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All-In [28802]
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So some federal employees are on strike...
Apr 22, 2015, 1:37 PM
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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/22/i-am-a-cook-in-the-us-senate-but-i-still-need-food-stamps-to-feed-my-children?CMP=share_btn_tw
This guy is a cook in the Senate's cafeteria, but he also works another job. He says he's paid $12 an hour (the minimum wage in DC is $9.50) and works 70 hours a week working 7 days a week. If he worked every day for $12 an hour and 70 hours a week, that's about $43,000 a year. He says that he can't afford his rent, food, and school supplies on those wages.
Now $43,000 isn't a lot for a single father to live on in DC, but it's not nothing. I also know that the salaried staff in Congressmen's offices don't make as much as this cook does until they've worked there for a few years. In 2008, I started as a Staff Assistant making about $28,000. After working there for about 4 years and getting a few promotions, I still only made about $45,000 plus bonuses. So it's not like anybody else is getting paid a ton to work there. Of course, a lot of the people working the lower level jobs in those offices don't have kids to take care of, but it seems like a "livable wage" should be the same for everybody.
Message was edited by: camcgee®
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Senators are***
Apr 22, 2015, 1:43 PM
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All-In [28802]
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Their salaries are set by law
Apr 22, 2015, 1:50 PM
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They make $174,000. That's a good chunk of money, but a lot of them were making more and could be making more outside of their positions.
Part of the reason for salaries being so low on Capitol Hill is that Congress has to pass its own appropriations bill. Increasing the amount appropriated for the legislative branch is bad politics, so they always keep the amount appropriated pretty low. That means there isn't a lot of money to pay their employees.
This guy is an employee of a company the Senate contracts with, so their wages aren't directly controlled by the legislative branch. However, I wonder if the budget constraints due to the low amount appropriated every year causes the legislative branch to contract with low bidders.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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If this guy doesn't like his wage, he should quit and get a
Apr 22, 2015, 1:55 PM
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job that pays more.
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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This is easier said than done. Nobody seems to want to
Apr 22, 2015, 2:03 PM
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pay me $50,000 a year.
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CU Medallion [56105]
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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I'd love to have a Ferrari.
Apr 22, 2015, 2:56 PM
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I mean they are really cool cars.
Do you know why I don't?
BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD ONE.
When I am able to afford one, I'll buy one.
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CU Medallion [56105]
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Sounds like you should quit and get a job that pays more.***
Apr 22, 2015, 3:12 PM
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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I probably will.
Apr 22, 2015, 4:59 PM
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When I increase my market value, I will.
But should I go on strike with my current employer because he isn't paying me the amount to live the lifestyle to which I feel entitled? How is that his responsibility?
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Oculus Spirit [78876]
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I wouldn't want to raise a kid on $43,000.00.
Apr 22, 2015, 1:44 PM
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You'd be scraping by living by yourself in a studio in a semi-decent neighborhood.
Glad to see you brought it back round to yourself at the end there.
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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I wouldn't either, that's why I don't have one
Apr 22, 2015, 1:46 PM
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#ifuckinglovescience
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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How 'bout he makes $54210/year
Apr 22, 2015, 1:48 PM
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40 X 52 = 2080.
2080 X 12 = 24960
12 X 1.5 = 18.75
30 X 52 = 1560
1560 X 18.75 = 29250
24960 + 24960 = 54210
Now, working 70 hours a week and having to work every day would ####### suck.
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CU Medallion [50635]
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no overtime 2 jobs***
Apr 22, 2015, 3:09 PM
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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That was not spelled out originally.***
Apr 23, 2015, 9:27 AM
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All-In [25721]
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Re: Mr. Cam you should also mention that......
Apr 22, 2015, 1:48 PM
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as a congressional aide or assistant you work at the convenience of the Congressman. Unless you are a professional staff member (and are a "civil servant") you really have no rights, you have to suck up the lousy pay and more importantly - you can be fired at any time without any real due process.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Anyone can be fired at any time for any reason
Apr 22, 2015, 1:50 PM
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if you aren't in a union, and work in an "at will" state that doesn't have limitations past federal law..
