How bad will it be to be a fed?

[ssmjlm]

Nov 7, 2024 13:15:16 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Any thoughts on on-the-ground medical care for veterans?

I expect the VA would be pretty untouchable, but I assume nobody will be left untouched from the forces of evil.

Reproductive care, of course, but am I missing something?

The VA needs a huge overhaul it will likely never get.  I don't think it matters who is President.

But that is a soapbox of mine for another time.

[Bernadine]

I’m a member of my county’s Democratic committee, and can’t decide if I should resign and act more behind the scenes. Ugh.

[Patsy Baloney]

Nov 7, 2024 13:15:16 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Any thoughts on on-the-ground medical care for veterans?

I expect the VA would be pretty untouchable, but I assume nobody will be left untouched from the forces of evil.

Reproductive care, of course, but am I missing something?

They played politics on the PACT act for show, so I wouldn’t put it past them to be at least a little fucky.

[curbsideprophet]

I think a shutdown in Dec is more likely now. I wonder if that is the secret with the speaker of the House. They will not pass a budget or another CR. Furlough everyone at least until the inauguration.

[sakoro]

Nov 7, 2024 13:18:51 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Nov 7, 2024 13:15:16 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Any thoughts on on-the-ground medical care for veterans?

I expect the VA would be pretty untouchable, but I assume nobody will be left untouched from the forces of evil.

Reproductive care, of course, but am I missing something?

The VA needs a huge overhaul it will likely never get.  I don't think it matters who is President.

But that is a soapbox of mine for another time.

He thinks injured veterans are suckers and losers, so I wouldn’t count on him protecting it. I think they will try to outsource to private sector health systems (owned by their political donors).

[ssmjlm]

Nov 7, 2024 18:30:01 GMT -5 sakoro said:

Nov 7, 2024 13:18:51 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

The VA needs a huge overhaul it will likely never get.  I don't think it matters who is President.

But that is a soapbox of mine for another time.

He thinks injured veterans are suckers and losers, so I wouldn’t count on him protecting it. I think they will try to outsource to private sector health systems (owned by their political donors).

Oh I wasn't saying it was immune, I just don't think it will be first.

I think the system is broken and the VA should be more like medicare. The care the veterans I work with receive is subpar at best. I've begged an employee to go outside the VA so she can get better, but then she revealed she doesn't have any other health insurance, despite us having many options (for now).

[sakoro]

Nov 8, 2024 7:41:55 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Nov 7, 2024 18:30:01 GMT -5 sakoro said:

He thinks injured veterans are suckers and losers, so I wouldn’t count on him protecting it. I think they will try to outsource to private sector health systems (owned by their political donors).

Oh I wasn't saying it was immune, I just don't think it will be first.

I think the system is broken and the VA should be more like medicare. The care the veterans I work with receive is subpar at best. I've begged an employee to go outside the VA so she can get better, but then she revealed she doesn't have any other health insurance, despite us having many options (for now).

I used to work at VA Central Office 15-20 years ago and I agree. I think the VA’s connected to medical schools provide good care but the non-medical school ones are much more uneven. A medical system shouldn’t have Congressional committees acting as their board of directors. I imagine Trump’s healthcare related friends are salivating at the thought of selling the properties and turning it into private sector for-profit facilities. So it depends on how much influence those friends have how soon it happens.

[neverfstop]

Trump's return could speed up federal scientist exits

www.axios.com/2024/11/12/trump-rfk-fda-scientists-leave?

A second Trump administration presents a dilemma for scientists and career staff at top federal health agencies, who expect big changes: Stay and fight — or leave, Axios' Caitlin Owens, Alison Snyder and Tina Reed write.

Why it matters: A brain drain of the nation's top scientific minds could hobble research and dissolve institutional knowledge at agencies such as the FDA, NIH and CDC.
Trump has said he'll let transition team member Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "go wild" on food and medicine. Republicans have been chomping at the bit to reform the CDC and overhaul the NIH post-pandemic.

RFK Jr. has said "entire departments" at the FDA "have to go."

[rubytue]

One of my coworker friends was planning to retire in February or March of 2025. I talked to her yesterday and she says she is going to stay on to see this through. Her theory is it’ll be harder to mess with her as an employee versus a retiree. I cannot wrap me head around the logic.

I’m curious what others are feeling around the office. I went in yesterday. And have been chatting a bit with people offline. But I have noticed a distinct lack of discussion, more so that usual after an election, where we are typically speculating what it means. No one is discussing anything. But everyone seem to have a short fuse - cranky, full of anxiety, but keeping on.

