@Jose Scott3:
How do you even deal with... it's like you feel like you have to justify yourself to everyone. I saw you struggling with this yesterday, and here you are again today. Why bother? You’d be way better off spending your time on literally anything else.
It’s always been this way and always will be: whether it's government work or the private sector, there are always people who do absolutely nothing. And they still get paid. Often big bucks, too. I'm saying this as someone who’s been in both worlds (not at the same time, obviously). So yeah, I’m actually qualified to talk about this, unlike most of the folks on this thread.
Same thing goes for those working in the private sector—or business owners themselves—who think government employees are just dead weight living off their hard-earned cash. By that logic, since I don't have kids, I could claim I basically paid for other women's maternity leave. Or all those sick days people take for "family reasons," especially when nothing is actually wrong with the kids. And if someone else is paying my salary—well, then in my opinion, they aren't paying me enough 🤣. Besides, I spent years in the private sector, so you could look at it as me finally getting paid out for what I earned back then. All in all—I think I worked harder then and I work even harder now, and the skills I bring are worth way more. I’m definitely not your average Joe, in any sense. But still, I don't spend my whole day trashing my colleagues like, "oh poor me, everyone's a thief, I'm such a martyr, blah blah blah..." Until/unless I find something better, I'm right where I am. And even if they cut pay—it won't kill me. I don't live beyond my means, I don't depend on this job to survive, and I won't end up in a financial hole if that happens.
And the biggest thing—man,
(almost) everyone wants a cushy government or public service job! Of course they're bitter when they can't "get in." So then they turn around and lash out at everyone else. Everyone else is the problem. Some of them spend their entire lives acting this way on forums and in real life (except when they show up at a government office because they need something—then they're suddenly as quiet as mice, total cowards). That's how they make it to retirement, too. Before that, they pass that bitterness down to their kids. They teach them that you can only get a job through connections, that everyone takes bribes, and all that nonsense... and honestly, I won't even start on what I see in my line of work regarding what private contractors pull (shady business deals, faking paperwork, and stuff like that), which is often done by the workers themselves. Especially those older types who spent their whole lives coasting in big corporations that eventually went bust, and then they find themselves about 10 years from retirement having to actually *do* something. Like, seriously. They have to maintain the illusion that they're "well-off"... to others, and to themselves. Most of them end up in a coma because they spent decades learning how to get paid for doing nothing—they're just plain lazy, let's be real.
It makes me sad seeing how some of these forum users live their lives. Don't waste your energy on them or try to defend yourself... they've got their own massive problems to deal with. It's easier to just spit venom on a forum than to actually live with yourself, which is hard. Pathetic.
Anyway, that's enough. This topic doesn't deserve another minute of my time. (Though I've got plenty of time since my long vacation got extended because we're split into groups... plus I still get paid for it 🤣.)
P.S. There won't be any pay cuts for government or public employees for a while, if ever. Because you can't just split people into "those who should get less" and "those who shouldn't." In the same agency, some people are doing way more and some are doing way less... it's hard to explain to people who don't know how the system works, but it's not going to happen. Even if they do cut pay, it'll be temporary.
I think the only thing that'll actually happen is that we won't see those year-end bonuses or holiday checks.