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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Not totally true. Federal Contractors can't
Apr 22, 2015, 1:52 PM
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fire people without a #### ton of due process. Unless you are an educated white male between 25-55.
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All-In [25721]
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Re: You are partially true
Apr 22, 2015, 1:56 PM
[ in reply to Anyone can be fired at any time for any reason ] |
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As a federal employee I can be fired at any time but there has to be justification and processes need to be followed. Having had to terminate an employee was one of the most difficult HR challenges I have ever had to encounter. The process is so painful that it is easier to re-assign someone vice firing them outright.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Thats the way it really is in most companies.
Apr 22, 2015, 1:59 PM
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The larger, the worse they are.
I worked at a smaller place (<70 people) about 15 years ago that would fire people at the drop of a hat. It was so bad I quit trying to learn their names when they started. They fired one woman in sales before I even setup her email acct. She was gone by noon.
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Oculus Spirit [78876]
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The blow-y skills women develop in college really do pay
Apr 22, 2015, 2:01 PM
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off in the real world.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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That and cleavage.
Apr 22, 2015, 2:03 PM
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If any if you have daughters, you should really make sure they have ample cleavage by the time they hit 18 or so. Forgo college if need be...cleavage will get them a lifetime income.
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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Indeed. Cleavage has been the undoing of
Apr 22, 2015, 2:08 PM
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several around here. More embarrassment than actual trouble though. I have come to appreciate the small boobed girls who hate bras though.
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Oculus Spirit [78876]
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How many different ####### have you spied at work?***
Apr 22, 2015, 2:12 PM
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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It probably should be asked how many has he NOT spied
Apr 22, 2015, 2:14 PM
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at work?
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Oculus Spirit [75725]
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All-In [28802]
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There are definitely a lot worse jobs, but...
Apr 22, 2015, 2:05 PM
[ in reply to Re: Mr. Cam you should also mention that...... ] |
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some of the stuff Congressional staff has to deal with sucks pretty bad. In addition to what you said, you can also lose your job because your boss retires or loses their election. On the House side, your job is in jeopardy every two years. That stuff has nothing to do with how well you do your job.
Then there's the fact that with the passage of Obamacare, Congressional staff no longer has health insurance benefits.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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"Only made $45K"
Apr 22, 2015, 1:48 PM
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How much do you think you should have been making? This is curious to me. What were you doing? Weren't you just out of college?
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Oculus Spirit [78876]
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WDC is super expensive to live in
Apr 22, 2015, 1:51 PM
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$40,000.00 a year is not a lot.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Not disagreeing.
Apr 22, 2015, 1:54 PM
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But what does 4 years out of college, doing whatever congressional staffers do, demand?
Seems like its more of a "see and be seen" kind of networking gig rather than adding any real value, isn't it?
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All-In [28802]
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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I'll be completely honest here.
Apr 22, 2015, 2:08 PM
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I have a generally low opinion of the federal government, and especiually those who want to work in politics in general, in as much as making a career out of it.. To me, and in my opinion only, it appears to be a useless, self serving occupation that only adds value to those who are in it, and only costs money to those who are not. There is no inherent value in anything that comes out of politics. Its fake, its seedy, and in the end, pointless.
So with all that crap said, I'll just bow out of this now.
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Orange Blooded [2212]
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Re: WDC is super expensive to live in
Apr 22, 2015, 1:56 PM
[ in reply to WDC is super expensive to live in ] |
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It is so expensive to live in because of all the government that is there. Reduce the size and power of the government and lower the cost of living.
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All-In [28802]
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45k isn't a lot for DC
Apr 22, 2015, 1:55 PM
[ in reply to "Only made $45K" ] |
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The equivalent federal pay band for what I was doing would've been at least a GS-9, and those people make over $65k in DC.
$28K is a REALLY low starting salary in the DC area.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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What were you doing?
Apr 22, 2015, 1:56 PM
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What skills were required to do the job? Certifications, skillsets etc?
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CU Medallion [56105]
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Your point, if you have one, is lost on me.***
Apr 22, 2015, 2:38 PM
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All-In [28802]
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The point was that's not an unusually low wage
Apr 22, 2015, 2:42 PM
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Except for him having kids to take care, that's not a super sympathy-inspiring story. Even salaried white-collar legislative staff make less.
