The Next President is...

[brabus]

2 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Hearing there is a bit of a crisis at AFPC as a lot of civilians are quitting over the return to work mandate.  Didn't realize they had that many work from home types.  Also hearing the staff at TPS got hammered, they are all remote.

Good, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. If we could cut 80% of the civs, we’d be much better off. 

[SocialD]

Wonder how many of the AFPC folks were in office and then moved away when they went remote.  Pretty hard to move back right now with prices/interest rates where they are currently sitting.  To 17D's point, another Guard unit in the state found that many of their office workers became MORE productive when they went remote.  While I'm sure plenty need to be back in the office, this once size fits all mandate is hard to back. 

 

Lots of examples of people being more productive than in the office, where they have many distractions and people bogarting their time.  My GF WFH for a company that is a contractor for the FAA.  They've found their workers are much more productive with WFH.  She'll hop on the computer an hour prior to normal work day, because that's when the dogs wake us up, and she'll knock out a bunch of stuff.  She'll also jump on the computer after work hours, if I get called out on a trip, just to get ahead.  Many of these things would not happen if she was required to go into office.  Nevermind she'd have to quite because that office is 9 hours away.  She already quit one job because they tried to make her go in office, which was over 3 hours away.

 

I'm with Brabus in that there are plenty who need to go away.  I fear that all the ones that do go away are the ones we want to keep.  The ones who are a drain on their offices will never leave, because they'd have to actually produce out in the civilian market.  

Edited February 5 by SocialD

[HeloDude]

This is much more about reducing the size of government/federal employees than it is getting people back into the office.  But since it’s extremely difficult to fire/layoff a federal employee, getting them to leave on their own sounds like the next best thing.

Do we really need 2.4 million federal employees?…and that’s not even counting the military or those working for the post office.

[uhhello]

27 minutes ago, HeloDude said:

This is much more about reducing the size of government/federal employees than it is getting people back into the office.  But since it’s extremely difficult to fire/layoff a federal employee, getting them to leave on their own sounds like the next best thing.

Do we really need 2.4 million federal employees?…and that’s not even counting the military or those working for the post office.

Yeah, I also think thats the strategy employed here but also agree that the good ones are going to leave.

[brabus]

1 hour ago, SocialD said:

I fear that all the ones that do go away are the ones we want to keep.

That’s a valid concern/negative of the cut with an axe approach. The perfect solution would be to honestly assess which jobs actually *need* to be in person and which jobs have data to support better productivity in office vs. remote. There are plenty of jobs out there that are legitimate for remote work, but as helodude pointed out, this is probably just a mechanism to reduce the bloated gov, which needs to be done, but certainly sucks to lose good ones in the process. 

Edited February 5 by brabus

[Lord Ratner]

So I guess we're going to take over Gaza. I got to admit, this new season of the Trump show has been *exciting* 😂🤣

[uhhello]

9 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

So I guess we're going to take over Gaza. I got to admit, this new season of the Trump show has been *exciting* 😂🤣

Hard pass.  How can this be a good thing.  

[17D_guy]

I read in a book once about the UN taking over the holy sites and providing peacekeepers from the Vatican who respected both sides and reduced the tension and violence. I thought that was a good idea, then I turned 13 and watched the news.

I think (and hope) he was talking out his ass again. We "resettle" the population there and put troops...likely to make Iraqi look like a brief holiday.

That said I could be wrong, have been before and will be again. I'm not rooting against Donny, I don't ever hope America fails. But this one...big oof.

All that said, I'm wondering how the Muslim population in Michigan, and protest students are now feeling for not voting for Genocide Joe?

EDIT - Also wondering how this fits in with the "America First" policy? I could be cynical and point out real estate developer, and Jared the Kush saying Gaza was good beach front property...but that seems way too on the nose. Again, prob just shit talking...I hope.

Edited February 5 by 17D_guy

[Lord Ratner]

Might be a way to scare the arab nations into participating in the solution. Or, since this is the common sense administration, it might just be the first public acknowledgment of what we all know. There's no way to make it work with the Palestinians and Gaza.

