I found the solution to the huge government problem

[ShawnD1]

Nobody likes being fired and people don't like hearing that X number of government employees have been let go. I have the perfect solution. PAY CUTS. Instead of firing people you want to cut, just slash the pay by something like 10-20%. They'll get pissed off and start looking for other jobs! It's brilliant. Nobody is fired, nobody is on the dole, and there's no time limit. They can start looking for other jobs right away, then don't restaff the positions after people have left.

We're always talking about gradual shifts. Gradually reduce spending. Gradually reduce the military. This is totally the way to do that. Instead of saying you'll fire X number of people per month for the next Y number of months, just slash the wages and they will leave on their own when they are able to do so.

 

[Genx87]

Have you been following the situation in Wisc at all?

 

[ShawnD1]

Have you been following the situation in Wisc at all?

Not really. I think it had something to do with eliminating unions or pensions or something. Not really a pay cut that makes you say "fuck, this job sucks ass and I need to find a new one"

 

[Jaskalas]

Fire them all.

Not really. I think it had something to do with eliminating unions or pensions or something. Not really a pay cut that makes you say "fuck, this job sucks ass and I need to find a new one"

It's less than a pay cut. They'd have to contribute a little more to their own lavish benefits, but still contribute LESS than the private sector employee does. Try to bridge the gap and they riot on you. Wait til you suggest pay cuts.

 

[DJK Frank 16]

And where would you suggest people start looking to find a new job? Not that many out there... we had a factory in the area who was looking to hire 20 people... and they received 4000 applications...

 

[ShawnD1]

And where would you suggest people start looking to find a new job? Not that many out there... we had a factory in the area who was looking to hire 20 people... and they received 4000 applications...

I don't know. Trying to get my current job was pretty gay to the max. Took 6 months of applying everywhere to get this job (I was working a minimum wage job before this).

 

[CycloWizard]

Federal employees are unionized. Membership in the union is a condition of employment. Pay increases follow a schedule rather than rewarding merit. Random "incentives" for "recruitment," "performance," and "retention" are given regularly to employees (I've received all three over the last 2.5 years). Upsetting that status quo is the right thing to do - absolutely no question about it. But it won't happen.

 

[PokerGuy]

OP: nice idea, and logical, but it can't happen because of unions. They aren't the only problem, but they stand in the way of any logical changes to be made.

 

[her209]

OP: nice idea, and logical, but it can't happen because of unions. They aren't the only problem, but they stand in the way of any logical changes to be made.

Remind us again of what percent of public employees are in unions. Yes, blame unions.

 

[Matt1970]

A local school ditrict had to either reduce pay 10% or lay off workers & teachers. The union wouldn't go for the pay cut so they laid off a bunch of teachers. Now some classroms are spilling out into hallways. Good job Union.

 

[ShawnD1]

Remind us again of what percent of public employees are in unions. Yes, blame unions.

I would assume pretty close to 100%. My friend had a summer job with the city; she was responsible for supervising the skateboard park. Even though it was a part time seasonal job, it was still union.

It's a tricky situation. Unions are useful when your job is actually important in some way because they prevent the employer from handing out arbitrary and random pay cuts. At the same time, it's harder to do a strategic government shrink for that very same reason - no random pay cuts to encourage people to leave. The only solution would be to completely shut down entire departments at a time. Instead of looking for work elsewhere over the span of a couple months, you're out on your ass and collecting UI because the whole department had to close :'(

 

[CycloWizard]

Remind us again of what percent of public employees are in unions. Yes, blame unions.

At the federal level? 100%.

 

[MooseNSquirrel]

Its 30% NT.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012405554.html

 

[Vette73]

At the federal level? 100%.

Not even close. But hey; why let facts get in the way, right?

 

[CycloWizard]

Not even close. But hey; why let facts get in the way, right?

Meh. All VA employees, with the possible exception of physicians, are AFGE members. I was told during orientation that everyone in the federal government had the same deal. Silly me listening to my government.

 

[yllus]

Cool, all of the good employees who can demand high wages will seek work in the private sector, leaving government to be run by the average-at-best. That said, I guess that's already the case, so we might as well realize a cost savings...

 

[piasabird]

Home Schooling! Design video games with math, science, and Geography in the games.

Where in the middle east is Carmen Sandiego?

 

[her209]

Cool, all of the good employees who can demand high wages will seek work in the private sector, leaving government to be run by the average-at-best. That said, I guess that's already the case, so we might as well realize a cost savings...

That can't be true. We were told that public sector employees make more than private sector ones.

 

[BudAshes]

It comes down to the fact that we are overpaying stupid useless people. If they weren't being over payed we wouldn't have these problems.

 

[NoCreativity]

Meh. All VA employees, with the possible exception of physicians, are AFGE members. I was told during orientation that everyone in the federal government had the same deal. Silly me listening to my government.

Might depend on which part of the fed you are employed with. A big reason most poeple here belong to AFGE is because it was the only way to get dental insurance up until a couple years ago.

 

[wuliheron]

The number of unemployed in the US is roughly equal to the number of illegal aliens. It doesn't take a genius to see we already have enough jobs for everyone. What we don't have is the will to get rid of the illegal aliens by laying down the law. As for unions, their membership is at an all time low for the last 70 years and still falling. Soon they too will match the number of illegal aliens.

Then you can bitch about how lazy and incompetent everyone else is if that makes you happier then admitting that the rich just got richer and the poor just got screwed.

 

[shangshang]

I fear this country is going to the shithole. Bunch of slaves to the govt and corporations. Oh well, nothing you can do about it. Unlike Arabs, Americans are too fat and lazy to revolt. Sure sure.

 

[wuliheron]

I fear this country is going to the shithole. Bunch of slaves to the govt and corporations. Oh well, nothing you can do about it. Unlike Arabs, Americans are too fat and lazy to revolt. Sure sure.

Das right massa, we too dumb and lazy to even think about it. Why our kids even dumer and lazier. We so dumb and lazy we don' even like ourselves.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

A local school ditrict had to either reduce pay 10% or lay off workers & teachers. The union wouldn't go for the pay cut so they laid off a bunch of teachers. Now some classroms are spilling out into hallways. Good job Union.

We're going to have to cut teachers too. That's because NY state is forcing us to spend our legally dedicated tax monies to cover an ever expanding welfare program. Good job government.

 

[her209]

A local school ditrict had to either reduce pay 10% or lay off workers & teachers. The union wouldn't go for the pay cut so they laid off a bunch of teachers. Now some classroms are spilling out into hallways. Good job Union.

Which school district is this?