Anonymous wrote:I can sympathize OP. My husband has been laid off / RIFed I believe 4 times in his career (fed contracting). The first time, our kids were little and I was a SAHM. I was PETRIFIED. And it worked out. Every time after that, we have weathered it. It’s one of those things that feels so scary until it happens and you realize - you will manage. You are more prepared than you think. You are qualified for employment and will find new jobs. You WILL weather it if it comes to pass.
You had a stable democracy back then.
So maybe they can’t be feds. Maybe her company is reorging- There are tons of companies in this area that will hire them. It is much more doable than it seems before you face it and get through it. It feels so terrifying but then you take stock of the resources you set back for this, you cut where you can, you apply and interview and get back on your feet. It’s not so hopeless OP , even though it is unfair.
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, OP. And it’s all for nothing— it is just to be cruel.
I am sorry.
We are nearly $37 trillion in debt - I wouldn't call that nothing. We can go bankrupt as a country and destroy our children's future, or we can start making some tough choices as a country. I chose the tough choices now.
Once again, federal employee compensation costs the government less than it did 15 years ago. We have the same number of federal employees as we did in 1975, despite there being 100 million more people in the United States. Federal employees are not the source of our debt. And firing them is not going to reduce it.
If you are genuinely concerned about debt, you should be complaining about the party in power, who today released their draft budget with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy. And no, even with their proposed cuts, it doesn’t even come close to offsetting $4.5 trillion. They are adding far more to the deficit than the less than $0.3 trillion that is the entire federal payroll. Why aren’t you complaining about this proposal?
Here is bottom line. We take in four trillion a year and govt spends six trillion a year. One trillion of that is interest.
Somethings like SS, Medicare, Troops can't touch much.
We have to cut two trillion or raise taxes alot. In any "rightsizing" the low hanging fruit goes first.
Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe that we may be facing double unemployment. I'm a federal contractor and my spouse is a fed. At the end of 2024 we both received promotions and were doing well and happy in our careers. My company is crumbling around me with contracts being terminated and layoffs and all I can do is watch. We are in our 40s with two young kids and a mortgage. We are financially conservative and can live on one income comfortably without childcare, which has always given us piece of mind. However, we are now in what would usually seem like a remote possibility that both of us would be unemployed at the same time for a potentially extended period. I cannot focus on anything--my work, my kids. I'm depressed just thinking about how happy everyone was in December and now the future looks bleak and uncertain. My kids have no idea what is going on.
I really wish someone would shine a light on what is going on, because we can't be the only ones. DOGE has not even started with NIH, FDA, and SAMSHA and RIFs--Montgomery County is going to a disaster. I think the rest of the country doesn't care.
This is so stressful and I'm sorry you're going through it. I hate what Trump and Musk are doing, and I'm so scared for our country. And if they manage to layoff and cut as many workers and contracts as they want, our family faces a similar risk since our jobs rely on that spending.
I will just say that many communities in the US have been decimated in recent history by cuts in manufacturing jobs since the 80s and most recently during the Great Recession. Obama was in office for 8 years and those manufacturing jobs did not recover. I think we need to be sensitive to that when we talk about others not caring about Montgomery County.
Also - Montgomery County Government is hiring! Look into their budget office for jobs.
Exactly, this type of devastation has hit the US Rust Belt states, and nobody in DC gave a shit about what happened to those jobs/employees.
Misery loves company. Thanks for confirming that this is all this is
about. Also you have no way to know that nobody in DC cared about it.
That’s about right.
And all those fed workers really cashed in when the Rust Belt went down, right?
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, OP. And it’s all for nothing— it is just to be cruel.
I am sorry.
We are nearly $37 trillion in debt - I wouldn't call that nothing. We can go bankrupt as a country and destroy our children's future, or we can start making some tough choices as a country. I chose the tough choices now.
Once again, federal employee compensation costs the government less than it did 15 years ago. We have the same number of federal employees as we did in 1975, despite there being 100 million more people in the United States. Federal employees are not the source of our debt. And firing them is not going to reduce it.
