The Furlough Effect

So, as I have stated here before, I currently work as a contracts attorney for the Federal Government. As anyone tracking the budgeting nightmare in Congress knows, there is a very real possibility that federal government employees will be furloughed starting in April for a period of around five months. The furlough will consist of one day a week of unpaid leave. In essence it is a temporary (five month) 20% cut in salary.



While I have felt very fortunate to not have a reduced salary during these economic times, I realize that it is now our turn to feel some of the pain of the current economy. To that end, I am being proactive in looking for something that I can do part time remotely to make up some of that difference. If you know of any part time legal work or other work that someone with good writing skills can do (editing, for examle) please PM me. I am licensed to practice law in Florida, but I can draft/review contracts or other legal instruments for other states so long as a licensed attorney from that state has the final chop on it.

I might be looking to hire someone to stand on the street corner and hold a large CougarCorner sign while dancing. Is that something you'd be interested in? :D



In all seriousness, Good luck finding something. It's been a rough couple of years for a lot of people.

hawkwing wrote:
I might be looking to hire someone to stand on the street corner and hold a large CougarCorner sign while dancing. Is that something you'd be interested in? :D



In all seriousness, Good luck finding something. It's been a rough couple of years for a lot of people.

If you don't mind me doing so in Alabama. I'm afraid people would look up the website and become a little disappointed that it wasn't what they thought it would be. :lol:

Cougarfan87 wrote:

I might be looking to hire someone to stand on the street corner and hold a large CougarCorner sign while dancing. Is that something you'd be interested in? :D



In all seriousness, Good luck finding something. It's been a rough couple of years for a lot of people.

If you don't mind me doing so in Alabama. I'm afraid people would look up the website and become a little disappointed that it wasn't what they thought it would be. :lol:

Especially once they see the costume they "dancer" will be wearing, it's quite revealing!

Cougarfan87 wrote:
So, as I have stated here before, I currently work as a contracts attorney for the Federal Government. As anyone tracking the budgeting nightmare in Congress knows, there is a very real possibility that federal government employees will be furloughed starting in April for a period of around five months. The furlough will consist of one day a week of unpaid leave. In essence it is a temporary (five month) 20% cut in salary.



While I have felt very fortunate to not have a reduced salary during these economic times, I realize that it is now our turn to feel some of the pain of the current economy. To that end, I am being proactive in looking for something that I can do part time remotely to make up some of that difference. If you know of any part time legal work or other work that someone with good writing skills can do (editing, for examle) please PM me. I am licensed to practice law in Florida, but I can draft/review contracts or other legal instruments for other states so long as a licensed attorney from that state has the final chop on it.

Good think Obama has saved so many jobs with his policies. :sulk:



Seriously though, good luck. I'll be facing the same tune here in 3 years.

Get yourself a smoker and sell BBQ at a roadside stand. I'm not kidding.

CougarFan - that is horrible news. I feel for ya. A 20% paycut will have a serious impact. What's especially maddening is - the Federal govt's income is near all time record highs. Yet you, your family, and many others just like are forced to suffer because the key decision makers refuse to get their acts together and run this govt. efficiently.



I believe the all time Federal income was back in 2007 at $2.57 trillion. In 2012 the Federal govt's income was $2.47 trillion + over a trillion in deficit spending, and your getting furloughed. There is a serious problem with budget management here. My sincerest empathy for you and your family.

Ddawg wrote:
CougarFan - that is horrible news. I feel for ya. A 20% paycut will have a serious impact. What's especially maddening is - the Federal govt's income is near all time record highs. Yet you, your family, and many others just like are forced to suffer because the key decision makers refuse to get their acts together and run this govt. efficiently.



I believe the all time Federal income was back in 2007 at $2.57 trillion. In 2012 the Federal govt's income was $2.47 trillion + over a trillion in deficit spending, and your getting furloughed. There is a serious problem with budget management here. My sincerest empathy for you and your family.

Yeah, I thought we would be ok because we live well within our means. Then my wife did the math...it won't put us out on the street or anything, but it will be really tight...more of a no room for error kind of thing. The thing is, as a federal contracts attorney, I see waste all the time. Not malicious waste, mind you, but just waste as a cause of stupidity. The most recent example is an installation that has spent around $7.5 Million on a security system, but noe they don't want it and are going to go with something else. All is not wasted because some of the components will be used, but some certainly is. Then there is the Osprey and other programs the military doesn't want butis forced on them by Congress. Or all of the money we are wasting on energy in the government when we will actually never save that kind of money from the investment.

I agree 275%. Govt. waste - at the Federal level is nauseating. Here's another fine example. The Hostess debacle.



Remember when Hostess was driven out of business? Hostess was unprofitable with their existing union contracts. They had already re-structured 2x. The Teamsters Union guys were willing to re-negotiate their contract and make concessions - to keep Hostess alive and save their jobs.



