Just got a public sector job and

[Martin Hash]

Damn guys, you don't do shit. I actually work both private and public right now and the contrast is rather striking. I'd get fired from my private sector job if I worked at that pace.

Congratulations, dude. I like it when people I like hitch up to the gravy-train.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Nah, I still believe in libraries, public parks, national parks, the police (with some caveats), the military, universities, NASA, and a bunch of other public works, but the waste and abuse could do with some reform. I know if I did half the shit I saw, I'd be charged with theft of time in the private sector.

Forgive me for trying to contain myself.

Hey dude, the end of the fiscal year is coming. Do you know what that means? In every office of every government department around the world, someone is going to come around to explain that if all of the years budget isn't spent, next year you won't get as much money, so you'd best come up with an excuse to spend that money, lest next year's budget decrease.

All that waste you're seeing is gonna be propped up as absolutely essential to the continuance of the free world. Are you going to be another enabler of the misuse of taxpayer funds? It's coming.

Those libraries and parks you love are in competition with the waste that is coming from a department near you. Welcome to the shit show that is spending other people's money. It's gonna be a fun ride.

This is the primary reason I'm in favor of mandatory public service. If there's anything that will open the eyes of the nation to the gross misuse of public funds, it's seeing it up front.

I got into this conversation today about updating the computers where I work. We have dozens of computers that never get used. I said downsize the machines by number, but upgrade their capacity. Absolutely haram. Can't lower the number of machines, even if they never get used.

The guy I was talking to knew I was right, but he wasn't going to be the one to do it.

That's what my tax dollars are paying for. Dozens of computers in a back room that no one ever uses and no one even knows about. And if you suggest that they should be done away with, you're an infidel.

On my campus, we have a math lab, and a math emporium, and a math tutoring center, and another math tutoring center, and math professors, and a federal math tutoring center, and another federal math tutoring center.

Seven separate departments devoted to math alone. When one of these departments, with two dozen computers that never, ever, get used gets faced with the prospect of reducing their budget, they scream like they're being mauled.

Welcome to government work. It's a blast.

While I am well-aware of the massive amount of government waste, the same thing happens in large private corporations. A section gets its budget for the year, and if they don't spend that much this year, they won't have it to spend again next year.

Its a bureaucratic game of waste and spending, both in the private and public sectors.

It doesn't make me hate taxes anymore, but its cries out that there is a bigger problem with accounting and middle management. Its probably all just people who don't care about working and who are showing up for a paycheck

True fact.

But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom.

[jediuser598]

Damn guys, you don't do shit. I actually work both private and public right now and the contrast is rather striking. I'd get fired from my private sector job if I worked at that pace.

Congratulations, dude. I like it when people I like hitch up to the gravy-train.

Lol, thanks man. Need to work my way up the ladder though to a better job, talking to some other departments already.

[Okeefenokee]

Forgive me for trying to contain myself.

Hey dude, the end of the fiscal year is coming. Do you know what that means? In every office of every government department around the world, someone is going to come around to explain that if all of the years budget isn't spent, next year you won't get as much money, so you'd best come up with an excuse to spend that money, lest next year's budget decrease.

All that waste you're seeing is gonna be propped up as absolutely essential to the continuance of the free world. Are you going to be another enabler of the misuse of taxpayer funds? It's coming.

Those libraries and parks you love are in competition with the waste that is coming from a department near you. Welcome to the shit show that is spending other people's money. It's gonna be a fun ride.

This is the primary reason I'm in favor of mandatory public service. If there's anything that will open the eyes of the nation to the gross misuse of public funds, it's seeing it up front.

I got into this conversation today about updating the computers where I work. We have dozens of computers that never get used. I said downsize the machines by number, but upgrade their capacity. Absolutely haram. Can't lower the number of machines, even if they never get used.

The guy I was talking to knew I was right, but he wasn't going to be the one to do it.

That's what my tax dollars are paying for. Dozens of computers in a back room that no one ever uses and no one even knows about. And if you suggest that they should be done away with, you're an infidel.

On my campus, we have a math lab, and a math emporium, and a math tutoring center, and another math tutoring center, and math professors, and a federal math tutoring center, and another federal math tutoring center.

Seven separate departments devoted to math alone. When one of these departments, with two dozen computers that never, ever, get used gets faced with the prospect of reducing their budget, they scream like they're being mauled.

Welcome to government work. It's a blast.

While I am well-aware of the massive amount of government waste, the same thing happens in large private corporations. A section gets its budget for the year, and if they don't spend that much this year, they won't have it to spend again next year.

Its a bureaucratic game of waste and spending, both in the private and public sectors.

It doesn't make me hate taxes anymore, but its cries out that there is a bigger problem with accounting and middle management. Its probably all just people who don't care about working and who are showing up for a paycheck

True fact.

But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom.

it's funny how you two are trying to convince everyone that private and public work just the same.

fucking pathetically hilarious.

[SuburbanFarmer]

While I am well-aware of the massive amount of government waste, the same thing happens in large private corporations. A section gets its budget for the year, and if they don't spend that much this year, they won't have it to spend again next year.