Edited February 5 by Lord Ratner

[Guest nsplayr]

1 hour ago, brabus said:

That’s a valid concern/negative of the cut with an axe approach. The perfect solution would be to honestly assess which jobs actually *need* to be in person and which jobs have data to support better productivity in office vs. remote. There are plenty of jobs out there that are legitimate for remote work…

Exactly.

Caught up in all this is the end of federal telework (differs from fully remote positions). My question is why?

My ops squadron teleworked once per pay period for jobs where that made sense. My new gig as an AGR over at the Wing previously teleworked twice per pay period for basically everyone since it’s all laptop-heavy staff jobs.

Now it’s zero - what will we gain other than everyone having to drive to base more often?

This is for full-time, in person, active duty uniformed troops…you can’t say to my face we aren’t working enough hours or in person enough. We worked in person during the entire pandemic, from March 2020 until today, back in the SCIF, taking the fight to America’s enemies.

Whenever you cut with an axe, there’s gonna be blood everywhere; it’s not good policy.

[brabus]

My hope is this cleans a lot of rot out, yes with some collateral damage, and they adjust the policy in the not-to-distant future to actually allow for remote work for the “laptop heavy” crowd. Basically it’s a short term attempt to see who takes the bait. But we’ll see.

Edited February 5 by brabus

[Lawman]

So I guess we're going to take over Gaza. I got to admit, this new season of the Trump show has been *exciting*

The problem is the uneducated idiots spinning narratives will take that and just add it as a log to the big bonfire of “we’re becoming a dictatorship!”

Anybody who honestly believes we are positioned or ready to conduct such an operation is outside the room with the current force restructuring and belt tightening going on with the force you would need to actually do it. We are cutting massive headcount’s in our brigade combat teams to make do with the new budgets. You don’t do that preparing for a war/occupation/rebuild that requires bodies and not bleeding edge tech.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sua Sponte]

18 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Hearing there is a bit of a crisis at AFPC as a lot of civilians are quitting over the return to work mandate.  Didn't realize they had that many work from home types.  Also hearing the staff at TPS got hammered, they are all remote.

Not at ARPC. It’s important to note that people are interchangeably using “remote” vs “telecommuting,” when they’re not the same.

 

Edited February 5 by Sua Sponte

[gearhog]

6 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

Might be a way to scare the arab nations into participating in the solution. Or, since this is the common sense administration, it might just be the first public acknowledgment of what we all know. There's no way to make it work with the Palestinians and Gaza.

If you watch the clip and zoom in on Bibi when Trump makes this statement. He was completely blindsided.

Bibi visits Trump, discusses a few issues, and thinks he's got it all figured out. Then Trump does what Trump does... puts the other side of the negotiating table on their heels with something wild. Trump is completely comfortable doing this sort of thing in public, and Netanyahu is forced to stand behind the podium and try to not react. Trump is telling him that if we're going to fund Israel, we're getting something of material value out of it.

Has Netanyahu himself addressed this since the press breifing? No, because he doesn't know what to do with it. Hilarious. It's like the tariffs. Trump didn't have to impose them, but he got Canada and Mexico to give up lot of what he wanted at no extra cost to us.

I think the US actually having any ownership in Gaza is insane and I don't want any involvement in that mess, but using it as leverage is brilliant.

https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1886932839393796540

Edited February 5 by gearhog

[SocialD]

9 hours ago, brabus said:

That’s a valid concern/negative of the cut with an axe approach. The perfect solution would be to honestly assess which jobs actually *need* to be in person and which jobs have data to support better productivity in office vs. remote. There are plenty of jobs out there that are legitimate for remote work, but as helodude pointed out, this is probably just a mechanism to reduce the bloated gov, which needs to be done, but certainly sucks to lose good ones in the process. 

 

I think helo is right, it's more about downsizing than anything.  Unfortunately a few some good ones may get caught up in the cross fire, but cost of doing business I suppose.  They good ones will end up on their feet for sure, they always do.  

[gearhog]

1 hour ago, Banzai said:

If trump threatened the UK with nukes tomorrow, it seems like people would find a way to call it a “brilliant” negotiating strategy.

Ridiculous deranged hyperbole. He's not threatening violence.

[SocialD]

4 minutes ago, gearhog said:

Ridiculous deranged hyperbole. He's not threatening violence.

 

 

It's like the FB thread for my company where the TDS folks are saying unions are going away because they fired someone on the NLRB.  

