Pay Freeze Announcement

[Birchtree]

McCain/Palin wouldn't need to do this - there would be no Obamacare to rip the budget.

 

[crws]

McCain/Palin wouldn't need to do this - there would be no Obamacare to rip the budget.

LOL
OhhBoooy

 

[Warrenlm]

McCain/Palin wouldn't need to do this - there would be no Obamacare to rip the budget.

Obamacare is not the only problem, or even the majority. When we are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar spent, today, we need more revenue than one can imagine. That idea to die early might work.

 

[Boghie]

Folks, this is where we are at:

The Huffington Post calls the pay freeze a “stupid and cynically symbolic” move because there’s still so much that needs to be done! Disaster relief, police protection, healthcare, etc. Don Surber’s roundup of reactions includes this gem: “the plan is small potatoes that risks driving away valuable civil servants with little budgetary upside.” But that misses the point. What is driving away value in government is the bloating of government itself. The cumulative weight of all those wonderful programs, all of which the politicians touted as absolutely necessary, is now crushing itself to death, like an 800 pound obese man on a bed suffocating under his own weight. Feeding him won’t help. Things have reached the point when growth causes as much damage as it purports to help. All government expansion is now budgetary fratricide.​

We are out of sync with reality...

The only way that the really valuable civil servants can be sustainably employed is when it stays in sync with the tax base. Ultimately the elementary rules of arithmetic must prevail. Jane cannot eat more apples than the tree grows. If you want more apples, plant more trees. Freezing Jane’s consumption of apples will only work for as long as you are not offering future apples to Mary and Robert. This seems like a simple idea, but it is the hardest thing in the world for Hope to come to terms with.​

Reality:



Over the next months and years we will be 'downsized'...

 

[burrocrat]

Jane cannot eat more apples than the tree grows. If you want more apples, plant more trees. Freezing Jane’s consumption of apples will only work for as long as you are not offering future apples to Mary and Robert.

freakin brilliant.

wish i had come up with that, nice find.

could it really be that easy?

outstanding.

 

[Buster]

Hiring will be held to; for every 3 employees lost to attrition, 1 will be hired..

Can't find a reference, just heard it from an upper manager today.

 

[Boghie]

Folks, we are at the beginning of a massive belt tightening.

It is the GenXers that are reaching their peak earning years. They will not pay for gubmint bloat. They will starve the beast. They will be the bond vigilantes. They will be cutters and slashers.

Watch out 'F Fund'... Watch out 'G Fund'.... That last spasmodic grab by the bloated beast will drain the 'G Fund' - with promises to pay it back!!!

We live in interesting times…



Note: To be clear, the indented paragraphs are quotes from 'Dense Pack', The Belmont Club, Richard Fernandez

 

[burrocrat]

Folks, we are at the beginning of a massive belt tightening.

It is the GenXers that are reaching their peak earning years. They will not pay for gubmint bloat. They will starve the beast. They will be the bond vigilantes. They will be cutters and slashers.

Watch out 'F Fund'... Watch out 'G Fund'.... That last spasmodic grab by the bloated beast will drain the 'G Fund' - with promises to pay it back!!!

We live in interesting times…



Note: To be clear, the indented paragraphs are quotes from 'Dense Pack', The Belmont Club, Richard Fernandez

thanks for the cite there cuz. i'm feeling much better now.

 

[Buster]

Folks, we are at the beginning of a massive belt tightening.

It is the GenXers that are reaching their peak earning years. They will not pay for gubmint bloat. They will starve the beast. They will be the bond vigilantes. They will be cutters and slashers.

Watch out 'F Fund'... Watch out 'G Fund'.... That last spasmodic grab by the bloated beast will drain the 'G Fund' - with promises to pay it back!!!

We live in interesting times…



Note: To be clear, the indented paragraphs are quotes from 'Dense Pack', The Belmont Club, Richard Fernandez

What indents?

 

[Boghie]

Buster,

In post #64 (6 posts up, the one referenced by Burrocrat) I sited two largish passages in a blog post by 'Wretchard'. He runs 'The Belmont Club'. I was worried that I wasn't clear on the fact that it was a sited quote. With newspapers and the like culling everything we write I wanted to make that clear.

And, I didn't want to give Burrocrat the impression that I had more than one brain cell...

Everybody should spend some time at 'The Belmont Club'. An amazing thinker and writer.

By the way, Burrocrat, I love your new tag line. Stated like that it sure has a nice bite to it, eh...

 

[PessOptimist]

I think anything you hear, even from upper managers, is speculation at this point. It is a proposal.

Most of the GS types I work with aren't too upset. Those of us under "various alternative pay plans" speculate a bit about how this might work with the bargaining unit contract thing.

The one I really feel for is our new apprentice. If this proposed freeze becomes reality, does that mean the apprentice's pay is frozen for two years even if the apprentice is progressing satisfactorily?

There are many issues to be addressed.

View attachment 10259

 

[Boghie]

PessOptimist,

I worry about the two newbies in my shop as well. They are quality employees who bring a lot to the table. And, they both quit good/decent jobs to join our unit.