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CU Medallion [56105]
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Except for him having kids. And working 70 hours a week.
Apr 22, 2015, 2:51 PM
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And we should take cost of living into account. But I think if you ignore enough critical details of the story you can get to a point where it's like, "Yeah, what is he complaining about???"
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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I think the moral of the story is that this guy isn't too
Apr 22, 2015, 3:03 PM
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bright. I'll give him the having kids thing, #### happens....but you don't have to live somewhere with an outrageous cost of living. It's like homeless people in Chicago complaining about it being cold...you don't see homeless people in the Florida Keys complaining about that.
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Ring of Honor [26353]
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Yea but the homeless people in the Keys have to worry about
Apr 22, 2015, 3:10 PM
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sharknado happening, so it's a give and take thing
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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The homeless in the Keys seem to be much happier
Apr 22, 2015, 3:14 PM
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so that has to count for something. Not once have I ever had a homeless person in Chicago tell me a dirty joke, they just lay there in their blankets. They sing, dance, and tell funny jokes in the Keys. Plus, pretty much everyone around them is drinking just as much as they are, so they're more accepted.
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All-In [28802]
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I don't think it's a great situation
Apr 22, 2015, 3:23 PM
[ in reply to Except for him having kids. And working 70 hours a week. ] |
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But I also don't think there's some kind of injustice being done to him by paying him $12 an hour. While it sucks to have try to raise kids on those wages, people don't get paid more because they have kids.
I also don't know why you think I'm not taking cost of living into account or how you've decided I'm ignoring anything in the story. The bottom line is you can live on what he's paid, and in fact salaried white-collar workers who are directly employed by the legislative branch make less.
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CU Medallion [56105]
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So it's not low unless you have kids.
Apr 22, 2015, 3:38 PM
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And he has kids, so it's low. And that sucks, but isn't an injustice. Isn't the fact that it sucks enough to care and possibly, I don't know, try to do something about it? Or does it have to rise to the level of injustice in order for it to matter?
We both agree that it's very little money in exchange for a great deal of work, so this story flies in the face of the tired, boilerplate Republican contention that hard work = $$$$. The moral of the story is you can bust your ### and get nowhere fast.
Lastly, as someone who seems to take umbrage at the whole class warfare thing, don't you find it a tad ironic that you started this conversation?
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All-In [28802]
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If it's not an injustice, there doesn't need to be a law
Apr 22, 2015, 4:29 PM
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And I'm not sure that every job needs to pay enough for a single parent to support a family. That he has kids would be a reason for him to have looked for/ be looking for a different, higher paying, job, not for every job to pay enough to take care of a family.
And while it's true that you can work hard and still not make a lot of money, it's also true that $43,000 a year isn't pennies. I agree that people shouldn't expect to get rich just because they work hard, but what he makes would be enough money for most single people to live fairly comfortably. That's why I don't think the best way to address issues like his would be coercing companies into across the board wage raises or to significantly raise the minimum wage. In this guy's case, he's got a college degree and work experience that should've allowed him to find a job that would compensate him better. Since he was laid off, he could've taken unemployment for a short period of time until he was able to find a job more appropriate to his education and skills (this is one of the good things about unemployment insurance). At any rate, the Democratic version of your "tired, boilerplate Republican contention" is that hard work should always mean that you live a comfortable life, and if it doesn't work out that way, it must mean somebody's doing you wrong. That seems at least as silly as the idea that you're entirely responsible for your circumstances.
And I really have no idea what you're talking about with that last little bit. I started the conversation because I used to work on Capitol Hill, and I found it odd that this guy's story would be published as representative of the strikers, given that a lot of salaried workers on Capitol Hill make less than he did.
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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Why does the Senate have its own cafeteria? Why
Apr 22, 2015, 3:28 PM
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can't the employees there eat like the rest of us?
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All-In [28802]
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Anybody can eat in the cafeterias there
Apr 22, 2015, 3:33 PM
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But most of the people who work there get their lunch in the building where they work because they need to be at their desks. It's just like a cafeteria in any other office building.
