The size of the federal workforce should be reduced through nutrition.
That should save some bread.
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The size of the federal workforce should be reduced through nutrition.
That should save some bread.
Thank heavens for USAA. I bitch about some of their policies and fee increases here and there but still stay with them because they stand with the troops when things get tough.Quote:
Originally Posted by hollohas
Yep, been there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gman
Through almost 3/4 of my Air Force career we didn't have spare money to drop into savings. We never owned a fancy car and the couple of new ones we bought were great deals on reliable vehicles. As with your sisters family, we did the best to live within our means, sometimes it wasn't quite enough but we adjusted and worked through it. Only on two occasions did we ask (and receive) family members for emergency loans. It made the critical difference in getting us through tight spots.
As a young troop with a family we relied on WIC for a couple of years. The nutritional requirements for food could be cumbersome but ensured my children had healthy food to eat. When we no longer needed WIC, we stopped participating, but while we needed it, it was a Godsend.
When we first moved to CO in '95 we bought a house. We bought the best home we could afford at the time (and still live in it). Because available housing was so limited at the time the house was actually cheaper than renting a 2 bedroom apartment. Still, with the house payment, etc. we had no spare money and lived paycheck to paycheck. I could have gotten out of the service and taken a private industry job, but that wouldn't satisfy my need to perform a service to our nation which was, and still is, important to me.
During my USAF career I endured a few .gov shutdowns. I can only recall one where my paycheck was delayed (there may have been more, but I don't recall) but when you're waiting for those dollars to come in to pay your bills it hurts, badly. The utility company doesn't care that you didn't receive your paycheck, they want their money.
I'm a .mil contractor now so I still feel like I'm serving the nation and providing for everyones safety. The difference now is that I'm being pay considerably better and have a little I can put into savings while paying it forward to my kids to help ensure they have the essentials for their families that they would otherwise have to do without. Luckily, the contract I'm on is paid out in advance enough that this shutdown shouldn't effect me. Through the years we've picked up a few nice things which make life worth living, but it's not like anything we have is particularly fancy.
With Congress still getting paid, and with the selfish & greedy attitude they have there is absolutely no incentive for them to come to a quick resolution to the problem. While most, if not all .fed employees aren't expecting their next paycheck until the 1st of the month they are concerned about the risks now. A wise person doesn't wait until they're completely out of water before they start to ration what they have when the spring dries up; you start worrying about it immediately and praying the water begins to flow before you run out. The longest .gov shutdown was 21 days. There is no guarantee this will not extend beyond that. For those folks, like our troops, who have just enough to get by, the threat and concern over not being able to pay their bills is very real.
"Drama"? Sure, there's drama. Anyone who can be directly effected by this would be foolish not to be concerned and with that comes drama. For those (looking at you Clodhopper) who can't at least empathize with this situation I feel very sorry for you as you must be very sad individuals.
+1 !
Eloquently stated!
Yay! I'm the darkhorse!
Ironic that so many claim I don't understand/empathize/have not lived the situation you might be in right now. When did you become an expert on my life experiences? You are farther off than you might think.
Ah well. The internet is the land of "who has more empathy", rather than a discussion of ideas or points of view.
If our govt wasn't so bloated and spending well beyond its means, this wouldn't have happened. But that would mean many of you would be in a different career than the one you currently have and may never have known the joys of government "service". Wait, was that coldhearted? hard for me to discern anymore.
Oh, and to your point Grey:
https://www.fedsmith.com/2018/01/18/...ghed-shutdown/
You'll get your back pay.
Another communist (T Kaine) is blabbering now. All the damn communists are taking turns, I wonder when McCain, Flake, and Gardner will step to the mike.
Typically when I have something bad happen to me, or go through a tough time, I use that as a life experience, and in turn am able to sympathize and or empathize with people, not carry an attitude of "well I've had to deal with tough times, so screw you", but that's called building character, something which some aren't capable of doing...Quote:
Originally Posted by clodhopper
It's not guaranteed but has always been implemented in every government shutdown. It is in neither party's interest to create another victim class and wages/salary are a pittance in the vast scheme of government costs. I'm not on board with much of anything clodhopper said but I think back pay for the federal civil workers is a safe assumption. Contractors and others affected by the shutdown are another story but in many cases the contract was prepaid so there are things that can be done. In 2013, my company advised everyone to take the vacation time during the shutdown but also dipped into internal funds so employees who didn't want to (or couldn't) take unplanned vacations could use the time to work on needed training and professional education.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrey
As far as the comment about USAA, I don't think they are covering EVERYONE in the military, just current customers. They've done the same things in past shutdowns, crediting customer accounts as if they got the normal direct deposit on the normal day. This is frequently needed because a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck and would run into cashflow issues even if promised backpay.
While backpay is not guaranteed, we have received it every time I have been through a shutdown. I have forgotten how many times we have been through the drill because it seems that for every actual shut down there have been five threatened shutdowns that were averted at the last moment. Last week was full of emails and phone calls reminding us of our "essential" status. Every time it happens, my wife reminds me that we would be better off if I was not "essential." I get paid after the shutdown is over for work that I was required to do regardless of whether there was a pay check or not. Non-essential employees get what we like to refer to as a paid vacation of unknown duration.
We all chose this profession. 29 years later, I can say that like most choices in life, there have been up and downs. I'm looking forward to my next career in the private sector where I can develop a whole new outlook on being a "bitchy" American worker.
Be safe.
All I see there is a whole lot of "legislation introduced" and "should get back pay." I'll believe it if and when the check clears the bank.Quote:
Originally Posted by clodhopper
For those of you who are assuring everyone that back pay will be reimbursed, I point you to Hoser's post. He did NOT receive back pay for 2013's furlough.
You're no dark horse, Clodhopper. A dark horse is defined as "a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds." The only part of that definition that fits you is "about whom little is known." You proffered your point of view. Your view happened to not only be unpopular, but was filled with incorrect assumptions and projected a very cavalier assumption- if, in fact, you were ever in a situation such as a furlough. Was your smug statement "coldhearted'? Poor you, surrounded by people burdened with patriotic "feelz" and the inability to recognize your obviously superior arguments. Thank GOODNESS you were able to shed light on our problem: we wouldn't be furloughed if we weren't government workers. Of course! Why, it really is all our fault that we out ourselves in this position.
You are SO RIGHT.