[disgruntledemployee]

10 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

So I guess we're going to take over Gaza. I got to admit, this new season of the Trump show has been *exciting* 😂🤣

Fucking, epically fucking retarded!  Not only will it not end well, but it won't ever end.  That area is history's epic version of Hatfield vs McCoy and it will never end. 

And he wants to gut places like the FBI and CIA.

Next, some dipshit reporter wrote that Rs think they can wrangle him in.  Bullshit.  I've seen that movie before.

I don't think I'll do my taxes this year and set my withholding to 0.  Who's gonna come after me?  All those IRSers sitting border guard? The govt is getting hollowed out.

Many here may be rooting for the house to burn down.  When it gets to your room (VA benefits, retired pay, Tricare, DoD bennies) don't freak out too much.

If Rs want to show any spine, they should spike the noms for both Kennedy and Gabbard.  Send a message.

[SurelySerious]

ing, epically ing retarded!  Not only will it not end well, but it won't ever end.  That area is history's epic version of Hatfield vs McCoy and it will never end. 
And he wants to gut places like the FBI and CIA.
Next, some dipshit reporter wrote that Rs think they can wrangle him in.  Bullshit.  I've seen that movie before.
I don't think I'll do my taxes this year and set my withholding to 0.  Who's gonna come after me?  All those IRSers sitting border guard? The govt is getting hollowed out.
Many here may be rooting for the house to burn down.  When it gets to your room (VA benefits, retired pay, Tricare, DoD bennies) don't freak out too much.
If Rs want to show any spine, they should spike the noms for both Kennedy and Gabbard.  Send a message.

No, no, I’d like to try nation building in another desert wasteland.

[HeloDude]

15 minutes ago, disgruntledemployee said:

I don't think I'll do my taxes this year and set my withholding to 0.  Who's gonna come after me?  All those IRSers sitting border guard? The govt is getting hollowed out.

People never tried cheating on their taxes before 2025?  Also, I’m willing to bet a sizable amount of money that you’ll pay your taxes (the IRS cares much more that you pay your taxes, not that you file them)…so your example is as weak as your threat.  Also your TDS is once again noted.

[Blue]

10 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

Might be a way to scare the arab nations into participating in the solution.

This.

Also, isn't the latest "Take over Gaza!" comment just Trump 101?

When he's struggling to get the needle moving on a particular situation, he throws out the most extreme option.  The press laps it up, and broadcasts it as far as they can.  Frenzy ensues.

It's chaotic, but often the end result is that stubborn needle begins to move, as Trump quietly walks back the original "extreme" plan.

[brabus]

This  is most likely Trump doing his thing to elicit desired responses from other nations, just like with tariff threats. That said, if we truly go through with “full up” nation building, well fuck that. All for destroying people/things over there if required for our security, but outside of that, I simply DGAF about those people and the shitholes they’ve built for themselves, it’s not our problem.

Edited February 5 by brabus

[Smokin]

He initially pressed the Arab nations to take the Palestinians, which they have basically refused to do since 1947 and still refuse to do.  Hopefully, this is a shot across the bow that the other countries in that region need to chip in and figure out a real long term solution before the US basically turns Gaza into a Middle East Hong Kong.

The idea has also been floated of bulldozing the entire strip and just leaving it bare for a while.  Hopefully that is what actually happens.  Then in 10 years, Israel turns it into a tourist beach resort area and shows the world what the Palestinians could have done but instead chose to elect a government of terrorists more focused on killing other people than providing for their own people.

[Sim]

11 hours ago, brabus said:

cleans a lot of rot out

Here's one take. 

[disgruntledemployee]

2 hours ago, HeloDude said:

People never tried cheating on their taxes before 2025?  Also, I’m willing to bet a sizable amount of money that you’ll pay your taxes (the IRS cares much more that you pay your taxes, not that you file them)…so your example is as weak as your threat.  Also your TDS is once again noted.

Typical trope.  I call out your boy and you call it TDS.  Well, when you blindly follow his shit, I'm gonna call it TEW, for Trump Elephant Walkers.

My IRS example point is, nobody will be working in the IRS so there's nobody to go after billionaires that cheat on their taxes, let alone me.  Try to keep up here.