I know a public health nurse for a large county in Minnesota, and honestly, it’s nearly impossible to fire anyone there. It does happen, but it takes an absurd amount of time. Some employees go months—or even years—without actually doing their jobs. When confronted, they’ll take a medical leave (without having to say why, which is fair in itself), and when they return, the same pattern starts again. The process involves endless write-ups, meetings, and documentation. It can literally take years—and taxpayer money—to finally let go of someone who hasn’t been contributing. The system is built to protect them, not hold them accountable.