's job getting cut results in you having to pull their dead weight - with no pay raise or promotion.
Americans have become so full of bullshit that most of them cant even recognize their own face in the mirror anymore.
Besides, what fun would government be without a little bit of corruption to keep things interesting?
...come on folks - focus - quit complaining - keep the noise down - and row harder.
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Dame
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We were told the exact same thing as @AWP. No telework was authorized at all, any more, even when it was clearly the best way to go. The most recent insanity was during a section wide power outage at the base. They couldn't give us an estimated time for the power to be restored so we sat around for an hour or so outside the building. Finally the O6 says we can go home and telework so we all go back upstairs, in the dark with our own flashlights (cuz this happened so often), got our computers, went back downstairs, and headed to our cars. As we were headed to the gate, we (contractors) all got calls from the GS crew telling us to turn around. My office-mate had made it passed the guard shack and was almost to Las Vegas Blvd. Feckless leadership.
Arriving to work this morning I discovered we had a power outage over the weekend. Cool, who cares, right?
See, when our building has a power outage we lose certain types of network connectivity. This loss remains until things are done to certain network devices.
Those things weren't complete until 3PM yesterday. Unless your supervisor authorized telework, you sat here and did almost nothing until 3PM.
F-A-F-...Lethality?
See, when our building has a power outage we lose certain types of network connectivity. This loss remains until things are done to certain network devices.
Those things weren't complete until 3PM yesterday. Unless your supervisor authorized telework, you sat here and did almost nothing until 3PM.
F-A-F-...Lethality?
Box
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I'm just enjoying the irony of one of those folks you speak of "hinting" that instead of complaining, folks should be happy they have a job...
...while the government is shut down
...and pay and allowances have been suspended
...and they are still making you come to work
...while all of your counterparts are furloughed and enjoying "paid leave"
The arrogance and self flagellation is ridiculously full of shit against the current backdrop of government inefficiency and incompetence.
Stunningly Full of shit.
Insanely full of shit.
Embarrassingly full of shit.
But hey - the bills got to get paid...
...so sure, I reckon as long as you put it on multigrain bread and cover it with enough deli mustard, even a shit sandwich can be a healthy meal option in 2025 aMErikuh
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As a contractor, the Government can’t direct you to do work. Next time tell the GS he’s just committed a UAC by telling you what to do. Follow me for life pro tips!
I can't wait for this to be over and someone complains about CR funding.
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