Federal workers don’t do hardly anything that impact daily life the average person, At state level we have cops, fireman and teachers

dear god, this shows how powerful misinformation and poor education in civics can combine to create ignorance around things that should be widely known. I was just thinking this morning that the current maga rhetoric around federal workers reminds me of the "welfare queen" rhetoric of the 80s/90s. Lazy, entitled, a 'drain' on society, etc.

Just a small taste of what federal workers do. So when you wake up, the fact that you can count on knowing the time is thanks to NIST. THe water that you use to make your coffee? federal standards ensure its safe. Same with the food you make...not only tracking things like listeria and inspecting food production but also tons of research to be able to grow food while reducing disease. the electronics you use do not explore, hopefully, because they have had to pass rigorous safety standards, which of course puts restraints on industry that would love to just introduce things to the market without having to do all the safety tests. The morning medicine you take? not only had to pass rigorous safety testing, but may well have been developed via government funded research, NIH or elsewhere.
Same thing with the car that you might drive to work--again, cars are safer than ever due not only to federal regulations but also a lot of research at the federal level. And of course, while local and state entities maintain most roads, that bridge you cross is mostly likely part of federal infrastructure. Or maybe you take a train or a plane--ever heard of the FAA?
Okay, you make it to work, but first you have to stop for gas. Fortunately the FTC has fought against price fixing. But let's say you discover on your way to work credit card fraud. The fact that you are not responsible for the charges is not due to the kindness of the credit card company, its due to the CFPB. Now you get to work. Your boss is a real jerk, but even so, they can't lock you in or steal wages or prevent you from taking mandated breaks. Hey, you just heard about that measles outbreak in Texas and are worried about your kid? Well, the NIH and CDC used to be able to do something about things like that. Who knows now, maybe your 9 month old will just have to risk it until they can get the vaccine--that is, if its still allowed. After work, you think about checking out that exhibit at the Smithsonian (also government funded), but on your way you hear about a terrible flood where your aunt Myrtle lives, fortunately FEMA is helping out, and you check the weather (thanks NOAA) and see that the rains are supposed to abate. While every one is worried about the dam breaking, fortunately the army corps of engineers has recently been inspecting that dam so its not going to break. Its sad, Myrtle's been lonely lately, since her son is in the marine corps, protecting American interests overseas. After his tour of duty is over, he plans to join law enforcement, maybe the FBI, with a focus on preventing human trafficking.

Look, I could go on and on but the point is that this country depends on federal government to provide oversight, regulation, and all kinds of services for the public good in ways that go far beyond all this and that have made the United States a leader in science technology health etc. Now, the institutions are being decimated for ideological reasons, and those in power are reallly only interested in grift and suppressing democratic values because it threatens their stranglehold on power.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Have many friends there worried about them they have heard nothing.

Same. However, almost all of senior leaders at DOJ have been "transferred" or demoted and have resigned.

It also seems like DOGE/OPM is going back to agencies and doing second or third waves of firings. So DOJ might be through their first wave of actually-legal firings but there may be a second wave coming.

Yes, they figured out they can fire employees with many years of previous government experience if they are on a new probationary period for switching agencies, accepting certain promotions, or going from competitive service to excepted & vice versa.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Have many friends there worried about them they have heard nothing.

Same. However, almost all of senior leaders at DOJ have been "transferred" or demoted and have resigned.

It also seems like DOGE/OPM is going back to agencies and doing second or third waves of firings. So DOJ might be through their first wave of actually-legal firings but there may be a second wave coming.

Define "senior leaders" ... do you mean acting AAGs? Yes. Chiefs? No. And they weren't "firings," they were transfers, mainly to sanctuary city work, and most retired/are retiring instead.

What is going to happen with regard to probationary employees, lawyers and others, is not known yet. There are conversations happening in the halls that DOJ maybe be considered exempt, but might not be.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Nope. Nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Have many friends there worried about them they have heard nothing.

Same. However, almost all of senior leaders at DOJ have been "transferred" or demoted and have resigned.

It also seems like DOGE/OPM is going back to agencies and doing second or third waves of firings. So DOJ might be through their first wave of actually-legal firings but there may be a second wave coming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Have many friends there worried about them they have heard nothing.

They would be exempted from the firing if they sign the pledge to be loyal to trump?

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

Have many friends there worried about them they have heard nothing.

Does anyone know what’s happening with probationaries at DOJ?

https://www.wired.com/story/national-science-foundation-february-2025-firings/

168 at National Science Foundation today. Including some, apparently, who thought they had completed their probationary period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole reason federal employees have job security is to withstand changes in political parties- keep the American citizens getting the services, protections etc owed to them in multiple ways etc. despite who is in the White House. Citizens vote for Congress who then allocates money to agencies. Feds are not elected by the public nor do they choose where to spend the money. Fed swear to uphold the constitution and serve the American people- it’s that simple and yet they are demonized, villainized and abused.

So we should just keep putting more jobs on the federal credit card and worry about how we are going to pay for it later?

“More jobs”? Before the firings the past few weeks, the number of federal employees was the same as in 1970s when the U.S. population was a third smaller than it is now. Federal employee compensation costs the government less now than it did 15 years ago. Federal jobs are not what’s causing the deficit.

