Well paid government employees who can't afford a one or two week shutdown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two months ago, I got the hell outa DOGE. I was a GS-12 making 111k, wife works for school system making 50k. No kids. No house, just rent.

We have 6 months worth minimum expenses if we both lost our jobs, but that would be eating into our house fund. So 3 months if you don’t count house fund.

Thank God I left.

Well yeah young people have more options than the typical middle age Fed. Ageism is fierce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and if we use our emergency savings then what happens if there is an emergency? We are both working without pay. It is very stressful there is no end in sight. So as mentioned several times in this thread stop worrying about other peoples’ money and have some compassion. There is no end in sight. Shocker most people don’t work for free and have indefinite savings, even those smug ones in the private sector. For what it’s worth in 2013 my student loans were $900 a month. Paid off now and replaced by tuition and college savings and medical bills.

This doesn't make any sense. If you cant use your emergency fund when you lose your pay, then... its not an emergency fund. If it cant cover your monthly expenses, including surprise expense, then its not a big enough emergency fund. So you are someone who doesn't have an emergency fund.

And yes, I do judge that. Its a basic tenant of being an adult. All of your bills means you need a higher savings fund. That isnt anyone elses fault but your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a GS 15. If we get swhutdown I won't be able to pay my $800.00 student loans next month. I have no kids but forget the Infe3rtility treatments... I won't have any kids if Congress keeps this up. My husbands salary will cover mortgage and whatnot. We have savings but I also resent using them because of tea party nonsense.

This feels circular to me. The career federal employees come across as intensely political and 99% behind Obama, which makes the Tea Party types even happier to shut down the Government. I don't know when this stops, but I think some recognition on the part of federal employees that they also work for people with whom they disagree politically is part of the equation.

I worked for DoD. Politically, my agency was like the country- pretty evenly divided, with maybe a little leaning to the right. We did have plenty of TEA party types. They didn’t hide their disdain for big government and the DC “swamp.” This was ironic on so many levels. Bureaucracy and waste was only the “other” agencies.

They looked down on everything in the name of taxes. Without taxes, how could Uncle Sam pay their triple dipping salary? I met so many GG14s, with military retirement and often military disability.

I believe retired military are entitled to every benefit they earned. What got me, was often “disability” was actually retired soldiers, sailors and airmen getting a little sedentary, getting a little heavy and had nothing to do with their years of being a desk jockey in the military. I knew retired military who got 100% disability for being overweight and the ailments that come with it- high blood pressure, bad knees, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes. That they get the same disability as a soldier who was sent to the battlefield and saw killings, lost friends, maybe lost limbs, doesn’t seem fair.

It's not fair. I appreciate our service members and their service. This might be unpopular, but I think if you are 100% disabled, you should not be able to work. Too many receive 100% disability, have government jobs, play softball, go on hikes and golf on the weekends. This doesn't sound disabled to me.

p.s. I know you can't see all disabilities, but the system is abused and needs fixed.

You're welcome to go to your nearest recruiting a sign up if you thing it's such a great deal.

NP-- they wouldn't take me. I'm disabled.

Consider all the people that are born with a disability and yet are able to work, and do so. They don't get any extra funds because they are working and have a disability. Consider people that develop MS or cancer while working age-- they don't extra $ because of their disability if they can continue to work.

Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability when you were sent to a foreign country, away from your family
Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability by being separated from your family for countless holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, milestones like graduations and weddings, etc.

Are you married, or have you ever been? How many days were you married before you had to leave your spouse for a year long activity that was related to your disability?

Do you have kids? Were you absent for your kids' lives for months at a time due to your disability? Did your disability prevent you from being present at your kids' births?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and if we use our emergency savings then what happens if there is an emergency? We are both working without pay. It is very stressful there is no end in sight. So as mentioned several times in this thread stop worrying about other peoples’ money and have some compassion. There is no end in sight. Shocker most people don’t work for free and have indefinite savings, even those smug ones in the private sector. For what it’s worth in 2013 my student loans were $900 a month. Paid off now and replaced by tuition and college savings and medical bills.

This doesn't make any sense. If you cant use your emergency fund when you lose your pay, then... its not an emergency fund. If it cant cover your monthly expenses, including surprise expense, then its not a big enough emergency fund. So you are someone who doesn't have an emergency fund.

And yes, I do judge that. Its a basic tenant of being an adult. All of your bills means you need a higher savings fund. That isnt anyone elses fault but your own.

NP.. you are cruel. Go on and get off and internet and back to work since you’re such an established adult who sees fit to judge others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you don’t get is that in high cost areas $100k a year means scraping by. This has been discussed ad nauseum on various threads. If you live in Kansas, $100k is great. In DC or any other places with a high cost of living, you can’t support a family on it at all. If you are single, that $100k after taxes isn’t enough to cover housing and food expenses.

