pull down to refresh
89 sats \ 33 replies \ @kepford 7 Oct \ parent \ on: Bipartisan Blowback After White House Threat to Furloughed Workers’ Back Pay Politics_And_Law
Indeed it is. It won't happen though.
For all the "work" done by Elon to me the most valuable thing about it all was watching the reactions. I have never seen anything close to the responses to DOGE when private companies reduce their size or make massive cuts to parts of their businesses.
@siggy47 you and I are both old enough to remember people losing their minds at proposed reductions in the size of growth in the past. I stand on my early prediction that DOGE would not make lasting changes to the size and growth of government. And if someone like Trump and Elon can't do it... who can?
The permanent state (deep state) has far more skin in the game than politicians or their appointees. Watch "Yes! Minister". Its funny, entertaining, and educational.
Don't underestimate the impact of reducing the federal workforce by something like 10%.
That's a lot of people who can't implement a regime's goals anymore.
reply
I hope you're right. Also, are we sure that is accurate? Haven't people been brought back? I haven't followed it very closely.
reply
Some have been brought back, but I think that's very limited compared to the hundreds of thousands who have separated.
reply
I know some were asked to comeback temporarily to alleviate shortages in air traffic control and the national weather service
Obama created the air traffic control shortage by rejecting qualified applicants who are white. There is a class action lawsuit pending
reply
Air Traffic Control and National Weather Service are all exempt and required to work. The shortage issue stems from the spike of them calling in sick because of the funding issue.
reply
I have not been following this because the government has been shut down so many times in my lifetime that I do not care at all...
My wife said she had heard that the concern was that Air Traffic Control would be compromised because they are worried about how they are going to pay their bills...
Maybe its time the government got out of this business? Seems like the right solution to me. The government can't even do the basic business of making a freaking budget. Paying its employees. Agreeing on how many they need. Its an absolute joke. The government sucks so bad its hard to believe people still think there are things that are just too important to be left up to... a market where competition is the force, not politics.
reply
reply
I do get what you are saying but think about.
If we didn't have the government bailing out airlines with poor management would the bad ones go out of business? We would.
On safety, if an airline or airport has a poor track record they will lose money. The airlines or airports or passengers can vote with their dollars. Under the current system if a person isn't happy with the FFA they have no alternative.
Not pretending it would be perfect, the status quo is far from perfect. I just think maybe we should be a little more critical of the system, not just who is running it right now.
Its funny to me. Everyone believe businesses are driven by greed, but fail to see that when operations are run by people that have very little skin in the game that isn't as big of an issue.
The status quo of torts (correct me if I'm wrong) makes it pretty hard to go after the FFA if they screw up. For one, the government doesn't tend to report honestly on itself. Its not the org I'd start with if I were dismantling the federal gov but it too should go.
I'd start with the dept of Ed FWIW. Easy win.
Yeah, in the current system where big companies are insulated from consequences of lawsuits. But if they were regulated by an insurance company that had to pay the victims... I believe it would be better.
I do not recall a time where the FFA was found to be liable and paid victims for their failure.
Eventually, people start calling in sick as a matter of protest and others start looking for work elsewhere because they've go bills to pay.
If you think about a normal biweekly pay schedule, though, this takes a long time.
When the shutdown begins, there's a paycheck already processing and then another one coming for the pay period that got interrupted.
That's between two and four weeks of normal pay during the shutdown.
Then, add to that whatever accommodations banks and others are willing to make for a customer with guaranteed backpay on the way.
reply
Your wife should look up the lawsuit, known as Brigida v. Buttigieg, was initiated by Andrew Brigida, a CTI graduate who scored 100% on his training exam but was rejected after the FAA introduced a new biographical assessment in 2013.
Class action lawsuit has been certified
reply
IRS too, I think
reply
JUST IN: IRS to furlough nearly 50% of its staff as part of ongoing government shutdown.
reply
I bet these are seasonal contractors
reply
reply
Remember Biden first nominee for FAA Director or administrator?
Thoroughly unqualified and he withdrew his name after his embarrassing senate hearing
reply
This is all a reflection of the population. Look around... we aren't great. Most people seem to be pretty gullible when it comes to politics. I've found most people that don't pay attention barely look on the surface.
This is why someone like Biden can come to power. On the surface what is wrong with hiring more women and minorities? You oppose that? Are you pro-slavery? Are you a racist?
This is the level of most people. Goes the same on the Trump side. What?!? Do you want criminals on the street? Do you want drugs on the street? We may need to crack some heads to clean this stuff up.
This is why I do not like democracy. Most people can't even lead themselves. They are not qualified to select the "leader of the free world".
reply
The popular election of senators was the death knell for states rights according to Antonin Scalia
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alleging that the agency implemented discriminatory hiring practices that rejected over 1,000 qualified air traffic controller applicants based on race, particularly targeting graduates of the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program who were predominantly white.
The lawsuit, known as Brigida v. Buttigieg, was initiated by Andrew Brigida, a CTI graduate who scored 100% on his training exam but was rejected after the FAA introduced a new biographical assessment in 2013.
Andrew Brigida, a white graduate of Arizona State University's CTI program, passed the AT-SAT exam with a perfect score of 100% in April 2013 but failed the newly implemented biographical questionnaire in 2014 Brigida v. Buttigieg (Brigida v. Buttigieg, 538 F.Supp.3d 12 (D. D.C. 2021)) - vLex United States - vLex. Matthew Douglas-Cook, a Native American who also scored perfectly on the AT-SAT, similarly failed the biographical questionnaire
The questionnaire included unusual questions for would-be air traffic controllers, such as how many sports they played in high school, how long they'd been unemployed recently, and whether their lowest grade in high school was in science
In February 2022, the court certified the class action on behalf of all non-African American CTI graduates who graduated between 2009-2013, passed the AT-SAT, applied through the 2014 vacancy announcement, but failed the biographical questionnaire
As late as 2024, the FAA was recruiting those with targeted disabilities, including "hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism"
reply
reply
One of the highlights of the Reagan years was firing air traffic controllers who went on strike illegally
Reagan gutted that union
reply
reply
I remember thinking back in the day that if anyone tried to do what Ron Paul said he would do (shut down most of the federal departments) they would be killed before they could. It happened with Trump. We still don't know much about that topic with Trump but even if it is a lone gunman in both cases the case could be made that Trump is such a threat to the system that these events are organic reactions. Reactions triggered by how afraid the system is of being reformed.
Trump is ridiculously moderate in my opinion. He's a turd in the punch bowl. His changes are not insane at all. If I had the power I'd do MUCH more. I think we underestimate how much the system fights back. People mistakenly think the deep state is some top down thing. I don't buy that. Yeah there are powerful people that do have massive control but organic reactions to change are often underestimated.
We are seeing this in the FDA/CDE and anything with decades of its own politics. RFK isn't politicizing these agencies. He's CHANGING the politics of them. That dude needs to have some amazing security if you ask me.
reply
Left right and center
reply
Interestingly enough DOGE is still very much active but since Elon isnt around people dont really pay attention. My understanding is a ton of various spending/cancellations from the Admin come in part due to DOGE it just isnt presented that way anymore.
Big example is the AI stuff and the digitizing efforts are being spearheaded (at least I have been told this) by DOGE.
reply
reply
I agree it’s a PR move
The Tesla arsonists succeeded in removing Elon as the front man for doge
reply