If you are genuinely concerned about debt, you should be complaining about the party in power, who today released their draft budget with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy. And no, even with their proposed cuts, it doesn’t even come close to offsetting $4.5 trillion. They are adding far more to the deficit than the less than $0.3 trillion that is the entire federal payroll. Why aren’t you complaining about this proposal?
Here is bottom line. We take in four trillion a year and govt spends six trillion a year. One trillion of that is interest.
Somethings like SS, Medicare, Troops can't touch much.
We have to cut two trillion or raise taxes alot. In any "rightsizing" the low hanging fruit goes first.
Why won’t you address the fact that Republicans are ADDING $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to the deficit?
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, OP. And it’s all for nothing— it is just to be cruel.
I am sorry.
We are nearly $37 trillion in debt - I wouldn't call that nothing. We can go bankrupt as a country and destroy our children's future, or we can start making some tough choices as a country. I chose the tough choices now.
Once again, federal employee compensation costs the government less than it did 15 years ago. We have the same number of federal employees as we did in 1975, despite there being 100 million more people in the United States. Federal employees are not the source of our debt. And firing them is not going to reduce it.
If you are genuinely concerned about debt, you should be complaining about the party in power, who today released their draft budget with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy. And no, even with their proposed cuts, it doesn’t even come close to offsetting $4.5 trillion. They are adding far more to the deficit than the less than $0.3 trillion that is the entire federal payroll. Why aren’t you complaining about this proposal?
Here is bottom line. We take in four trillion a year and govt spends six trillion a year. One trillion of that is interest.
Somethings like SS, Medicare, Troops can't touch much.
We have to cut two trillion or raise taxes alot. In any "rightsizing" the low hanging fruit goes first.
Apparently aid to poor people and fed worker jobs are 'low hanging fruit' for this billionaire.
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, OP. And it’s all for nothing— it is just to be cruel.
I am sorry.
We are nearly $37 trillion in debt - I wouldn't call that nothing. We can go bankrupt as a country and destroy our children's future, or we can start making some tough choices as a country. I chose the tough choices now.
Once again, federal employee compensation costs the government less than it did 15 years ago. We have the same number of federal employees as we did in 1975, despite there being 100 million more people in the United States. Federal employees are not the source of our debt. And firing them is not going to reduce it.
If you are genuinely concerned about debt, you should be complaining about the party in power, who today released their draft budget with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy. And no, even with their proposed cuts, it doesn’t even come close to offsetting $4.5 trillion. They are adding far more to the deficit than the less than $0.3 trillion that is the entire federal payroll. Why aren’t you complaining about this proposal?
Here is bottom line. We take in four trillion a year and govt spends six trillion a year. One trillion of that is interest.
Somethings like SS, Medicare, Troops can't touch much.
We have to cut two trillion or raise taxes alot. In any "rightsizing" the low hanging fruit goes first.
Apparently aid to poor people and fed worker jobs are 'low hanging fruit' for this billionaire.
Anonymous wrote:This Rust Belt talking point is furthering the division.
No, it's about self-awareness.
It's one thing to say you're stressed about job loss. And/or you think Trump and Musk are doing irreparable damage. But to be frustrated not enough people outside the DMV care enough about your personal financial situation is weird and tone deaf.
Anonymous wrote:No, I don't think most people in this area cared unless they had some direct personal or professional link to those areas.
This is a ridiculous thing to claim. Not everyone is as uncaring as you.
This. My father was an electrician, his father a truck driver, and his brothers steelworkers. My maternal grandfather was a school janitor who'd been a coal miner before his hand was crushed in the mine. His own father died in the mine when my grandfather was a toddler.
I grew up caring about the plight of blue collar workers and have rooted for them my whole life no matter where they live. In fact, I went to work for the government (I'm deaf in 1 ear and failed the Air Force physical, otherwise, I would have been an AF hospital administrator) in service to people who didn't have the same opportunities I ultimately had. I'm guessing I'm far from alone.
I've certainly NEVER cheered for people to lose their livelihoods.
Anonymous wrote:No, I don't think most people in this area cared unless they had some direct personal or professional link to those areas.