This is just wildly untrue. If you sre scraping by on $100K, in DC, you are making or previously made poor choices. For sure you can't have everything. But you should not be living paycheck to paycheck.

On that salary you need to find housing around $2500, which can be done with moving farther, getting a roommate, looking for a good deal. That leaves you still 60% of your check. Save half of that (about $2000 rough math, majority should go in retirement the rest in cash savings). Use whatever remains on your food and entertainment (roughly $2000). If one month an unexpected expense arises, save less than half. If you have other loans, you'll be saving or spending less until those loans are paid.

[Anonymous]

Truly secure people (both financially and otherwise) are above dunking on the misfortunes others, even if such misfortune is self-inflicted to a certain degree.


Yes - we have more than enough liquid savings to get by for multiple years of job loss. We have been good stewards of our resources. Yet I can still understand why many/most folks would be in dire straits with the loss of a paycheck or two.

[Anonymous]

1. Housing. No salary on the GS scale goes very far in the DC area. Tons of people are paying 50% or more of their aftertax take home each month on housing. You cannot live in a studio/one-bedroom if you have kids. This simply does not leave a lot left over for savings. A lot of these people would have substantial savings if they were paid 50-100k more each year (salaries more in line with the private sector).
2. A lot of your friends might be doing really well on retirement savings: maxing out 401k each year in addition to fers contributions. But this type of retirement savings does not leave money leftover for an emergency fund.
3. Daycare, college, significant medical expenses, unexpected home repairs, divorce - lots of stuff can readily drain an emergency fund.
4. Inflation. They got used to making x and spending y sustainably. But federal salaries have not kept pace with inflation and someone who has not cut back substantially on items like travel and eating out (to cover increased grocery expenses etc.) is no longer going to be saving very much anymore.
5. Not very many people have 3-6 months liquid. Your friends might have relatively substantial non-liquid savings like stocks, home equity, etc. but be reluctant to tap into that for a shutdown that is expected to end eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a GS 15. If we get swhutdown I won't be able to pay my $800.00 student loans next month. I have no kids but forget the Infe3rtility treatments... I won't have any kids if Congress keeps this up. My husbands salary will cover mortgage and whatnot. We have savings but I also resent using them because of tea party nonsense.

This feels circular to me. The career federal employees come across as intensely political and 99% behind Obama, which makes the Tea Party types even happier to shut down the Government. I don't know when this stops, but I think some recognition on the part of federal employees that they also work for people with whom they disagree politically is part of the equation.

I worked for DoD. Politically, my agency was like the country- pretty evenly divided, with maybe a little leaning to the right. We did have plenty of TEA party types. They didn’t hide their disdain for big government and the DC “swamp.” This was ironic on so many levels. Bureaucracy and waste was only the “other” agencies.

They looked down on everything in the name of taxes. Without taxes, how could Uncle Sam pay their triple dipping salary? I met so many GG14s, with military retirement and often military disability.

I believe retired military are entitled to every benefit they earned. What got me, was often “disability” was actually retired soldiers, sailors and airmen getting a little sedentary, getting a little heavy and had nothing to do with their years of being a desk jockey in the military. I knew retired military who got 100% disability for being overweight and the ailments that come with it- high blood pressure, bad knees, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes. That they get the same disability as a soldier who was sent to the battlefield and saw killings, lost friends, maybe lost limbs, doesn’t seem fair.

It's not fair. I appreciate our service members and their service. This might be unpopular, but I think if you are 100% disabled, you should not be able to work. Too many receive 100% disability, have government jobs, play softball, go on hikes and golf on the weekends. This doesn't sound disabled to me.

p.s. I know you can't see all disabilities, but the system is abused and needs fixed.

You're welcome to go to your nearest recruiting a sign up if you thing it's such a great deal.

NP-- they wouldn't take me. I'm disabled.

Consider all the people that are born with a disability and yet are able to work, and do so. They don't get any extra funds because they are working and have a disability. Consider people that develop MS or cancer while working age-- they don't extra $ because of their disability if they can continue to work.

Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability when you were sent to a foreign country, away from your family
Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability by being separated from your family for countless holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, milestones like graduations and weddings, etc.

Are you married, or have you ever been? How many days were you married before you had to leave your spouse for a year long activity that was related to your disability?

Do you have kids? Were you absent for your kids' lives for months at a time due to your disability? Did your disability prevent you from being present at your kids' births?

I think the military disability discussion is focused on those who are “disabled” because they are older and not taking care of their bodies. I know lots of “disabled” vets who never saw combat, never deployed and receive 100% disability, but still have full time jobs, participate in recreational activities, go on vacations and lead pretty normal lives.