A 1.4% cut in growth will not cut it. They are going to have to have a hiring freeze and potentially a RIF. I wish a RIF were based more on performance than seniority, but we shall see.

 

[burrocrat]

Stated like that it sure has a nice bite to it, eh...

yep, hard to argue that, gotta call a spade a spade.

you got your hiney covered on the citation, i hope i've done enough to attribute in the signature.

maybe someone more knowledgeable about the lawyer stuff will weigh in.


either way i like it. cuts right to the chase. moment of clarity. our country could use more of that.

 

[Boghie]

Yowser, check this out (AP-CNBC Poll):

Given more than a dozen options for helping balance the budget, majorities backed just four: Reduce the number of federal workers, trim their salaries, cut overseas military bases and eliminate the tax deduction on home mortgage interest in exchange for lower income tax rates.​

That ain't results that warm our little Feddy hearts

See what I mean - and, folks were talking about us all getting together for a conference in DC or something earlier this year. No way am I going to show up in DC. Pitchforks and musketballs...

 

[Buster]

I think anything you hear, even from upper managers, is speculation at this point. It is a proposal.

Most of the GS types I work with aren't too upset. Those of us under "various alternative pay plans" speculate a bit about how this might work with the bargaining unit contract thing.

The one I really feel for is our new apprentice. If this proposed freeze becomes reality, does that mean the apprentice's pay is frozen for two years even if the apprentice is progressing satisfactorily?

There are many issues to be addressed.

View attachment 10259

As I understand this proposed Freeze..it will only affect the January increases..Step increases and promotions will not be affected...At least I haven't heard or seen anything to the contrary 'Yet'

 

[Steadygain]

McCain/Palin wouldn't need to do this - there would be no Obamacare to rip the budget.

Good morning Birch,
I see we're going into a pretend world where the years of Bush (the most ultra Conservative to live and his Greentee VP) had no influence on tearing the U.S.A. down to at least 10 Trillion in Debt. Where the 'rule of law' was abolished. Where a Judge had to override Bush's plan to 'forever seal' the things he did 'indefinately' so no one could EVER find the truth. Where under the pretense of WMD -- and using 9/11 to WHAT?? Go after OIL??

We know for a FACT that lower level employees did everything possible to send 'needed information' upward - only to be rebuffed at the middle or higher levels --- why Birch --- to give the Secretaries and Administrators ample cover to profess a lack of knowledge about the problems below.

Putting Palin (or any woman) in office at the same time Obama stepped in would be the worse possible event for WOMEN in general - because SHE would be used as a scapegoat instead of Obama.

But let's go back to our dream world -- as I don't want to rock the boat today. Had McCain/Palin won -- most of the conflicts and problems our society has dealth with since Obama stepped in would have long disappeared and there would be no 'recession'.

Obamacare is not the only problem, or even the majority. When we are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar spent, today, we need more revenue than one can imagine. That idea to die early might work.

Warrenlm - this is NOT a place to focus on FACTS - it's way more designed to focus on venting anger and resentment towards particular people and blaming the current president for everything that happened to both our country (and the entire world) before he stepped in.

Here I will spell out the FACTS. Obama spends $600 Billion just prior to G-20. G-20 is hugely upset by his actions and that is well known. They in turn make it clear what 'they' expect -- and unlike Bush who gave the finger to every Nation on Earth and waged a WAR despite their objection -- Obama knows he is in 'no position to ignore them'.

This is more a Political Act of appeasement - a 5 to 6 Billion saving -- which is nothing in comparison.

Lastly we would probably need to borrow 40 cents on the dollar just to pay the Interest on our DEBT.

But again - I am NOT here to 'rock the boat' --- and given the world we live in I'd say we are very fortunate to have lived the lives we have known and to have the abundance and freedoms we've always enjoyed.

 

[Steel_Magnolia]

It was a long time ago, but I remember the last time that the Republicans 'retook' Congress. First there was a pay freeze. Then there was a hiring freeze. Then came the downsizing. Downsizing is such a nice word for such an ugly process.

My opinion is that this happens because the average American doesn't realize how vital our work is. Joe America thinks we're overpaid paperclip counters who got our jobs because we're all the brothers-in-law of a senator somewhere and so we're just sucking up his tax dollars.

I don't know how we change this perception. Our marketing department got RIFed a long time ago. :worried:

Maggie

 

[James48843]

...I don't know how we change this perception. Our marketing department got RIFed a long time ago. :worried:

Maggie

Yep.

 

[Mike]

Not getting a cost of living adjustment is peanuts compared to losing your job. I'd say we federal employees got off easy on this one all things considered.

I would have no problem with a reduction in force, either. I can think of at least ten people I'd fire right now at my place of employment for general laziness/uselessness (in an area that employs roughly 70).

Let the belt-tightening begin.

 

[WorkFE]

I can think of at least ten people I'd fire right now at my place of employment for general laziness/uselessness

Unfortunetly unless you have the final say those won't be the 10 that are cut. If I had not seen it I would not believe it.