Its a bureaucratic game of waste and spending, both in the private and public sectors.

It doesn't make me hate taxes anymore, but its cries out that there is a bigger problem with accounting and middle management. Its probably all just people who don't care about working and who are showing up for a paycheck

True fact.

But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom.

it's funny how you two are trying to convince everyone that private and public work just the same.

fucking pathetically hilarious.

Do you have experience in both environments? Or should we just take your word for it, and ignore our own experiences?

[DBTrek]

While I am well-aware of the massive amount of government waste, the same thing happens in large private corporations. A section gets its budget for the year, and if they don't spend that much this year, they won't have it to spend again next year.

Its a bureaucratic game of waste and spending, both in the private and public sectors.

It doesn't make me hate taxes anymore, but its cries out that there is a bigger problem with accounting and middle management. Its probably all just people who don't care about working and who are showing up for a paycheck

True fact.

But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom.

You guys have no clue what you're talking about.

The same amount of waste DOES NOT happen (for any extended amount of time) in the private sector, because the private sector can't go into infinite debt or raise taxes to stay afloat. There is an accounting for the private sector called shareholder meetings and "the bottom line". An accounting that is completely absent from government jobs.

This is pretty obvious stuff, guys.
Something that should be super obvious to anyone who has actually worked in both.

[SuburbanFarmer]

While I am well-aware of the massive amount of government waste, the same thing happens in large private corporations. A section gets its budget for the year, and if they don't spend that much this year, they won't have it to spend again next year.

Its a bureaucratic game of waste and spending, both in the private and public sectors.

It doesn't make me hate taxes anymore, but its cries out that there is a bigger problem with accounting and middle management. Its probably all just people who don't care about working and who are showing up for a paycheck

True fact.

But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom.

You guys have no clue what you're talking about.

The same amount of waste DOES NOT happen (for any extended amount of time) in the private sector, because the private sector can't go into infinite debt or raise taxes to stay afloat. There is an accounting for the private sector called shareholder meetings and "the bottom line". An accounting that is completely absent from government jobs.

This is pretty obvious stuff, guys.
Something that should be super obvious to anyone who has actually worked in both.

It should also be super obvious that companies above a certain size can, in fact, go into infinite debt, and be kept afloat by taxes.

Believe it or don't. A massive chunk of the people walking into a downtown office building are just going in for a nap. Maybe shove a couple emails before lunch, then fuck off for the rest of the day.

[DBTrek]

It should also be super obvious that companies above a certain size can, in fact, go into infinite debt, and be kept afloat by taxes.

You mean FDIC insured financial institutions .. . which are backed by promises of Federal tax money?
Playing pretty fast and loose with your definition of "private sector" I'd say.
Fact is, you're wrong - start a business, and then hire nonproductive workers that fail to accomplish their tasks year in and year out. See how that turns out.
THEN - start a government agency. Hire nonproductive workers that fail to accomplish their tasks year in and year out. See how that turns out.

There is boundless evidence out there demonstrating the difference between public and private sector jobs and organizations. The fact that you'd equate the two with some dumbass statement like "But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom" only highlights your startling and limited understanding of reality.

[SuburbanFarmer]

It should also be super obvious that companies above a certain size can, in fact, go into infinite debt, and be kept afloat by taxes.

You mean FDIC insured financial institutions .. . which are backed by promises of Federal tax money?
Playing pretty fast and loose with your definition of "private sector" I'd say.
Fact is, you're wrong - start a business, and then hire nonproductive workers that fail to accomplish their tasks year in and year out. See how that turns out.
THEN - start a government agency. Hire nonproductive workers that fail to accomplish their tasks year in and year out. See how that turns out.

There is boundless evidence out there demonstrating the difference between public and private sector jobs and organizations. The fact that you'd equate the two with some dumbass statement like "But it just doesn't FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL as bad when it's a private company, because we all know that they're engines of Freedom" only highlights your startling and limited understanding of reality.

In my personal experience, no - an insurance conglomerate. No FDIC insurance, not a bank. Stock symbol AFSI - see what happened a few months ago, when they realized their financial reporting was shit.

You're telling me it's not profitable, I'm telling you that they make more than enough profit to carry the dead weight anyway.
You say it's not common in the private sector, I'm saying yes sir it's very common in large businesses.

But I'm sure you're right anyway, because I'm limited in my understanding of reality.

[DBTrek]

You're telling me it's not profitable, I'm telling you that they make more than enough profit to carry the dead weight anyway.

No, *if* you're making enough money to "carry dead weight" anyway, then you're a damn market miracle and the shareholders should fire the CEO. Yet, that model is considerably different than the common fraud, waste, and abuse taxpayer suffers at the hand of pork-barrel government employers. In one case you have an entity generating so much capital and commerce that it can survive on inefficiency. In the other case you have an organization largely generating nothing, and surviving solely by acquiring more funds from the citizenry, or from their future in the form of debt.
Not comparable.
Not remotely the same model.

Therein lay your limited understanding.