Maybe the issue is those that lost limbs, those in wheelchairs, those that experience PTSD from the horrors of the battlefield…maybe they need and deserve more than 100%?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and if we use our emergency savings then what happens if there is an emergency? We are both working without pay. It is very stressful there is no end in sight. So as mentioned several times in this thread stop worrying about other peoples’ money and have some compassion. There is no end in sight. Shocker most people don’t work for free and have indefinite savings, even those smug ones in the private sector. For what it’s worth in 2013 my student loans were $900 a month. Paid off now and replaced by tuition and college savings and medical bills.

This doesn't make any sense. If you cant use your emergency fund when you lose your pay, then... its not an emergency fund. If it cant cover your monthly expenses, including surprise expense, then its not a big enough emergency fund. So you are someone who doesn't have an emergency fund.

And yes, I do judge that. Its a basic tenant of being an adult. All of your bills means you need a higher savings fund. That isnt anyone elses fault but your own.

BS it is 100% Republicans' fault.
They have the House and the Senate. The only reason for the shut down is the Epstein files anything else is a dam lie.

[Anonymous]

Our military deserves better than the guy stealing their monies and putting them on the street.

Republicans hate the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and if we use our emergency savings then what happens if there is an emergency? We are both working without pay. It is very stressful there is no end in sight. So as mentioned several times in this thread stop worrying about other peoples’ money and have some compassion. There is no end in sight. Shocker most people don’t work for free and have indefinite savings, even those smug ones in the private sector. For what it’s worth in 2013 my student loans were $900 a month. Paid off now and replaced by tuition and college savings and medical bills.

This doesn't make any sense. If you cant use your emergency fund when you lose your pay, then... its not an emergency fund. If it cant cover your monthly expenses, including surprise expense, then its not a big enough emergency fund. So you are someone who doesn't have an emergency fund.

And yes, I do judge that. It’s a basic tenant of being an adult. All of your bills means you need a higher savings fund. That isnt anyone elses fault but your own.

You’re a bit stupid, right?

The word you wanted was “tenet.”

A tenant is a person who rents property.

And no, that wasn’t a autocorrect or typo. You just used the incorrect word.

Because you are bloody stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a GS 15. If we get swhutdown I won't be able to pay my $800.00 student loans next month. I have no kids but forget the Infe3rtility treatments... I won't have any kids if Congress keeps this up. My husbands salary will cover mortgage and whatnot. We have savings but I also resent using them because of tea party nonsense.

This feels circular to me. The career federal employees come across as intensely political and 99% behind Obama, which makes the Tea Party types even happier to shut down the Government. I don't know when this stops, but I think some recognition on the part of federal employees that they also work for people with whom they disagree politically is part of the equation.

I worked for DoD. Politically, my agency was like the country- pretty evenly divided, with maybe a little leaning to the right. We did have plenty of TEA party types. They didn’t hide their disdain for big government and the DC “swamp.” This was ironic on so many levels. Bureaucracy and waste was only the “other” agencies.

They looked down on everything in the name of taxes. Without taxes, how could Uncle Sam pay their triple dipping salary? I met so many GG14s, with military retirement and often military disability.

I believe retired military are entitled to every benefit they earned. What got me, was often “disability” was actually retired soldiers, sailors and airmen getting a little sedentary, getting a little heavy and had nothing to do with their years of being a desk jockey in the military. I knew retired military who got 100% disability for being overweight and the ailments that come with it- high blood pressure, bad knees, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes. That they get the same disability as a soldier who was sent to the battlefield and saw killings, lost friends, maybe lost limbs, doesn’t seem fair.

It's not fair. I appreciate our service members and their service. This might be unpopular, but I think if you are 100% disabled, you should not be able to work. Too many receive 100% disability, have government jobs, play softball, go on hikes and golf on the weekends. This doesn't sound disabled to me.

p.s. I know you can't see all disabilities, but the system is abused and needs fixed.

You're welcome to go to your nearest recruiting a sign up if you thing it's such a great deal.

NP-- they wouldn't take me. I'm disabled.

Consider all the people that are born with a disability and yet are able to work, and do so. They don't get any extra funds because they are working and have a disability. Consider people that develop MS or cancer while working age-- they don't extra $ because of their disability if they can continue to work.

Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability when you were sent to a foreign country, away from your family
Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability by being separated from your family for countless holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, milestones like graduations and weddings, etc.

Are you married, or have you ever been? How many days were you married before you had to leave your spouse for a year long activity that was related to your disability?

Do you have kids? Were you absent for your kids' lives for months at a time due to your disability? Did your disability prevent you from being present at your kids' births?

There surely are more appropriate and fairer ways to compensate veterans for all the sacrifices that they have made than by using this farce of "100% disability."

