BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA

Subject: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Janie
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 01:19 AM

Me and my ilk are dead meat in the 21st century.

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 01:26 AM

Oh? Why is that?

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Amos
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 01:28 AM

What's been happening, Janie?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Barry Finn
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 01:36 AM

Why's that Janie?
I think this century's gonna be what the 60's should've been, if we can get past this election.
I met a friend of mine at the Portsmouth Maritime festival, she's a singer (which means squat) & a teacher of at risk poor & troubled kids in NYC & she said that she had worked with & for Obama as a political street activist. This being the 1st time I knew of anyone who knew Barack personally I asked "what's your take on him?" She said he's the real deal, he's really all about helping people & that he's completely genuine. So it's about time that America's gonna finally get someone that will side with US, "we the people"! Instead of another corporate figurehead dressed up in a gold plated fig leaf head piece & a 3 piece suit.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: GUEST,Dr Who
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 08:41 AM

Delighted to hear those comments...and maybe all will be well if the guy gets in.
But remember what happened last time anybody got their hopes up (November '63...)

The title of this thread may - god forbid - be very prophetic.
If Obama wins the election, I wouldn't put money on his surviving the course...
Good luck, cousins
The Doctor

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 09:27 AM

Well they're already trying to kill us off in the UK; 73 tax offices nationally, reduced to 15 in the next 12 months; 6 people lost from our department, none of whom are going to be replaced, but they're insisting we still do the same amount of work PLUS bringing in more from the offices that are closing.


Good luck.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: kendall
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 10:01 AM

Karl Rove "The peasants are revolting."
Bush "They certainly are."

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 10:04 AM

It sounds like the Call to ministry, Jane. Windows opening. Higher servanthood.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Alice
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 10:17 AM

but then, atheists need not apply

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 10:19 AM

Janie,
You and your ilk may have no power or value in corporate America but you stand between starvation and violence for the people you serve. Stand back a minute, take a deep breath and, most importantly, do something good for yourself.
You deserve to be healthy and happy too.
With much love,
Mary

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 12:14 PM

A Federal government public servent will have as good if not better job security than a food employee.

A State or cummunity public servant will be in high demand while budgets will cut pay/purchasing power in half.
Even volunteerism has its barter and bonus advantages.













WHo guest:Hey, do you think it was easy protecting George for 8 years and still nealy losing him to a pretzel?

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 08:09 PM

Dam' liberal tayrist pretzels!

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 08:25 PM

What they did in Hungary when transitioning from communism was almost everyone seemed to have a state job that gave them health benefits, maybe housing, although they were buying their apartments etc...then they all hustled and bustled and had private things as well. That might be a sort of solution for people needing state benefits..get a really low salary, like minimum wage, but the good state benefits. I would not trade the highest salary in the world right now for my state benefits and I do have to have a private job as well...I am living the Irish-American dream..a job with State Benefits...I think I somehow missed the career woman gene but was left with the other ones from way back. Anyway, I hope we can figure something out..we need state employees, we need good benefits for everyone...we need many people working in day cares, nursing homes, maintenance on public buildings etc....pay the expensive benefits, get people somewhat secure, with less than full t ime work and let the more ambitious get some of their money on the private sector. The answer to most economic woes is not going to be total socialism or total unchecked capitalism but an intelligent approach that incorporates both and has room for the ambitious and security nets for others, but enough incentives so people don't get .....like whatever I am..post burnout maybe. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Janie
Date: 16 Oct 08 - 09:10 PM

Eh, I was just pissed off last night after listening to the debate, and not hearing much of anything from either candidate that would make many of the very disenfranchised folks I work with feel compelled to register and vote. (Strictly speaking, I haven't been a public servant myself for 3 years, since the travesty of the privatization of public mental health in North Carolina. Much to the dismay of my assorted new bosses, however, I continue to consider my mission to serve those in need of publicly funded mental health services, and not to make enough profit so the company CEO can continue to vacation in the Bahamas. He doesn't "get" why those few of us old timers still around are unmoved by financial bonuses for "productivity" (read quantity vs. quality.)

I haven't heard anything to suggest there will be new policies coming down the pike that will significantly restore the social safety net for seriously impaired people, or for people who need a hand up to get back on their feet and productive. With the economic crisis and it's likely long-term implications for tax revenues, there will be less public funds, not more. Nor I am hearing anything that convinces me the privatization of services that need to be administered and provided by the public sector will come to a screeching halt, much less reverse itself.

Help for the working poor may increase. But what about the legions of seriously damaged folks that can not work? (I know I have a skewed perspective from working so many years with this particular population, but it is what it is.)

After 35 years in the public sector, I am sick to death of hearing politicians talk about "efficiencies" without providing the tools to allow efficiency. I am especially sick of them not getting the inherent tension between the incredible amount of beaurocratic paper and regulation needed to prove accountability to the tax payer, and productivity.

I'm tired of the exponential increase in beuarocratic paperwork since the implementation of the first "Paperwork Reduction Act," some of it generated to satisfy the demands of the Act.