This is a ridiculous thing to claim. Not everyone is as uncaring as you.
This. My father was an electrician, his father a truck driver, and his brothers steelworkers. My maternal grandfather was a school janitor who'd been a coal miner before his hand was crushed in the mine. His own father died in the mine when my grandfather was a toddler.
I grew up caring about the plight of blue collar workers and have rooted for them my whole life no matter where they live. In fact, I went to work for the government (I'm deaf in 1 ear and failed the Air Force physical, otherwise, I would have been an AF hospital administrator) in service to people who didn't have the same opportunities I ultimately had. I'm guessing I'm far from alone.
I've certainly NEVER cheered for people to lose their livelihoods.
It's a struggle to figure out what about Trump and Musk is most reprehensible, but I can't think of any decent human beings who cheer throwing people out of work.
Anonymous wrote:This Rust Belt talking point is furthering the division.
No, it's about self-awareness.
It's one thing to say you're stressed about job loss. And/or you think Trump and Musk are doing irreparable damage. But to be frustrated not enough people outside the DMV care enough about your personal financial situation is weird and tone deaf.
Like I said. Keep fighting amongst ourselves and ignore what’s going on above us. That’s what they want.
Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe that we may be facing double unemployment. I'm a federal contractor and my spouse is a fed. At the end of 2024 we both received promotions and were doing well and happy in our careers. My company is crumbling around me with contracts being terminated and layoffs and all I can do is watch. We are in our 40s with two young kids and a mortgage. We are financially conservative and can live on one income comfortably without childcare, which has always given us piece of mind. However, we are now in what would usually seem like a remote possibility that both of us would be unemployed at the same time for a potentially extended period. I cannot focus on anything--my work, my kids. I'm depressed just thinking about how happy everyone was in December and now the future looks bleak and uncertain. My kids have no idea what is going on.
I really wish someone would shine a light on what is going on, because we can't be the only ones. DOGE has not even started with NIH, FDA, and SAMSHA and RIFs--Montgomery County is going to a disaster. I think the rest of the country doesn't care.
This is so stressful and I'm sorry you're going through it. I hate what Trump and Musk are doing, and I'm so scared for our country. And if they manage to layoff and cut as many workers and contracts as they want, our family faces a similar risk since our jobs rely on that spending.
I will just say that many communities in the US have been decimated in recent history by cuts in manufacturing jobs since the 80s and most recently during the Great Recession. Obama was in office for 8 years and those manufacturing jobs did not recover. I think we need to be sensitive to that when we talk about others not caring about Montgomery County.
Also - Montgomery County Government is hiring! Look into their budget office for jobs.
Re: Great Recession, (1) there were so many bailouts and jobs programs and retraining programs, to say nothing of later efforts like the IRA that have been great for manufacturing, and (2) the 2008 crash was caused by the kind of deregulation that is happening again now.
We are trapped in this cycle of Republican policies crashing the economy, the government bailing them out, and then people complaining about the government not doing enough so let's fire them.
Manufacturing jobs did not recover.
I'm not saying Obama didn't do anything. But the reality is that none of these government programs address the root causes of the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, which was driven by globalization that both Republicans and Democrats supported. And I don't know what the answer is, nor am I equating that with Trump and Musk's illegal actions, but if we are talking about elected officials making decisions that decimate communities and then saying nobody cares about the risk to our community - we need to be sensitive to that.
Multiple government bailouts and recovery plans is, by definition, people caring.
I don't see any congressional program to train fired feds to be solar technicians or electricians, like we had for those communities.
It matters because this tone policing is part of the problem. Feds are supposed to shut up and take it on the chin because we always have before, and our elected reps are used to us doing that so they are indifferent.
+1
Also last I checked Obama did create a billionaire commission to send daily emails to manufacturing plants letting the employees know how useless they are, enticing them into a fraudulent resignation offer, fire them for reasons unrelated to market forces or misconduct, gloat all over the media about their job losses, and move their worksites to far flung locations just to make them miserable.
Like you just cannot even begin to compare what is going on now to manufacturing job loss.
