Officially unemployed

[nachoman]

I've been back to work just over a month, and already have a desk full of files, meetings and phone calls that eat up the day, and dreams of hiring an intern named Jack Daniels . It feels great to be back! I can tell, they sure need me around there. The only hitch - the legislature is back in session and budget cuts are once again looming hock:

[P5se Camelback]

I hear you, Kev ...

... Less government is good government!

[nachoman]

I hear you, Kev ...

... Less government is good government!

But Bil I work for the government!

[P5se Camelback]

... But Bil I work for the government!

But Kevin ... you perform a service for the government ... you are not some appointed bureaucrat who wields his power by putting massive regulatory programs in place and then fining you for not complying ... or some duly elected politician who wants to raise taxes to cover some pet project in his (or her) district to convice you to return him (or her) to office ... as well as to cover his (or her) automatic annual raise!

To me, you are not government.

[nachoman]

But Kevin ... you perform a service for the government ...

Actually, I like to consider myself as someone who performs a service for citizens of Arizona. This is turning out to be a quite interesting position. Under Arizona law, all natural water belongs to the state, and private individuals and government entities can only hold claims or permits to use the water based only on first come, first serve. I have to balance the rights of individual private land owners and water users with the rights of large co-ops, mining concerns, and irrigation districts, with the rights of government entities and tribes, all according to state laws written before Arizona was even a state, and before people had the scientific understanding of how natural water systems behave. That sometimes means making decisions according to existing laws and not necessarily based upon what is most logical, most efficient, or most useful. Inevitably, the party that feels they got the short end of the stick will always consider my agency a waste and advocate for a budget reduction.

[Russ Bellinis]

Unfortunately when government needs to cut back, inevitably the people who do needed work are the first to go while those who should be considered "fluff" are secure in their jobs! California has laid off teachers, firemen, and police officers due to the fiscal crises; but nobody "touched" the governor's p.r. staff and "spin doctors" until Jerry Brown was sworn in a couple of weeks ago. I think the number I heard was that he has saved the state over 4 million per year just by cutting the size of the governor's personal staff! He is looking at all departments to find positions to cut that are pretty much useless to getting anything meaningful accomplished.

[P5se Camelback]

You got it, Russ!

Down here in Florida, the first places the bureaucrats look to cut are the Sherriff's Department, the Fire Department, and then the Teachers. Never does anyone look at the paper-pushers, the drones who sit there at their respective desks and ignore you as you stand at the counter with a fist full of paper, because they are "on break!" And God forbid should you show up at twenty minutes to five ... they're all scurrying around "looking busy" so they won't have to wait on you and have to stay two minutes past five! If they were efficient and knew what they were doing, that would never happen. [And i was a corporate department manager ... I can recognize work and I can recognize trying to look like you're working!]

I'm sorry ... it seems that the only solution is to raise taxes. It never occurs to anyone to cut spending.

When money gets tight at home, you cut spending.

[Justinmiller171]

... Less government is good government!

...If only we had more politicians that agreed with you .

[rrinker]

[FCIN]

Down here in Florida, the first places the bureaucrats look to cut are the Sherriff's Department, the Fire Department, and then the Teachers.

Bil;
This is S.O.P. around the country. Bureaucrat thinking being "If we cut essential services, then the hoi polloi will be happy to bend over and take another tax increase in order preserve these services". You see this happening all the time - but funny thing - the Big Bureaucrat's don't seem to ever have to take a cut in pay or benefits.

Can't pay for all your programs? Just raise taxes on the working people. I sure do feel for the folks in Illinois where businesses are now looking at a 66% tax increase! Let's see how long that works. Will sure be a good thing for the surrounding states when all these businesses move out of Illinois.

The "Commonwealth of Kentucky", which like most other states is running out of money for all their "programs", decided that all state employees (the "grunts" that actually do the work) must take off 6 days each year without pay. So one day every other month, our state government is basically shut down, except for the governor's office and staff, and other "essential" public servants. Also no pay or cost of living increases for these "little people" either. But pay cuts or salary freezes for the Big Wigs??? No Way!!! Of course having the government shut down is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. When they aren't around, they can't hurt you!

[P5se Camelback]

As I recall, when this last Big Snow Storm hit "the District," only "essential" personnel were required to report for work. My brother, who has D.C. as part of his sales territory, told me that he's never seen the morning rush hour tarffic so light. Interesting. 8-)

That situation continued for a couple of days. Life at the government level continued without any noticable difference to the day-to-day operation.

The area to cut would be the bureaucratic drones ... but I doubt it will happen in my lifetime. :cry:

[boppa]

Just got the boot myself (after lodging a complaint about a senior managers conduct- two days later I was sacked)
Sad part is that his conduct was exactly the same as another senior managers only weeks earlier (swearing, cursing when a software update went wrong- literally with spit flying past me)
that had caused the company several thousand dollars in legal costs and fines
Despite the fact that I was the one who had been trying for over three months to tell them that this fault existed, but the software team said no it didn't!

Luckily we have government departments who frown upon such things so they are in for more fines (and a second offense they dont take lightly at all- the fine could exceed 10g! for it as it shows a `pattern of corporate behaviour'

Even more sadly, I was also the ONLY hardware tech they had- literally every unit we installed over the last three years I personally built, also the only electronics tech they had
We had just won a tens of millions of $$$ contract, and in the last six months, they have lost 3/4 of the electrical techs and their only electronics tech- there is now no way possible for them to fulfill that contract
(A little birdie told me that despite the first unit supposed to be being installed last week onsite- they haven't even STARTED building the electronics for it)

They had the chance to step up from the small time to the middle at least, but I fear that they will have lost the chance forever- simply because of the way the company was run- certain people simply had to have it `their way or no way' and sadly it looks like its going to be `no way' as they now have lost 5 electrical techs (out of 7) 3 office staff and their electronics tech- all in the space of six months.....

[Mr Fixit]

boppa, it sounds to me like they actually did you a favour by giving you the sack.

Ok so it sucks being sacked in the lead up to Christmas [had that happen to me once or twice] but look upon it as an opportunity to find a better job. Maybe this is where the door of opportunity opens for you. A good book to read is called "What Colour is My Parachute" which basically teaches you to look at all your skills and what needs improvement and where you want to take your life.
Get in touch with all the other techs and ofice staff [well the ones you like] use your accumulated intellectual property and build a better widget.

Mark

[boppa]

Sadly I had actually been looking for another job since a fornight before I got sacked- it had become a very uncomfortable place to work
The staff turnover had always been high (most lasted only 6-12 months- @ 80k a year plus) which tells you that somethings always been iffy
but the last 6-8 weeks has been a pure slaughter in terms of staff leaving/ being forced to leave.
It's like the owners are deliberately committing business suicide- but I know that they have their house and boat up against the business so if it goes down they are literally pennyless

so why are they doing it???

If they had just continued on as usual, they would literally have 30 million plus in their bank account- instead they look like losing everything they own

huh????

why???

[Mr Fixit]

Stress can make otherwise nice people nasty, cranky, obnoxious, erratic. As the situation deteriorates the environment becomes more toxic, more people leave or are sacked, the pressure rises as the likelyhood of failure to perform and fulfill the contract increases. It becomes a deadly downward spiral.
It takes considerable courage and maturity to call a halt, pull the curcuit breaker in effect, 'fess up to one's sins and air all the dirty laundry, without things dissolving into a bitter slanging match.
I dont think that your former employers have that capability and as such that nice juicy contract will go wanting.

Mark