What most disturbs me, however, is what I observe about younger service providers just beginning their professional careers. They do not see themselves as public servants.

I'm tired of being tiresomely cynical about the effectiveness of the political process, and so am on a little venting rant.

I'm just jealous of all you hopeful people.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: CarolC
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 07:29 AM

Q. Does the Obama plan support mental health parity?

A. Yes. Under the Obama plan, private insurance offered by employers and both the private and public insurance plans will include coverage of all essential medical services, including mental health care. Obama is a strong supporter of mental health parity and he believes that serious mental illnesses must be covered on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to physical illnesses and diseases. He does not think health insurance companies should be allowed to discriminate against the mentally ill.

Background Questions and Answers on Health Care Plan

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 08:32 AM

I musta missed something - is it Ilk Season again?


If The State provides the benefits, then the 'funny money' just rolls around, without hurting anything - but everybody survives.

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: SINSULL
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 08:40 AM

Janie,
For the first time in my life I considered not voting simply because I too am fed up with politicians. Then McCain chose Palin as his running mate and though I despised politicians even more I need to vote.

Hope? Don't be silly. You have lived long enough to know that you deal with What IS and put a little aside if you have it for What Will Be.

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Barry Finn
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 12:36 PM

Mg, as it stands now many people do consider their health benifit/package before the offered salary & worst than that their are many people who work for their health package alone & don't give a shit about the money. They "work for coverage", just like the homeless character of the coner with a sign "work for food". They can't afford to cover their kids or spouses that have health issues, so they work to get the coverage. It's not an Anerican dream, it's an American tragedy. And it's getting worst. I'm covered by my wife's employee health plan along with my kids but it doesn't cover much so out of my SS disability I deduct the cost to medicare's best plan I can get & that still doesn't cover me enough. It's more the shame that MaCain purpose a health plan that will be taxed & the $5000 gift is a sham & a slap in our faces. The only way is to nationalize the health insurance industry & Obama is as close as we've come to anything that would resemble relief & turn around the "work for health care" tragedy. I can see why you think you're lucky with a state job but I think you've been robbed along with the rest of US.
It's the same with education, there is no difference between the way they're both set up!

Janie, cheer up, you weren't hearing those things because you weren't listening to the slow sounding ground swell, I believe that public service will become 'noble' again, 'not for profits' will survive & again will be seen as a "rightous" way to make a living & it'll be again to help the living live. For the past 8 yrs (really since Ronnie R) you & others have been beaten badly. The government has asked charity & faith based orgs to do the jobs that they neglected to do & fund. I think that the country is experiencing a movement towards seeing that the disenfranchised are cared for & looked after because it's now so appearant that many of the working class are only a step away themselves from being disenfranchised & so many of those that they know/knew personnally have fallen by the wayside. At least I hope it's turning in this direction. We'll see after the election which because of the dire straits we're now in they're will be a landslide favoring the democrates & if that happens they are far more willing to listen to the citizens that elected them. It will be up to the populous to push a more populist form of government & keep the pressure up until we get government to do the right thing by it's people. I believe (I didn't before) that with Obama at the head of a dem Senate & Congress along with a left leaning Supreme Court that we will be able to achieve a counrty that for the 1st time in eons one that it's people can truly be proud of. It's a long shot & a long road but the only other option from here is we can all take it one step further & we can all just as easily go to hell, it's not a far leap from where we are now, either that or revolt. Start singing "Blue Skies", it'll all look brighter. I haven't been this optimistic about government since being arrested for change back in the 60's, I hope my medications are all properly ajusted.

Barry

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 02:03 PM

I'm tired of being tiresomely cynical about the effectiveness of the political process, and so am on a little venting rant.

I'm just jealous of all you hopeful people.


Gee, that sounds like...... a Call. :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: Janie
Date: 17 Oct 08 - 11:49 PM

I may have mis-titled this thread. I certainly have my own self-interests and concerns, and the accompanying anxiety about providing for myself and my son, and don't pretend to have them well-sorted and separated from the terrible unmet basic needs of those I serve. But I was thinking more of the people served than those of us who are servants when I started the thread.

Dr. Who,

Kennedy may have gotten hopes up, but in terms of domestic policy, LBJ was much more effective in the implementation of domestic policies. "The Great Society" was generally well-conceived for its time and circumstances.

Barry, I will be so thrillingly astonished if your assessment is on target. However, I doubt either the resources or the public will is present to pull it off. I also question that the 60's are an appropriate and workable model for the present and future.

Subject: RE: BS: Death of the Public Servant, USA
From: GUEST,Dr.Who
Date: 21 Oct 08 - 07:38 AM

Yes indeed janie, i'm sure you're better placed than i am to judge.
My point really was a bit off-topic I suppose..that is:
I will be surprised if Obama gets into/stays in the White House long..thanks to the loony right, rednecks and racists who have such easy access to lethal weapons(not to mention those movers and shakers who lurk, with their hidden agendas and highly developed sense of self-preservation, in the shadows of most large political and governmental organs..CIA, FBI, DHS etc not to mention organised crime..blah blah blah..you get the picture).
O Brave new world...
The Doctor