Isn't that deep?
Sarge is taking a day or two off so I decided to hack away at the keyboard for a bit. I have a feeling that his post will be all over the place so hacking is probably an apt description. You might get a healthy serving of What's going on in Tuna's world?, a side of current events with a dash of rant, a dad joke or two tossed in for good measure, and maybe even a sunset. So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaking of buckling up, my Mustang just passed the 8 year mark, and has gone out of the super extended warranty I purchased when buying. That also came with a service plan for oil changes with all the fixins. That too has expired so wouldn't you know, I start having car problems. I swear there must be some chip in there that knows exactly when the warranty expires and tells stuff to start giving me grief. I'm taking it in for service tomorrow and will have them check the brakes which are working fine, but the pedal feels soft. We'll see how expensive it is. Ford made a ton off that extended warranty- only needing to replace the visor/integrated garage door remote twice. But the piece of mind was a benefit, at least that's what I tell myself. Since we mostly use my wife's car on the weekend or for our longer trips, I'm still under 10K miles per year so I guess I'm fortunate. I know I could change my own oil, but as both Sarge and I mentioned in a recent post, I'm "under-tooled" and don't mind paying the professionals.
How are you doing with the time change? Hopefully not as overdramatically as you might see on social media, and even traditional media. Amazing how this is an annual event now- the incessant whining about losing an hour of sleep. Does anyone bitch like this when they fly to the east coast and lose 2 or 3 hours? Such a silly issue. I lose an hour of sleep regularly due to my brain kicking in early, bathroom trips, or staying up late to watch something. I realize it's not exactly the same as the sun coming up later, but really people? It's an hour!
I don't know about you but there are some places in the country I wouldn't want to live in if we went to permanent DST. Sunrise after 10AM? My wife has mild Seasonal Affective Disorder, and does far better in warmer/sunnier climes, so I wouldn't live there for sure. Sticking with Standard Time is probably the lesser of two evils, but I don't mind the shift. The fact that it's so early in the year to lose an hour, and so late in the year to shift back to standard is probably part of the problem/solution, without needing to go to a permanent change. Will states or congress ever enact a permanent shift? I doubt it. Individual states have the authority to opt out of DST and remain on Standard Time, but not permanently shift to DST. (Source)
So, did you do five things last week? I did, and reported them to the DOGE minders, or whoever seems to be concerned that I might be a fake or less-than-useful federal employee. I'm all for streamlining the government, but this almost witch hunt and firing of so many employees is a little too fast and furious for my taste. Is there waste and government inefficiency? Absolutely, but I think it's a little harder to quantify in the military since our purpose is readiness. Being ready and waiting to fight is expensive, and but that's a cost well paid, either now in dollars, or in bodies later.
The slashing of bodies (jobs) at the IRS, Dept. of Labor, Education? Probably a good thing. US Forest Service? Hmm, not sure. The VA? I've been happy with my care, and I don't see many folks just sitting around idle, but San Diego is a hotspot for vets so maybe they're just too busy here for me to see any the supposed fat that needs trimming.
Seems to be a little brutal and heartless. Can we easily find those not providing loyal and dedicated service to the govt.? No. And someone recently hired, or even in the position for years- it's not necessarily their fault the job could be subjectively ID'd as not needed. But the efficiency axe swings hard, and any more surgical cuts have not happened, so I guess I understand and accept the cuts. Are there useless and lazy govt employees? Sure. Not all of us are of course, but leadership hasn't had either the interest or mechanism to eliminate positions. And we can't easily shift the workforce to better align to priorities.
However, maybe I'm not getting the whole picture and President Trump and Elon understand things better than I. He's been mocked before, yet his efforts eventually turn out to bear fruit.
Instagram
The first comment on that post is from the originator who stated: "I said let the man cook but you never learn." Had to laugh at that one. We'll see if the Greenland or Panama Canal issues bear fruit. Greenland is part of the GI-UK gap, and the Rooskies have been active, so we'll see.
