I have been part of 5 downsizes or business closures in my lifetime. No government jobs.

I got laid off in 2001 from a good, private sector job. I had a nest egg and started a business that took a year to get off the ground. No one from the government ever shed a tear for me or my family. It was actually a great thing in the long run. I have a feeling a lot of government workers don’t have the skills to survive in the wild.

You should always work like you're about to be fired. That's the American spirit.

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So forgive me for not feeling guilty about federal employees or contractors being cut. They have had years and sometimes lifetimes of stability and raises and job security

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It's ok if you don't want to feel sympathy for them, but you should realize they are voters - all 10M of them. How many people do you think are likely to cast a vote for their own firing? How many do you think will cast a vote based on Dem promises to increase their wages and re-hire those let go by Trump with backpay?
This calculus is not hard to figure out.

Most of those in the federal workforce are in grant and contract positions. They have the same worries and fears that you've had throughout your life, with regard to job security.

As for GS employees, they have historically lagged behind in wages and promotions. That started to change a bit after 2000 iirc and salaries began to increase for federal workers, but then tapered off again. In return for lags in wages and top end potential, GS employees got stability, which is what you would expect in a govt job since a nation needs a govt.
The main disparity you see is that for those with less education, they get more in total compensation due to govt job benefits, while those with more education tend to earn less than their counterparts in the private sector.
A massive purge of federal employees will be a severe shock to our economy. Elon is an idiot and he thinks the firing masses of people with college degrees making $100k at Twitter is the same as firing a 40yo woman with a high school diploma working a govt job. The impacts are not even close. That 40yo woman will be decimated. And she will assuredly vote Dem because of it.
From a CBO report:
Comparison with the findings in CBO’s 2017 report. CBO’s previous comparison of federal and private-sector compensation covered the period from 2011 to 2015. By 2022, federal compensation had declined relative to private-sector compensation, primarily because lawmakers enacted across-the-board salary increases for federal employees that were smaller than wage growth in the private sector.
Things are not all roses and unicorn farts for govt workers.

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all while the government that paid them drove us further in debt, driving up our mortgage rates and prices, and mortgaging our children's future.

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And these federal employees played no role in this. It's also their tax dollars that go into the pot as well, and their children's future, too.

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Government is not a jobs program.

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This is true and changes are desperately needed. However, the constant vilification of govt workers is counter-productive. I've been paying attention to some commentary out there on the left and things are starting to build. They are going to have a strong campaign message for 2026. Not only that, the more the attacks are generated against federal workers, the more you can be assured that they will come out in record numbers and vote Dem in 2026 and 2028. Guess what the federal budget will look like then?

Additionally, right or wrong, they are starting to feast on Elon's involvement. It's being pointed out that he's personally attacking federal entities that have either launched investigations into his companies or are regulators for his companies. Additionally, the NY Times (yeah, I know) reported that the State Dept had a $400M contract to purchase armored Tesla trucks and after Elon got into the system (magically this contract was not highlighted as huge waste), the spreadsheet changed to just say armored trucks. Lastly, Elon has talked about making X into a payment system and right or wrong, his attack on the CFPB is being looked at as attacking the key regulator that would be looking at such a company. This is fodder for the Dems.

Slash and burn tactics are going to backfire. Trump needs to get Kash in there and he and Bondi have to go after Congress (put the screws to them with promises to investigate and prosecute them) and get them to pass legislation that codifies the downsizing in such a way that it's a win win for the nation. About 15% of the govt workforce is retirement eligible. Almost all of them need to be retired. Take another 10% or so and retire them as well, and you're quickly at a 25% reduction. Over a few years you can certainly get another 25% by investing in some efficiency changes. You will save over 50% of the annual cost on an employee once retired. Salary goes down, no computer, desk, chair, office, utility costs etc. Combine retirement with a large severance payment and these people are in good shape and our finances are in good shape. We can save hundreds of billions this way. This can be done but it can't be done overnight and it's more important to get it done right than to get it done right away.

The way this is going, Dems are going to get both houses in the midterms and then it's over for Trump. Then the Dems will get everything in 2028 and we'll get a $10T federal budget and 10M people across the border and the nation will be over.

But, lash out at the govt workers that have had no role in this at all, if it makes you feel better.

During the 90s I went through 5 companies in 10 years, the Golden Era of m&a...I changed course, got RE license and never looked back..23 years ago.

I've been in an eat what you kill self-employed position for 26 years. It's not easy, but it works because I force myself to overperform the norm.

I cancelled a crawfish boil Sunday because I have a Monday deadline, on a federal holiday. Not a big deal, because I'll have another invoice in the pipeline. Then I move on to the next jobs.

There's satisfaction in knowing that companies rely on your performance record and that you can charge fees according to your own performance level.

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POTUS2024

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I personally don't think there is a choice when the deficit is increasing by a trillion dollars every 3 or 4 months.

But you may be right. If the tremendous long term positive effect that the Trump program will have is not in full swing by 2026, it is possible that the dems take back the house. The Senate isn't happening, however.

My bet is in 4 years, the deficit is greatly reduced, interest rates and inflation are greatly reduced and the economy is strong.

What Is happening is a revolution. A lot of people, even on this board, will lose heart and join the other side. That always happens. No one wants any pain. Ever.

But it doesn't change the fact that the old way is unsustainable and the federal bureaucracy you want to protect will fall, one way or another.

If you want to live in Weimar Germany or Hungry 1945, keep going the way we are.

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So forgive me for not feeling guilty about federal employees or contractors being cut. They have had years and sometimes lifetimes of stability and raises and job security.... all while the government that paid them drove us further in debt, driving up our mortgage rates and prices, and mortgaging our children's future.

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Amen brother. I don’t feel sorry for these government employees at all. They are finally experiencing what we in the private sector go through every single day. Either perform or get let go.

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That 40yo woman will be decimated. And she will assuredly vote Dem because of it.

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And it became necessary because that is how she has voted for 22 years - meanwhile the rest of us who had to face uncertainty every day while she used her little fiefdom to feather her nest have had none of 'job security' that she so blithely enjoyed all her life.

Time to meet the real world - the one that has to make do with whatever is left after the 'public servants' rake off their spoils.

No sympathy for her unless there are special circumstances involved. In general life time government jobs are anathema to a healthy economy.

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