U.S. Federal Workers...100 miles next week on your "vacation"?

that dc i rep all day wrote:

And we wonder why our country is failing?

Our country is failing?

I didn't know that.

I thought it was one of the most successful countries in the world.

Now that I know that it is failing I need to think about moving to a passing country.

Not so fast. That is not how it works in DOD and I'm sure the other agencies you mentioned. Unless you are essential personnel or deamed essential during the shutdown ("excepted employee") you're in the same boat as any other government employee. And you don't work unpaid. The OPM guidance for furloughs is pretty clear on that. Only exception for unpaid work could be active duty military or USCG.

if the government shuts down, itll be for a day or two tops.

theres been atleast 3 times this year we've already had this conversation

everyone will get paid what they deserve

its not that big of a deal

except, mass media will spin it one way or the other and convince america to vote either for the R or D candidate in 2012. this will be a result of a huge sum paid by either the DNC or the RNC to those major media outlets over the period of the next month (this is only if a shut down occurs)

Do the federal government own and run museums and zoos?

i do knot nose wrote:

Do the federal government own and run museums and zoos?

Only in DC baby, only in DC.

Home of the good King Obamma!!!

Smithsonian, much?

Smithsonian Fiscal Year 2012 Federal Budget Request Totals $861.5 Million

The federal government runs the Smithsonian institutes and National Zoo in DC.

I was hearing on the radio today that they would be closed if the government shuts down.

I assume the animals would be fed and that there would be security at the museums.

I also assume that guards would work at federal prisons.

It may be a tough call between essential and non-essential employees in some instances and I figure they must define those in the hiring process.

g5 wrote:

I was there from February 24-26 of this year.

You see what you want to see.

DC is fine. I live there now and the trails are pretty good. I'm about half a mile from the 8 mile metropolitan bike trail, 2 miles from Rock Creek Park, and about 2.5 from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which goes for 184 miles. The city is quite clean, I think, especially by my standards (New York- although I do prefer New York because it feels so alive). Also, by the same NY standards, it's affordable.

You may want to read the OPM guidance again. There is this blurb in the third question in the FAQ "Other employees are "exempt" from furlough because they are not affected by a lapse in appropriations. This includes employees who are not funded by annually appropriated funds"

This is where the VA is, and other agencies (although I can only speak with certainty on the VA)- the funds have already been appropriated, thus, VHA is exempt from the current shudown. This also agrees with what our local administrators are saying- business as usual, no matter what happens.

I work for pushups!

I think I've heard the term "government shutdown" at least 20 times this decade. Shutdown hasn't happened since '95 and even then wasn't for long and there was backpay.

I ain't worried.

Alan

Last shutdown started in 1995 but ended in 1996. No chance on backpay this time...politically untenable. My gut is that it won't shutdown. Sorry, DC types!

Runningart2004 wrote:

I work for pushups!

I think I've heard the term "government shutdown" at least 20 times this decade. Shutdown hasn't happened since '95 and even then wasn't for long and there was backpay.

I ain't worried.

Alan

Lots of things are set up a long time in advance and a lot of work is on strict time constraints. Shutting down for two weeks would lead to a lose of months of work. Its not like a vacation which can be planned for in advance and for which other people can cover for some of your work.For example,Biological samples I collected which I would use during the next few weeks could go bad if the government shuts down. It might take weeks to get to the point where I could collect new samples.Lab animals are going to age out of the point where they could be tested.Breeding for new animals will not be set up during the shut down putting work back months since new cohorts of animals are needed on a regular basis.

zip zero nada wrote:

Seriously? That short of time (most a couple of weeks) would set you so far behind? What field is this? If you can do significant amounts of research in a span of a few days, but not doing it sets other groups far ahead of you, you are doing something clearly wrong.

that dc i rep all day wrote:

DC is a great City to train in, but... there are ton of Libs that don't like to work. A majority of those government job workers don't do a damn thing. I have asked about 20 people total down here who I'm friends with or have met and at least 15 of them have told me they don't do a damn thing at work.

Hey, that's socialism. If you don't like it, go bitch at the Pentagon, or the cops, or your local fire department, or the NIH, or Lockheed Martin, or Boeing, or Northup Grumman, or Booz Allen Hamilton, or Raytheon, or General Dynamics, or Accenture, or Blackwater (Xe) . . .

Yes, there's waste in government. Of course. But the most massive, truly larcenous waste of taxpayer money is being perpetrated by the "private sector."

Sorry for jumping on you. I'm in the physical sciences, where this isn't as much of an issue. Biology stuff isn't on the top of my mind.

So people being without a paycheck is really a barrel of laughs for you, isn't it? Good job of setting a new standard for idiocy on this site

washingtondcwonk wrote:

Weather is getting better, and the government shutting down should set some of you free next week. Doubles until the government reopens? If Boehner is going to give you lemons, then make some lemonade.

Setting the standard wrote:

So people being without a paycheck is really a barrel of laughs for you, isn't it? Good job of setting a new standard for idiocy on this site

washingtondcwonk wrote:

Weather is getting better, and the government shutting down should set some of you free next week. Doubles until the government reopens? If Boehner is going to give you lemons, then make some lemonade.

the US is saving money while they arent working, so maybe we'll get up to that 61billion mark

In your post you mention DOD along with other agencies that ARE only funded annually. So, you shouldn't lump VHA along with those agencies. That was the point of my response.

How much are we still spending in Iraq and Afghanistan per day?

What % of income are the very rich paying now compared to 30 years ago?