With all that said, I'm ecstatic about some swamp draining, the finding of fraud and corruption, and the sunlight being shined on the deep dark deepstate. The media is trying to spin the narrative about the jobs being lost, and how the fraud is being found (Elon is unelected and has access to my SSN!), ignoring the corruption, but the cat is out of the bag.
I would probably be happier if Trump put his DOGe on a leash, focusing on one necessary efficiency at a time (govt spending, then cuts of programs/agencies, then reducing personnel), but this is a blitzkrieg. And the shock and awe is a feature, not a bug. I've already heard that there's a bill in work to change fed retirements to "High-5" vice "High-3" (retirement based on the average of your salary over the last 36 months). So no government program or employee is safe from change. I'm sure I'll survive, and we'll have a much needed leaner (and somewhat meaner) government after all the dust settles.
How about another Dad Joke?
My ex-girlfriend was so cold, there was only one way to her heart, with a scalpel and a bone saw.
Being funny at work is a fine line between entertaining your co-workers, but not so funny that you get sent to HR.
On a more sad note, we may have to make the hard decision to put down one of our Corgis. She got into some Mentos mints, and the main ingredient, Xylitol - a sugar substitute, is acutely poisonous to dogs. If her liver function doesn't improve and we can stop the plasma transfusions, we may lose her. This makes me sad, and will absolutely crush my wife. Throw some doggie prayers our way if you don't mind.
Ok, enough of a hack job for today. Back to your regularly scheduled blogger soon. Or when he feels like it.
As for myself USAID and the Dept of Education can both go bye bye. As an ex-fed I never saw one supervisor do the documentation needed to fire an employee and there was more than one co-worker who deserved it....yay Social Security Administration! Ah Tuna, so sorry to read about the pup, prayers inbound sir.
ReplyDeleteTuna, I would say more of a smorgasbord than "hack", enjoyed it even if I do want to offer other points.
ReplyDeleteCuts hurt, sometimes they cut what any sane person wouldn't. Example: My former unit was shut down in 2017. It seems Special Forces Weather is Expensive. But after 911 our unit provided a LOT of bang for the buck, we were one of the most heavily tasked and deployed unit on our entire JRB. But having said that, our country has a BIG problem. 31+ Trillion in debt and just the interest on that debt is over a Trillion a year and climbing. We could literally shut down every single part of government and dedicate every dollar to debt service and it would still take Decades to get within reach of "manageable"
So sorry to hear of Corgi troubles, we had a Aussie Sheppard find a pack of gum my son had left within doggie AO. Found the chewed up pack and read the ingredients and pup did the ER and after much work Very Unhappy pup was able to return home.
New rules are NO Xylitol of any kind allowed in the house, one note, they have changed the name of Xylitol to something innocuous but I don't remember what it was.
Prayers for Doggo healing and for the family if not.
MSG Grumpy
Re: Time change. There is a reason STANDARD Time is STANDARD.The way we function as living organisms fits the artificially imposed ST hours than DST. Several years ago I went to resetting my clocks on Saturday morning. That gives me an extra day to mentally adjust.
ReplyDeleteRe: Federal Reductions In Force. Welcome to the real world. In the private sector you aren't guaranteed a job for life as is often the case in Federal employment. Sorry for the people who have lost their jobs, but not sorry enough to want to pay for repetitively redundant paper shufflers. Or even people who actually do things if the position is redundant. Or if that position has been made "important" only because no one else was allowed to learn it. Yesterday the morning news was going on and on about a job cut at Yosemite (just 10 out of 300 winter employees), and how the ONE person who could unlock the restrooms if they were accidentally locked was getting cut. Why was there only ONE person who knew how to work on the locks? What if the person wasn't on shift? Or had a day off? I would like to see more scalpel and less brush hook or machete, but people can always be hired back.
I don't recall either The One or The Bumbler being subjected to the microscopic examination of every syllable, every step, the way President Trump was and is being examined.
Prayer said for the Corgi .
ReplyDeleteI would also rather stay on Standard Time.