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CU Medallion [60234]
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except it's funded by the taxpayer***
Apr 22, 2015, 3:37 PM
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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It sounds nice, but not many employers have their
Apr 22, 2015, 3:45 PM
[ in reply to Anybody can eat in the cafeterias there ] |
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own cafeterias. Besides, the taxpayers can't afford it. I really think it's time for the ruling class to come down out of the clouds and join the rest of us.
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CU Medallion [50635]
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i think it's time they go home and conduct business on the
Apr 22, 2015, 3:46 PM
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interwebs
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All-In [28802]
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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Tax day was last week, it's hard having to hear about
Apr 22, 2015, 3:58 PM
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the cafeteria's and other perks these leaches get after essentially getting mugged by them.
Kind of like seeing the guy who robbed your house having a nice picnic with your last Whole Foods purchase.
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All-In [28802]
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How is having a cafeteria a perk?***
Apr 22, 2015, 4:34 PM
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Oculus Spirit [79429]
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I can only think of one business I have been in over a 3
Apr 22, 2015, 4:40 PM
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year time span that has had a legit cafeteria. I'm assuming we're talking like an upperclass Harcombe or something here. Some have a small snack bar, if the employees are lucky. Most of us normal folk have to bring our own or go out, no fresh cooked meals just waiting for us at lunch time like we're in a private elementary school. That's a pretty big perk.
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All-In [28802]
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The cafeterias there aren't as nice as Harcombe
Apr 22, 2015, 4:55 PM
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Far smaller, too. Plenty of large office buildings have cafeterias, and it really doesn't make sense to me to call those some kind of special "perk." Did you think that the employees that worked in the building with a cafeteria were somehow "special" because there was a cafeteria in their office? Also, thousands of people visit those office buildings every day for meetings, so it makes sense that there would be somewhere to get food on the premises.
Come to think of it, the nicest cafeteria in the whole Capitol complex, by far, is the one in the Capitol visitor's center.
Really, I think a lot of you just hate that there should be anything that sounds nice associated with people who work for the government (which is more or less what IneligibleUser said).
Message was edited by: camcgee®
Message was edited by: camcgee®
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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No, thats not what I said at all.
Apr 22, 2015, 5:09 PM
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I said that politicians (ie people who work as a career in politics) are worthless. They produce nothing of value.
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All-In [28802]
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Politicians aren't the only people who work in politics
Apr 22, 2015, 5:14 PM
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And, of course, politicians aren't the only people who don't really produce anything.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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anyone who works in politics is a politician.
Apr 22, 2015, 5:24 PM
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And we weren't talking about anyone else.
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All-In [28802]
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That isn't what the word means***
Apr 22, 2015, 5:27 PM
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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What does someone who works to support a politician
Apr 22, 2015, 5:29 PM
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create?
Bull #### for the politician in office. You can call them what you like.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Its obvious to me that as someone who has worked in politics
Apr 22, 2015, 5:34 PM
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You find some value in the process of whatever it is that happens there. And from that, I think you see that cafeterias and special privileges of the ruling class are not offensive.
Many folks would argue that.
I find offensive that we actually have a "ruling class", not to mention their self entitlement to have other perks and benefits the rest of us can rarely get.
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All-In [28802]
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LOL at cafeterias being "privileges of the ruling class"***
Apr 22, 2015, 5:45 PM
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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LOL at you being intentionally dense
Apr 22, 2015, 5:47 PM
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Your avocation is blinding you.
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All-In [28802]
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You sound like a crazy person
Apr 22, 2015, 5:53 PM
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I'm sure you would think almost anything was a "perk" if it was associated with politicians.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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That sounds crazy to you?
Apr 22, 2015, 8:30 PM
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Or is that just the best reply you have to someone who disagrees with you?
Whatever.
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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Not at all, but a government of the ruling class
Apr 22, 2015, 3:59 PM
[ in reply to You must really hate the government ] |
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who is totally out of touch with its constituents is a terrible thing.
Everybody wants the silver bullet to fix things. But it doesn't exist. Question: how did Toyota devour Detroit's near world monopoly of the auto industry? One bite at a time.