[gretchenindisguise]

Job is with the DOD. So that’s great.

[karinothing]

I just read this and found it a tiny bit comforting.

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-fire-federal-workers-project-2025-schedule-f-rcna180393

[ellipses84]

Ugh, I hate this. That old clip of Vivek is circulating saying 1st round we can do it by odd last digit of SSN and 2nd round can be odd first digit SSN. That is literally so dumb and now we know how they do those mass tech layoffs and why they never make sense and why people should not take them personally. If a Social Security # is 111-11-1111 or 9 digits that is 10,000,000 (10 million) people for the second round of layoffs. Isn’t there only like 2 and a half million federal employees? Obviously their SSNs aren’t consecutive to align with all the Federal employees, but that would cut way too many people with no thought to how critical their roles are. Also, SSNs didn’t used to be assigned at birth so the first # thing could literally knock out an entire generation of experienced employees, or all the siblings in a family if they all work for the Feds.

I’m still looking for a new full time job and an old colleague was trying to convince me to join her in a federal agency. I was starting to consider it prior to the election. Not anymore. If it’s not cut, there’s a good chance it would be involved in creating concentration camps and I could not have that on my conscience. If it comes to that for my colleague I think she will quit. I know some military people who are putting in for early retirement because they want no part in mass deportations, although it’s in their contracts they can get called back.

[rubytue]

ellipses84, SSNs were by region. The first 3 digits were either state of region. I was reading in, I think the post, that anyone born in DC before 1972 would start with a 5. So that whole first digit thing is so biased by your birth location.

It’s funny how round and round I’ve been on things in the past few weeks. I’ve decided that is the intent, like a reality show (🤢) so you are never comfortable, never at ease. And, I’ve contemplated do I want to fight or freeze. I’ve about decided to go all in on fight. We had a union meeting recently that actually left me feeling passionate. And they are looking for stewards. Our union is rebuilding after some drama, and I’m really tempted.

[ellipses84]

Nov 19, 2024 21:49:34 GMT -5 rubytue said:

ellipses84, SSNs were by region. The first 3 digits were either state of region. I was reading in, I think the post, that anyone born in DC before 1972 would start with a 5. So that whole first digit thing is so biased by your birth location.

It’s funny how round and round I’ve been on things in the past few weeks. I’ve decided that is the intent, like a reality show (🤢) so you are never comfortable, never at ease. And, I’ve contemplated do I want to fight or freeze. I’ve about decided to go all in on fight. We had a union meeting recently that actually left me feeling passionate. And they are looking for stewards. Our union is rebuilding after some drama, and I’m really tempted.

That’s interesting. My GenX siblings and I (old Millennial) all had our SSNs assigned in the PNW in the mid 80s and they start with 5.

I’ve been on quite the roller coaster ride too, especially about whether the guardrails of Democracy will hold or not. I think if a few R’s refuse to jump when he says jump, they will.

[rubytue]

Nov 20, 2024 10:31:40 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Nov 19, 2024 21:49:34 GMT -5 rubytue said:

ellipses84 , SSNs were by region. The first 3 digits were either state of region. I was reading in, I think the post, that anyone born in DC before 1972 would start with a 5. So that whole first digit thing is so biased by your birth location.

It’s funny how round and round I’ve been on things in the past few weeks. I’ve decided that is the intent, like a reality show (🤢) so you are never comfortable, never at ease. And, I’ve contemplated do I want to fight or freeze. I’ve about decided to go all in on fight. We had a union meeting recently that actually left me feeling passionate. And they are looking for stewards. Our union is rebuilding after some drama, and I’m really tempted.

That’s interesting. My GenX siblings and I (old Millennial) all had our SSNs assigned in the PNW in the mid 80s and they start with 5.

I’ve been on quite the roller coaster ride too, especially about whether the guardrails of Democracy will hold or not. I think if a few R’s refuse to jump when he says jump, they will.

Well, I don’t have the citation, I could have been wrong on the 5. Or DC could be 555 and PNW 544 or something. 🤷‍♀️ And it looks like that is the answer. DC shares 5 with some NW states. www.mrfa.org/miscellaneous/ssn-prefixes/

[lo]

I think it technically depends on where you were when you filed for a ss number. I was born in Seattle but moved to Boston as an infant and I have a MA ss number because my parents didn’t file for it when I was born. I think things were different in the olden days.