Thanks gents, appreciate the comments. Don't get me wrong, I am all for everything that's going on, we definitely need to cut the budget, we definitely need to stop hiring, we need to be able to get rid of workers who aren't performing, we need to find the fraud, everything is important.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely some hypocrisy in how Trump and Elon are being treated compared to the no touch Biden.
On another note, a much more sad one, our dog's liver failed and we had to put her down a couple hours ago.
Condolences. Such sad news.
DeleteSo sorry about your pup. It's always hard and rips out a bit of your heart.
DeleteRe: cuts, audits, and transparency,
Former member of the House Barbara Lee is running for mayor of Oakland California. In a debate yesterday she said that the City of Oakland needs not just an audit, but a forensic audit so the people of Oakland can see were the waste, fraud, and abuse are. And that the City of Oakland must cut expenditures and increase revenues.
Emperor Newsom has said much the same about the State of California.
But both have reviled President Trump for wanting to do the same at the Federal level.
Can you say "Two faced liars?" I knew you could.
Thanks Sarge, thanks Joe. We kept her in doggie ICU for 2 days hoping she'd make a turn, but it wasn't to be. That helped us prepare for the loss though. As for Cali, when have we ever seen a politician here not talk out of their ass, or both sides of their mouth? They'll say anything to cover as much ground with as many constituents as possible, sometimes countering what they just said at a previous rally.
DeleteBut, there is a need for the paper pushers. Ever needed a copy of something, and it was on the computer while the power was out? As part of my old job, we were required to keep the paper backup of all records. The justification, ever heard of the va fire? I know of it, because most of my records were there.
ReplyDeletePaper is barely used now, it's all just trons. - Tuna
Delete"Seems to be a little brutal and heartless." Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. I'm not the least bit upset. 20% do 80% of the work. It's a known issue.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the doggo. That's tough. Prays for you two.
Thanks. As expected she's a wreck, but a trip to Boston for St. Pat's might take her mind off it. Leaving Saturday. - Tuna
DeleteDoggie prayers up, Tuna.
ReplyDeleteThe private sector deals with cuts and layoffs all the time, the productive as well as the non-productive. Yet somehow things continue.
Doggie prayers up, Tuna.
ReplyDeleteThe private sector deals with cuts and layoffs all the time, the productive as well as the non-productive. Yet somehow things continue.
Thanks TB. Good point. We'll manage. And so would I if those RIFs came my way. - Tuna
Delete"How many people work in your company?" The answer? "About half". Every company has the "family halfwit" or the "friend of a friend" that does less productive work than a houseplant. The government is no different, just on a much larger scale. irontomflint
ReplyDeleteThat's funny- about half! I'm gonna use that one.
DeleteThanks Tuna for the grin/groan first thing this morning...the older I get the more I giggle at "Dad jokes".
ReplyDeleteHaving worked in the healthcare industry for 43 years, the vast majority of that in the non-profit side of things, I just shake my head at the whining I see going on in the news. Non-profits "can't" (aren't supposed to make money) although they do, they just hide it so it doesn't show up as a profit. However, there were plenty of lay-offs that went on, especially if the grant that funded a position wasn't renewed, or another funding source found. When I worked for a "for-profit" group, when there was red ink in the balance sheets, the cuts were even faster, and there was no effort expended to discover another way to fund that service. In neither case was there any "severance package" of 3-6 months. If you were lucky, you were sent information about COBRA which you paid for at the company's rate for maybe 3 months. In other words, you were responsible for figuring it out yourself.
Hopefully, these cuts and changes will allow the .gov to become more nimble and to be able to shift workers to better serve changing priorities. The government, federal, state and local, ARE businesses, and need to be run like a business.
The thing that really fluffs my fur is when I hear on the news about "the rights" that the aliens have...whether it is about the ICE arrests/deportations, or the protesting that is going on in NYC, or where ever, the first thing that pops into my mind is that "the rights" are for citizens, in other words, folks who were born here, or who passed the citizenship test and then stood up in front of a judge and swore an oath to the flag and the Constitution. Then you have the right to free speech, to protest, to have your case heard by a judge for whatever crime you are accused of. Otherwise, you are SOL and can (and should be IMHO) kicked out of the country PDQ. Rights apply to citizens. Not to any warm body that happens to be walking around in country. My $0.02. Worth what ya pay for it. Climbing off the rant box.