But, the other Union - the AFL-CIO Bakers, Confectionary, Tobacco, blah - blah Union would NOT re-negotiate and make concessions. Of note, the average baker in the USA makes $11 an hr. These "BCTGM" Hostess bakers were making DOUBLE the national average, plus benefits, plus pensions. Get the picture? Yet, the Baker Union folks refused to make any concessions. Hostess closed their doors and was liquidated. The Teamster Union folks lost their jobs because of the Bakers inflexibility. 18,500 total lost their jobs.



But - and here's the Federal govt. waste - the Labor Dept. decided to take care of the Baker's Union and all the Union folks at Hostess with a multi-billion dollar pork barrel program called the TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance).



If the Labor Dept. concludes you have lost your job because of "foreign global trade" pressures - you are in. These 18,500 Hostess workers that destroyed their company have been qualified for the TAA assistance.



They get re-trained for another job, plus moving expenses, plus baby sitting expenses, 2 years unemployment pay, and if your new job pays you less than what you were making at Hostess - the Fed. govt. will make up 50% of the difference.



To top it off - there is zero evidence foreign baked goods put hostess out of business. It was Union intransigence.



What's behind this? In 2012 liberal Democrats blocked 3 free trade treatises in Congress. It's part of a deal between the Dem's and Unions. It's wasteful to the tune of billions of dollars. It's our liberal Federal govt. at work.



Bottom line - you and other honest Federal workers are paying the price through the furlough program so the liberal Dem's can continue shoring up their base and buying loyalty with the tax payer pie. It's very wrong.

Ddawg wrote:
I agree 275%. Govt. waste - at the Federal level is nauseating. Here's another fine example. The Hostess debacle.



Remember when Hostess was driven out of business? Hostess was unprofitable with their existing union contracts. They had already re-structured 2x. The Teamsters Union guys were willing to re-negotiate their contract and make concessions - to keep Hostess alive and save their jobs.



But, the other Union - the AFL-CIO Bakers, Confectionary, Tobacco, blah - blah Union would NOT re-negotiate and make concessions. Of note, the average baker in the USA makes $11 an hr. These "BCTGM" Hostess bakers were making DOUBLE the national average, plus benefits, plus pensions. Get the picture? Yet, the Baker Union folks refused to make any concessions. Hostess closed their doors and was liquidated. The Teamster Union folks lost their jobs because of the Bakers inflexibility. 18,500 total lost their jobs.



But - and here's the Federal govt. waste - the Labor Dept. decided to take care of the Baker's Union and all the Union folks at Hostess with a multi-billion dollar pork barrel program called the TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance).v



If the Labor Dept. concludes you have lost your job because of "foreign global trade" pressures - you are in. These 18,500 Hostess workers that destroyed their company have been qualified for the TAA assistance.



They get re-trained for another job, plus moving expenses, plus baby sitting expenses, 2 years unemployment pay, and if your new job pays you less than what you were making at Hostess - the Fed. govt. will make up 50% of the difference.



To top it off - there is zero evidence foreign baked goods put hostess out of business. It was Union intransigence.



What's behind this? In 2012 liberal Democrats blocked 3 free trade treatises in Congress. It's part of a deal between the Dem's and Unions. It's wasteful to the tune of billions of dollars. It's our liberal Federal govt. at work.



Bottom line - you and other honest Federal workers are paying the price through the furlough program so the liberal Dem's can continue shoring up their base and buying loyalty with the tax payer pie. It's very wrong.

Ddawg your last statement is incomplete. It is not just liberal dems who are the cause of our friend's furloughs (of which I've experienced to the tune of 20 plus days myself over the past couple of years) but a completely broken system in DC. Conservative republicans demanding unneeded exorbitant weapons systems are just one of many examples from that side of the aisle to note. DC is full of ideologues who do not seek common sense and compromise. With the current group of intransigents we'd never gotten a Constitution, which is full of compromise and problem solving......

I agree with you completely. With the current set of politicians in Washington DC we would have never written the Declaration of Independence, written the Constitution, or waged a seemingly un-winnable, difficult 8 yr. war against England. It would have never happened.



And yes, certainly there is waste tied up in the military industrial complex. No question.

Ddawg wrote:
I agree with you completely. With the current set of politicians in Washington DC we would have never written the Declaration of Independence, written the Constitution, or waged a seemingly un-winnable, difficult 8 yr. war against England. It would have never happened.



And yes, certainly there is waste tied up in the military industrial complex. No question.

Which was what was so great about colonial America, it wasn't a bureaucracy. The people had limited government and didn't like it when the Brits started intruding on their liberties. This country currently is only a shell of what it could have been if we had followed the advice of the founding fathers.

BoiseBYU wrote:

I agree 275%. Govt. waste - at the Federal level is nauseating. Here's another fine example. The Hostess debacle.



Remember when Hostess was driven out of business? Hostess was unprofitable with their existing union contracts. They had already re-structured 2x. The Teamsters Union guys were willing to re-negotiate their contract and make concessions - to keep Hostess alive and save their jobs.



