DOGE: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead

vaxcardinal · Nov 25, 2024 at 6:53 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

I’m going to speak as a Federal worker. To be clear, I’m on leave for Thanksgiving, so I’m not wasting tax dollars, that is if your taxes did pay my salary (they don’t.) I’m also posting as a GS-14 supervisor, and former COR II, based on my experiences.

This idea of finding pleasure in hurting civil servants is repulsive and indicative of those enjoying the future suffering of others, rather than wanting to improve problems. If DOGE wasn’t just a thing for broligarchs to maximize profits and win political points, wouldn’t be against it.

Where FedGov needs work:

* Legitimate performance-based incentives and penalties. If I have people routinely earning a one or two out of five, I should be able to utilize tools for performance improvement (e.g. PIPs) more efficiently with teeth if they don’t succeed. Conversely, I should be able to better reward my team, quicker, rather than have to be raked across the coals for a financial or time-based award.

* Contracting is a mess, based on my experiences. Too often, I have to go with the lowest bid, even if my expertise demonstrates that [other contractor] is far better qualified and will be less likely to incompetently result in cost overruns. Further, having better opportunities to cut contractors or, Lord forbid, refuse to pay for wasted time would be lovely. Contracts themselves are often poorly worded and give contractors a wide options of abuses. Better oversight would be welcome.

Others have stated it and it’s true: many critical Fed positions are vacant. Our internal investigations group has two senior level and several operational positions sitting open. HR? I’m using an entirely different office’s team to handle a sensitive performance matter.

This may be a shock to many, but the vast bulk of Federal employees are diligent workers who happen to be human beings much like you. They aren’t a “Deep State.” They don’t engage in massed conspiracies to defraud the American people while twirling their villain mustaches.

I feel like that if conservatives were serious about improving efficiency, they’d consider where actual process efficiency breaks down. That does not often mean “cut people.” Example? Our New Orleans and Houma-based offshore Districts are severely undermanned, resulting in longer permit timing for offshore operations. We have other Districts with far less workload and more people. Why drilling and workover permits cannot be shared across the basin is still beyond me, aside from being a relic from the times permits were submitted via mail and not through a virtual gateway.

I’m happy to good-faith answer questions on this. I spent twelve years in the private oil industry and now about the same in government. I’ve seen shenanigans on both sides. I’ve seen far fewer people actually reach for functional solutions.
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We go with mainly best value contracting but that has some downfalls as well

vaxcardinal · Nov 25, 2024 at 7:02 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

So, hold up. You have employees targeted by the now President Elect, his advisors, Project 2025, and right wing press as being the “Deep State” deserving of being made miserable enough to quit and your response is that they should be cut for anxiety?

I know a lot of people at State. A proper framing of this should be “now that the guy who basically wants to abuse us until we quit is elected, what do we do when we have decades in Federal service possibly thrown out the window?”

The Employee Assistance Program has been one of the most proactive tools in helping ensure at least some access to immediate mental health help. Its been invaluable in my office for veterans suffering from PTSD. It was my first line when my mom passed and before I could seek other help.

This goes back to my other post: stop being ghoulish.

I’ve been seeing my therapist more often since he was likely to win. Why? My wife has a serious immunodeficiency where she’s basically unprotected from most respiratory diseases, staph, and some others I can’t remember. We rely on my insurance to make a $37,000 a month infusion treatment affordable. Without it, repeated infections would lead to her death in +/- 3-5 years. Throw in that Trump nominated a conspiracy-addled lunatic to HHS and yeah, I’m scared. If they bulldoze my job (again, I’m on approved leave for Thanksgiving,) it’s not just a loss of income. It’s the loss of one of the few domestic jobs that make her healthcare affordable, FFS. I left private sector because of insurance and took a pay cut. Yes, seeking proactive mental health assistance so that I’m less focused on a very likely catastrophic is a good thing.

Instead of immediate assumptions and a knee-jerk reaction, attempt to empathize and understand why people are scared.
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You’re on approved leave for thanksgiving? Isn’t it automatic unless they want to restore your use or lose? My biggest problem this time of the year is figuring out how to burn my leave. Still have 20 days left to use

PetrolGator · Nov 25, 2024 at 7:27 PM

vaxcardinal said: ↑

You’re on approved leave for thanksgiving? Isn’t it automatic unless they want to restore your use or lose? My biggest problem this time of the year is figuring out how to burn my leave. Still have 20 days left to use
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For the week. We have Thursday off, but I took Monday to Wednesday off. Friday’s my AWS.

PetrolGator · Nov 25, 2024 at 7:54 PM

vaxcardinal said: ↑

We go with mainly best value contracting but that has some downfalls as well
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We’ve had approval issues with this. I’m honestly not sure why?

vaxcardinal · Nov 25, 2024 at 8:01 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

We’ve had approval issues with this. I’m honestly not sure why?
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It’s more difficult to do and harder to defend again protests but well worth it

gatormonk · Nov 26, 2024 at 1:55 PM

PetrolGator · Nov 26, 2024 at 2:38 PM

gatormonk said: ↑

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Hiring and pay freezes aren’t unusual with Administration changes. It sucks, but it is what it is. Thankfully, I’ll have my section fully staffed by EOY.

vaxcardinal · Nov 26, 2024 at 3:59 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

Hiring and pay freezes aren’t unusual with Administration changes. It sucks, but it is what it is. Thankfully, I’ll have my section fully staffed by EOY.
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Funny how congress couldn’t figure out how federal salaries increased during a pay freeze

PetrolGator · Nov 26, 2024 at 4:21 PM

vaxcardinal said: ↑

Funny how congress couldn’t figure out how federal salaries increased during a pay freeze
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I imagine it would be hard to deny any pre-approved pay increases passed as a part of prior budgets. Of course, given the political theatrics, I’m not shocked if this is missed.

vaxcardinal · Nov 26, 2024 at 4:38 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

I imagine it would be hard to deny any pre-approved pay increases passed as a part of prior budgets. Of course, given the political theatrics, I’m not shocked if this is missed.
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Pay freezes do it include automatic step increases

PetrolGator · Nov 26, 2024 at 4:51 PM

vaxcardinal said: ↑

Pay freezes do it include automatic step increases
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Confused. “Do include” or was it a question? It would be pretty crappy to deny automatic step increases for those who met performance metrics, but again, political theatrics. I’m just a bit tired of being a pawn.

G8tas · Nov 26, 2024 at 4:57 PM

gatormonk said: ↑

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I have a feeling this excludes her and her staffers

vaxcardinal · Nov 26, 2024 at 5:41 PM

PetrolGator said: ↑

Confused. “Do include” or was it a question? It would be pretty crappy to deny automatic step increases for those who met performance metrics, but again, political theatrics. I’m just a bit tired of being a pawn.
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Sorry, pay freezes do not include automatic step increases

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