DST--I live on the East Coast, so instead of the sky getting bright at 5AM, now it doesn't get light until 6ish...and it does stay lighter later into the evening. But I still do like Standard time better. Being retired now does make it easier to adjust to the time changes I have found.
And finally, my condolences for your loss to you and your wife. It is so difficult to lose a pup, they fill our lives with so much light and love. It has been 15 years since I lost my two Shelties, but boy do I still miss them. Yes, I am thinking of getting another pet, now that I am retired and home much more, but not just yet. Need to make sure I can afford the vet bills first.
NEVER EVER give your dogs Greenies!!! They are poison. Pure and simple. Looking up other names for Xylitol shows Birch sugar or birch bark extract...never heard of either of those...hmmm. There is also a very long list of foods, and plants that critters shouldn't explore as well.
Suz
Very sorry about your dog. My gsd is struggling with osteoporosis arthritis. Hopefully new course of treatment will help to resolve
ReplyDeleteRe DST. I am at rear of time zone and absolutely love being g able to stay out late in evening
So sorry to hear about your loss. Sigh. They do get your heart, don't they?
ReplyDeleteAs to cars and failures after the warranty period, well, yes, I do believe there is a function in one of the main chips that makes a car go unwell after said warranty is over. And, of course, something so specific that only the dealer can fix.
As to the cuts, they have to be fast and hard because the entrenched bureaucracy will screw up and defeat anything that is slow. And, really, if one can't write 5 tasks one completed/worked on in a week, what is the person doing? My experience with government employees is, though there are the dedicated employees and contractors, like you and OAFS, that actually do their jobs, there are a lot of chaff, useless drones, actively lazy employees (who treat the USGov much like ex-Twitter employees treated Twitter, in other words, show up or don't show up and get paid to do nothing) and actual fake employees (as in non-existant ones.)
It's horrible to think of employees being fired, but for at least since the 70's, government employees have been nigh unto untouchable while private sector employees have been reduced, riffed, laid off, fired, shown up to shuttered doors and no pensions or compensation. It sucks, yes it does, as I have been laid off, riffed, tossed out, shown up to shuttered doors while watching my government jobs acquaintances openly crow about doing 1 hours work per 4 hours at work.
Again, there are excellent government employees. Often they're the only ones keeping their offices actually performing at any level of function, and at a level that, except for Boeing and LockMart, is totally unacceptable at the private business level.
And, sadly, our nation's economic state is in such poor condition that the FedGov has to shed bodies. Which sucks, because oftentimes the people who will be put up to being shed are the good employees who actually do the jobs because the bosses in charge don't want to get rid of their friends and relatives.
Sigh.
I'm a geezer with a LARGE pack of departed, packmates. It never is easy, it ALWAYS hurts. Hope you and your lady can get some comfort with a trip for St. Patties Day. Wouldn't hurt to look for a companion rescue Corgi or small breed pup, for y'alls and your other, (I'm sure) grieving Corgi.
ReplyDeleteI'm hard hearted towards FedDotGov, bureaucracy, deep state. My attitude is, it's kind of like working for Dr. Evil/Satanic, Big Corp. Inc. "but I'm just maintenance". Yep, YOU"RE the problem. Reading some anarchist, back in the day, his advice was "Don't cut off the head! There is an unending supply of willing replacements. You take out secretaries and field agents, the system will crash much sooner and more thoroughly when the minions quit". Trumps way is much kinder and gentler.
My opinion, is to lay off everybody except identifiable needed/priority individuals and units, (non military) WITH PAY. Why with pay? That takes care of sabotage, resentment, lawsuits and it's already in place, it's easier to bring back Worthies when identified and vetted. Later the Satanic Lawyers will hammer out separation, unemployment, technicalities. Since I'm not King, something else will happen.