But, the other Union - the AFL-CIO Bakers, Confectionary, Tobacco, blah - blah Union would NOT re-negotiate and make concessions. Of note, the average baker in the USA makes $11 an hr. These "BCTGM" Hostess bakers were making DOUBLE the national average, plus benefits, plus pensions. Get the picture? Yet, the Baker Union folks refused to make any concessions. Hostess closed their doors and was liquidated. The Teamster Union folks lost their jobs because of the Bakers inflexibility. 18,500 total lost their jobs.



But - and here's the Federal govt. waste - the Labor Dept. decided to take care of the Baker's Union and all the Union folks at Hostess with a multi-billion dollar pork barrel program called the TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance).v



If the Labor Dept. concludes you have lost your job because of "foreign global trade" pressures - you are in. These 18,500 Hostess workers that destroyed their company have been qualified for the TAA assistance.



They get re-trained for another job, plus moving expenses, plus baby sitting expenses, 2 years unemployment pay, and if your new job pays you less than what you were making at Hostess - the Fed. govt. will make up 50% of the difference.



To top it off - there is zero evidence foreign baked goods put hostess out of business. It was Union intransigence.



What's behind this? In 2012 liberal Democrats blocked 3 free trade treatises in Congress. It's part of a deal between the Dem's and Unions. It's wasteful to the tune of billions of dollars. It's our liberal Federal govt. at work.



Bottom line - you and other honest Federal workers are paying the price through the furlough program so the liberal Dem's can continue shoring up their base and buying loyalty with the tax payer pie. It's very wrong.

Ddawg your last statement is incomplete. It is not just liberal dems who are the cause of our friend's furloughs (of which I've experienced to the tune of 20 plus days myself over the past couple of years) but a completely broken system in DC. Conservative republicans demanding unneeded exorbitant weapons systems are just one of many examples from that side of the aisle to note. DC is full of ideologues who do not seek common sense and compromise. With the current group of intransigents we'd never gotten a Constitution, which is full of compromise and problem solving......

Not meaning to hi-jack the thread, but the fact is that many GOP voters are far more moderate than the media would have you believe (eg 'Lower taxes, yes, but give my @#$%&!@# govt benefits!').



I said the same thing during the election and after. There are enough Republicans who are conservative on social issues and talk the talk on fiscal issues, but who are so vested in getting theirs from the community chest that they get scared by any discussion about smaller government. I believe this is why fewer Republicans voted for Romney in 2012 than McCain in 2008. Romney had an established history of fiscal responsibility through aggressive budget management. That scared the "pork" out of some GOP voters.



Fact is, there are lots of conservatives who we go to church with who pay almost no federal taxes after their mortgage deduction, charitable contributions, and child credits. But these same folks talk about lowering taxes and then argue for flat taxes which would almost certainly increase their tax burden.



I just finalized my taxes and I'm going to owe about $6K in addition to what was withheld (due to a one-time stock bonus from my employer). Makes me angry at any and all waste, because I can't justify deficit spending in my own life.

Just get a government job with these clowns!!!



http://watchdog.org/62420/co-secret-energy-lab-spawns-million-dollar-govt-employee/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ddawg wrote:
I agree 275%. Govt. waste - at the Federal level is nauseating. Here's another fine example. The Hostess debacle.



Remember when Hostess was driven out of business? Hostess was unprofitable with their existing union contracts. They had already re-structured 2x. The Teamsters Union guys were willing to re-negotiate their contract and make concessions - to keep Hostess alive and save their jobs.



But, the other Union - the AFL-CIO Bakers, Confectionary, Tobacco, blah - blah Union would NOT re-negotiate and make concessions. Of note, the average baker in the USA makes $11 an hr. These "BCTGM" Hostess bakers were making DOUBLE the national average, plus benefits, plus pensions. Get the picture? Yet, the Baker Union folks refused to make any concessions. Hostess closed their doors and was liquidated. The Teamster Union folks lost their jobs because of the Bakers inflexibility. 18,500 total lost their jobs.



But - and here's the Federal govt. waste - the Labor Dept. decided to take care of the Baker's Union and all the Union folks at Hostess with a multi-billion dollar pork barrel program called the TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance).



If the Labor Dept. concludes you have lost your job because of "foreign global trade" pressures - you are in. These 18,500 Hostess workers that destroyed their company have been qualified for the TAA assistance.



They get re-trained for another job, plus moving expenses, plus baby sitting expenses, 2 years unemployment pay, and if your new job pays you less than what you were making at Hostess - the Fed. govt. will make up 50% of the difference.



To top it off - there is zero evidence foreign baked goods put hostess out of business. It was Union intransigence.



What's behind this? In 2012 liberal Democrats blocked 3 free trade treatises in Congress. It's part of a deal between the Dem's and Unions. It's wasteful to the tune of billions of dollars. It's our liberal Federal govt. at work.



Bottom line - you and other honest Federal workers are paying the price through the furlough program so the liberal Dem's can continue shoring up their base and buying loyalty with the tax payer pie. It's very wrong.

I figured those bakers had a net to catch them. Thanks for posting this. What percentage of workers would refuse a free chicken in the pot rather than going to work. This kind of irresponsible spending unquestionable adds to the deficit and debt and takes initiative from people.