Someone who really can't get a job because of a disability they received while in the military should get SIGNIFICANTLY more $ than someone who received an injury while in the military that is not so devastating that they can't get a job. I'm in favor of giving MORE $ to those vets that can't get a job compared to those that can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh and if we use our emergency savings then what happens if there is an emergency? We are both working without pay. It is very stressful there is no end in sight. So as mentioned several times in this thread stop worrying about other peoples’ money and have some compassion. There is no end in sight. Shocker most people don’t work for free and have indefinite savings, even those smug ones in the private sector. For what it’s worth in 2013 my student loans were $900 a month. Paid off now and replaced by tuition and college savings and medical bills.

This doesn't make any sense. If you cant use your emergency fund when you lose your pay, then... its not an emergency fund. If it cant cover your monthly expenses, including surprise expense, then its not a big enough emergency fund. So you are someone who doesn't have an emergency fund.

And yes, I do judge that. Its a basic tenant of being an adult. All of your bills means you need a higher savings fund. That isnt anyone elses fault but your own.

NP.. you are cruel. Go on and get off and internet and back to work since you’re such an established adult who sees fit to judge others.

No adult is fit to judge others. Put the phone down and touch grass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, my DH is a GS-15 and I work for a nonprofit. We cannot afford for my DH to not get paid. I don't think we live extravagantly but somehow cannot save much. Due to some unexpected expenses lately, we have only $2k in savings. We have 2 kids in elementary school. We cannot afford this at all.

NP and Also adding to the caveat that I do not support the government shutdown. And I do not intend this to feel like a pile-on .
But the reality in your post is that you are mistaken in your thinking that you do not “live extravagantly” if you cannot sustain 2-3 weeks of non-payment.
And that is not meant to be a dig.
It just means that you—like most other Americans—do not have enough of a cushion set aside for emergencies. And if that’s the case, it means you do live beyond your means. Because your means should include savings and set-asides for such events.
I’m not knocking what you choose to spend your money on. Nor am I saying that you spend excessively *compared to your friends or neighbors* but rather that you probably need to re-calibrate how you budget in future so that you can sustain a 6-month period with no income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a GS 15. If we get swhutdown I won't be able to pay my $800.00 student loans next month. I have no kids but forget the Infe3rtility treatments... I won't have any kids if Congress keeps this up. My husbands salary will cover mortgage and whatnot. We have savings but I also resent using them because of tea party nonsense.

This feels circular to me. The career federal employees come across as intensely political and 99% behind Obama, which makes the Tea Party types even happier to shut down the Government. I don't know when this stops, but I think some recognition on the part of federal employees that they also work for people with whom they disagree politically is part of the equation.

I worked for DoD. Politically, my agency was like the country- pretty evenly divided, with maybe a little leaning to the right. We did have plenty of TEA party types. They didn’t hide their disdain for big government and the DC “swamp.” This was ironic on so many levels. Bureaucracy and waste was only the “other” agencies.

They looked down on everything in the name of taxes. Without taxes, how could Uncle Sam pay their triple dipping salary? I met so many GG14s, with military retirement and often military disability.

I believe retired military are entitled to every benefit they earned. What got me, was often “disability” was actually retired soldiers, sailors and airmen getting a little sedentary, getting a little heavy and had nothing to do with their years of being a desk jockey in the military. I knew retired military who got 100% disability for being overweight and the ailments that come with it- high blood pressure, bad knees, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes. That they get the same disability as a soldier who was sent to the battlefield and saw killings, lost friends, maybe lost limbs, doesn’t seem fair.

It's not fair. I appreciate our service members and their service. This might be unpopular, but I think if you are 100% disabled, you should not be able to work. Too many receive 100% disability, have government jobs, play softball, go on hikes and golf on the weekends. This doesn't sound disabled to me.

p.s. I know you can't see all disabilities, but the system is abused and needs fixed.

You're welcome to go to your nearest recruiting a sign up if you thing it's such a great deal.

NP-- they wouldn't take me. I'm disabled.

Consider all the people that are born with a disability and yet are able to work, and do so. They don't get any extra funds because they are working and have a disability. Consider people that develop MS or cancer while working age-- they don't extra $ because of their disability if they can continue to work.

Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability when you were sent to a foreign country, away from your family
Consider the fact that you likely did not acquire your disability by being separated from your family for countless holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, milestones like graduations and weddings, etc.

Are you married, or have you ever been? How many days were you married before you had to leave your spouse for a year long activity that was related to your disability?

Do you have kids? Were you absent for your kids' lives for months at a time due to your disability? Did your disability prevent you from being present at your kids' births?

There surely are more appropriate and fairer ways to compensate veterans for all the sacrifices that they have made than by using this farce of "100% disability."

Someone who really can't get a job because of a disability they received while in the military should get SIGNIFICANTLY more $ than someone who received an injury while in the military that is not so devastating that they can't get a job. I'm in favor of giving MORE $ to those vets that can't get a job compared to those that can.

All of this.