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CU Medallion [56105]
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You have a really strong grasp of automotive history.
Apr 22, 2015, 4:18 PM
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And cafeteria logistics.
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All-In [28802]
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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Its an analogy.
Apr 22, 2015, 5:16 PM
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The big 3 once thought they owned the automobile market, and could manufacture whatever crap on 4 wheels they wanted to and it would sell. And it did because they had no competition and no reason to change.
Our government thinks, as a whole, they can do what they want because no one can change "the system". And for now, they are right. But at some point, the gravy train will end. When the American public gets tired enough of it, as a whole, things will begin to change.
Why don't many businesses have cafeterias, or on campus nurses, or whatever perk that government workers have? Because most businesses can't afford it. When the government is forced to operate more like a business and be more accountable, things will change.
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All-In [28802]
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I'm sorry, but complaining about cafeterias is ridiculous
Apr 22, 2015, 5:19 PM
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It's just straight up resentment of anything good associated with working for the government.
Message was edited by: camcgee®
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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A cafeteria is a symptom of the excess and privilege.
Apr 22, 2015, 5:27 PM
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Its one thing if its a company, like say Google or Tesla, has additional perks for their employees, who make their own money doing what they do.
Again, politicians do nothing that offer anything of value. Using other peoples money to do it. Why should they have any additional perks or privileges?
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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But that is how government grows. This behemoth we have
Apr 23, 2015, 7:53 AM
[ in reply to I'm sorry, but complaining about cafeterias is ridiculous ] |
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did not drop out of the sky overnight. Just like our SS system and Medicare did not accrue unfunded liabilities overnight. Our politicians did that for us on our dime. Government, and that includes all employees and elected officials, should reflect the people they are representing. Cafeterias are a symptom, not a cause.
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All-In [31907]
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I hate to jump in here, but most large businesses...
Apr 23, 2015, 8:05 AM
[ in reply to Its an analogy. ] |
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that would have that many employees in one place would offer some sort of cafeteria. And since folks pay to eat there, I'm not sure it "costs" anyone anything. Maybe it does...do you know?
In some sense, if it makes eating more efficient/faster for employees...isn't that GOOD for the tax payers?
With all of the stupid crap and wasteful things that the federal government does, why in the world would having a cafeteria, or 10, in the capitol building be anywhere near the top 100000 things to worry about? Heck, as said above, I'm inclined to think providing a cafeteria (that likely pays for itself) is a good thing.
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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The mindset that it is not a lot of money relative to
Apr 23, 2015, 8:47 AM
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the size of the organization is one of the root causes of unrestrained growth.
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All-In [31907]
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How much money is it? I've been to that cafeteria....
Apr 23, 2015, 8:52 AM
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people pay to eat the food there. Are you sure that the revenues from the payments don't cover the cost of providing the service?
And sorry...to your "point"...no it's really not. Our unrestrained growth of the federal government is not caused by small expenditures...it's caused by really large ones and it's caused by the automated % growth year-over-year.
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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The unrestrained expenditure are the $trillions
Apr 23, 2015, 9:16 AM
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of unfunded future liabilities. The current size and scope of government, in all its forms, happened incrementally. If the cafeteria is no big deal, shut it down and let employees eat lunch like the people they represent.
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All-In [31907]
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Are you saying the people they represent don't have....
Apr 23, 2015, 9:20 AM
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cafeterias? Seriously?
I've never been a major office building of that size that didn't have a cafeteria(s) or restaurants in it. Have you?
I'm with Cam on this one...I think you've gone off the deep end on this topic.
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Orange Blooded [3590]
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OK. Stop all taxpayer subsidies to the cafeterias.
Apr 23, 2015, 10:22 AM
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Charge prices to make a profit, which includes the rent on the building, grills, ovens, refrigerators, tables, chairs, utilities, repairs, food, wages, benefits for the employees, etc. Get the cost totally outside the taxpayers and I will have zero problem with it.
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All-In [31907]
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What taxpayer subsidies to cafeterias?...
Apr 23, 2015, 2:14 PM
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got some info to back that up?
I honestly don't know either way, but my guess is that the cafeterias stand on their own financially.
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Oculus Spirit [81078]
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