Meanwhile, Trump is proposing a tax cut that will add $5 trillion to the deficit *even with all the cuts he is proposing.* Would you like to know what federal employees cost the government each year? It’s six percent of what Trump wants to add to our debt. You could fire every single one, and it would not make a dent on the costs he is adding. This is not about saving money.

You are missing the big picture. Govt workers are a drain on GDP/GNP. There buildings pay zero property taxes, they pay no income taxes at corporate level, pay no sales tax and workers on a net basis pay no income tax. I say net as if I pay you 200K from Govt and you pay me back 40K in taxes I am still out 160k

Take that building fill it full of tax paying workers, building pays real estate taxes, they pay sales tax, corporation pays income tax. wow Imagine how rich downtown DC would be.

Oh my god are you ignorant. Try having a country without government. See how that works for you.

m


Federal workers don’t do hardly anything that impact daily life the average person, At state level we have cops, fireman and teachers.

This is why we are at this point—the absolute ignorance of the MAGA voter. Let her local fireman help out when her Social Security checks stop and her kid’s life-saving cancer clinical trials are defunded.

The true ignorance here is that the state and local level organizations that hire cops, firemen and teachers get a lot of federal funding to do their work. For example, Trump has repeatedly said he wants to get rid of FEMA. Did you know that FEMA provides a lot of money to state and local organizations through their Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program - on the order of hundreds of thousands/millions. These are used to recruit and pay firefighters and to run fire prevention/mitigation/training/licensing programs and buy equipment (like large expensive fire trucks). Guess what will happen if FEMA disappears -- states and localities will either fire firefighters and cut programs and/or raise your taxes to make up for the loss of federal funding. You think it's bad now that planes are crashing? Wait until there aren't enough firefighters to put out the fire at your house.

Schools also get federal funds for disability assistance and compliance from DoEd. Who do you think is going to plug that hole? State taxpayers.

Yeah, it’s ironic he issued an executive order providing FEMA relief to Kentucky while at the same time wanting to climate FEMA. That’s some serious cognitive dissonance.

Yes I thought the same! Who’s providing assistance the floods? Guess you want little to no assistance going forward.

State tax rates, property tax and sales tax will increase. That will get peoples attention especially in Texas, Washington, New Hampshire, Florida, Pennsylvania and other no- or low-tax states.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole reason federal employees have job security is to withstand changes in political parties- keep the American citizens getting the services, protections etc owed to them in multiple ways etc. despite who is in the White House. Citizens vote for Congress who then allocates money to agencies. Feds are not elected by the public nor do they choose where to spend the money. Fed swear to uphold the constitution and serve the American people- it’s that simple and yet they are demonized, villainized and abused.

So we should just keep putting more jobs on the federal credit card and worry about how we are going to pay for it later?

“More jobs”? Before the firings the past few weeks, the number of federal employees was the same as in 1970s when the U.S. population was a third smaller than it is now. Federal employee compensation costs the government less now than it did 15 years ago. Federal jobs are not what’s causing the deficit.

Meanwhile, Trump is proposing a tax cut that will add $5 trillion to the deficit *even with all the cuts he is proposing.* Would you like to know what federal employees cost the government each year? It’s six percent of what Trump wants to add to our debt. You could fire every single one, and it would not make a dent on the costs he is adding. This is not about saving money.

You are missing the big picture. Govt workers are a drain on GDP/GNP. There buildings pay zero property taxes, they pay no income taxes at corporate level, pay no sales tax and workers on a net basis pay no income tax. I say net as if I pay you 200K from Govt and you pay me back 40K in taxes I am still out 160k

Take that building fill it full of tax paying workers, building pays real estate taxes, they pay sales tax, corporation pays income tax. wow Imagine how rich downtown DC would be.

Oh my god are you ignorant. Try having a country without government. See how that works for you.

m


Federal workers don’t do hardly anything that impact daily life the average person, At state level we have cops, fireman and teachers.

This is why we are at this point—the absolute ignorance of the MAGA voter. Let her local fireman help out when her Social Security checks stop and her kid’s life-saving cancer clinical trials are defunded.

The true ignorance here is that the state and local level organizations that hire cops, firemen and teachers get a lot of federal funding to do their work. For example, Trump has repeatedly said he wants to get rid of FEMA. Did you know that FEMA provides a lot of money to state and local organizations through their Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program - on the order of hundreds of thousands/millions. These are used to recruit and pay firefighters and to run fire prevention/mitigation/training/licensing programs and buy equipment (like large expensive fire trucks). Guess what will happen if FEMA disappears -- states and localities will either fire firefighters and cut programs and/or raise your taxes to make up for the loss of federal funding. You think it's bad now that planes are crashing? Wait until there aren't enough firefighters to put out the fire at your house.

Schools also get federal funds for disability assistance and compliance from DoEd. Who do you think is going to plug that hole? State taxpayers.

Yeah, it’s ironic he issued an executive order providing FEMA relief to Kentucky while at the same time wanting to climate FEMA. That’s some serious cognitive dissonance.

Trump administration fires thousands for ‘performance’ without evidence, in messy rush
Many probationary employees targeted in latest Trump cuts across agencies had excellent ratings; legal challenges are expected.

Gift link from Post: https://wapo.st/4b5IDHh

I fear tomorrow. Literally. If FDIC fired their probationaries tonight (a Federal holiday) tomorrow is likely to bring a fresh new hell.