None of what you are posting remotely negates any of what I said. I even bolded where I clearly stated that I don't think what is going on is "the same" and you chose to ignore that.
I will repost below for your convenienI agree and sympathize with OP and may even be in the same boat soon. I don't think anybody should shut up but specifically, I think talking about how other people don't care about Montgomery County is going to fall flat in many places, so maybe focus on the numerous other horrific aspects of what is happening right now?
I'm not saying Obama didn't do anything. But the reality is that none of these government programs address the root causes of the loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, which was driven by globalization that both Republicans and Democrats supported. And I don't know what the answer is, nor am I equating that with Trump and Musk's illegal actions, but if we are talking about elected officials making decisions that decimate communities and then saying nobody cares about the risk to our community - we need to be sensitive to that.
NP - nah. Stop scolding people for having a normal human reaction to deliberate attempts by a vindictive megalomaniac (several of them, actually) to terrorize them. No one was cackling gleefully about closing manufacturing facilities. Moreover, those closures were not done sheerly out of spite. Move along if you have nothing supportive to contribute.
Who here is cackling? Jfc
I agree with OP on everything but one statement that she wrote about other people not about herself. Sorry you don't like that.
DP. Pretty sure the PP was referring to members of the present Admin rather than DCUM posters (omitting that one PP who got reported and deleted for such an attitude and accompanying potty mouth). There is a gleeful and vindictive attitude surrounding these job losses that was never present in job losses in other sectors under other Admins, including previous Republican Admins.
Thanks, PP - yes, I was referring to the current administration and contrasting them in particular with administrations in charge during manufacturing job losses. No one was cheering those on. The cruelty currently on display is a large part of what makes this situation a nightmare.
OP said nobody cares, not members of the current administration are cruel.
I agree with the latter. I think the former is probably true in many places but can you say you really cared that much about the towns and cities that have been decimated by the loss of manufacturing jobs? That's great that Obama tried in the ways that he did, but maybe stop making this about him? The communities are still struggling.
I wasn’t addressing the OP, I was addressing the PP (you?) who insists that manufacturing cuts are a relevant comparator to the current situation. They’re not, and it’s disingenuous to claim that they are.
Moreover, my actual job includes identifying needs and directing funds to communities with limited access to healthcare, many of which are the rural communities decimated by the loss of manufacturing jobs. So, please, STFU with your speculative insults.
So you're saying you are personally aware of how these communities suffered and you think it's okay to whine about how they don't care enough about you? Seriously? That's even worse.
I really don't know how many different ways I can say that I don't support Trump or Musk, I think what they are doing is horrible and NOT THE SAME THING as the massive losses of manufacturing jobs in many communities, AND that it's insensitive to complain about people from those places not caring enough about Montgomery County, one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, given what they have been through over the last four decades.
You sound like a right-winger trying to make federal workers look bad by saying stupid sh&t online.
I love it when the projection is so clear. *chef’s kiss*
I’m not the OP, dude. There are plenty of us on here who realize your only goal is dividing the opposition to Elmo and Dear Leader.
Anonymous wrote:No, I don't think most people in this area cared unless they had some direct personal or professional link to those areas.
This is a ridiculous thing to claim. Not everyone is as uncaring as you.
This. My father was an electrician, his father a truck driver, and his brothers steelworkers. My maternal grandfather was a school janitor who'd been a coal miner before his hand was crushed in the mine. His own father died in the mine when my grandfather was a toddler.
I grew up caring about the plight of blue collar workers and have rooted for them my whole life no matter where they live. In fact, I went to work for the government (I'm deaf in 1 ear and failed the Air Force physical, otherwise, I would have been an AF hospital administrator) in service to people who didn't have the same opportunities I ultimately had. I'm guessing I'm far from alone.
I've certainly NEVER cheered for people to lose their livelihoods.
It's a struggle to figure out what about Trump and Musk is most reprehensible, but I can't think of any decent human beings who cheer throwing people out of work.
+1
I suspect this is adding to the sense of despair being felt. They are being cast as the enemy by Musk and their work devalued and misconstrued (at the very least.)
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