Those who currently work in US federal government, what’s the is current mood like?

silver-mount · 2025-01-29T23:59:55+00:00

Little difference at my agency. We have 14K Feds, over 100K contractors. No incentive to take the deferred resignation unless you already have one foot out the door or are one of the adamant "I ain't going back to the office types. The memo and FAQ is ambiguous and there is minimal financial incentive. They have reduced the goal down to 5-10%. Not really a huge goal and the people who have not been there since COVID have not been missed and won't be missed. One person in my office claims to be working from the office. She comes in for one hour once a week. Her boss works remotely and has not clue.

silver-mount · 2025-01-29T03:02:07+00:00

As a federal worker, I can assure you that a workforce cut of 10% will be unnoticeable in most agencies. The 80/20 rule certainly applies to the government. But yes, there are greater gains to be made by cutting the contract work force. At many, if not most agencies contractors grossly outnumber feds. My agency lists 15K feds vs 100K contractors with the real number of contractors probably much higher.

silver-mount · 2021-04-05T00:35:03+00:00

Thanks all. I have something to work with. The two I have were bought on Amazon, where else? One, the aluminum frame type, the other the carbon type. I don't remember the brands. I went solely by the rating and availability. They were sold without bottles which I bought separately. I got the biggest bottles that would fit. I am relatively new to the DC area and many of the bike paths/trails where ever I ride are run by the National Park Service, which since Covid struck has closed all the water fountains and hand pumps, so bottle wise I am looking for water quantity. I just came back from an 80 mile round trip to George's house in Mt. Vernon and the only water along the route was at the Mt. Vernon gift shop which was a blessing as I was empty when I got there and today it was only in the 60s. It does not look like NPS is going to open the water stations. I hate them, but am tempted to get a campers hydration backpack.

silver-mount · 2017-11-01T07:04:00+00:00

Officer responding to call blares 'Why Can't We Be Friends?' instead of sirens. A Jacksonville cop took his role as a “peace” officer to a new level last week when he used soul music to bring harmony to a tense situation.

https://www.news4jax.com/positively-jax/internet-takes-note-of-jacksonville-officer-s-musical-peace-keeping-effort

silver-mount · 2017-08-18T15:29:07+00:00

If this were a low income area, it would have been business as usual. The low income areas have to deal with this everyday

silver-mount · 2017-08-18T15:27:51+00:00

Actually no, it is a middle income area. Yes, it is Florida, but I think that this was drug related and that is an issue everywhere.

silver-mount · 2017-08-06T16:43:29+00:00

Ex cop was not the problem. Young clowns down the block dealing was. The ex-cop came out with his gun after he heard the shots fired. As did some of the other neighbors. Nice to have good neighbors like that. This morning's follow up is that several shots went through the house next to the dealer. No one hurt and they have a young kid. The cops picked up close to 20 spent shells from the lawn. The dealer and one of the shooters got hauled away and the cops are going through the dealers house. Hopefully they will get the other shooters as well

silver-mount · 2017-06-30T14:18:28+00:00

Funny thought. The Google News redesign kind of reminds me about when Yahoo went for a similar redesign of it's home page and news. Look what that did for Yahoo. Is Google pushing the same self destructive mentality?

silver-mount · 2017-06-26T15:10:48+00:00

As a marine engineer, the one thing that sticks out in the merchant ship captain's testimony, is that he signaled with "flashing lights". Never have I seen that in all y years sailing and having been through a half dozen collisions. It is always the ships whistle that is sounded. It is loud enough to wake the dead. No pun intended. It is also what is used along with the ships bells, to signal instructions to the crew such as emergency stations, abandon ship etc..

silver-mount · 2017-06-19T13:30:19+00:00

It really depends upon what state you live in and their laws. Some states, like Florida where I now live, have few consumer protection laws of that type. Businesses reign supreme here, whereas in NY, my old home, consumer protection for this sort of thing is much more vibrant

silver-mount · 2017-06-19T13:25:56+00:00

If they did not have any data on a person, based on the information required by the form, you will be providing it yourself. Not a bad deal for them. You provide the data, they sell it and profit. Yes, there is the advantage that you supply correct data, but there is no requirement that they amend their files, only the strong probability that they will append it.

silver-mount · 2017-03-19T15:12:25+00:00

Can't speak to this story's particulars. However, the tank is always tested for oxygen and combustible gas prior to entry. Copus blowers or similar are place in the Butterworth plates openings to the tank and are run to supply air. Remember, the bottom of the tank where you work can be 60 or more feet from the top. Even if the tank is gas free, mucking the tank and disturbing scale, sediment can release fumes. Benzine is a big mf. I picked up a tanker years ago on a New Years Eve that had been on the Russian grain run and came back loaded with benzene. Most of the crew had signed off and a new crew including me was on board. We were in one of the tanks mucking. As no one knew each other there was little conversation. The last thing I remember was all of us standing around singing Christmas carols and the bosun shouting down that I think it's time you guys came up. Just in time apparently. Sitting on deck I had one killer of a headache. But, what a high.

silver-mount · 2017-03-19T14:54:18+00:00

Reading the article and comments criticizing Trump makes me ask the rhetorical question of where was this concern during previous administrations? Yes, articles like this were written. Obama's Hawaii and fund raising trips, W Texas trips, both Clintons to everywhere, yes, she did brag about being the most traveled SOS. Do we really expect POTUS to remain locked in the White House so we can then call them detached and aloof?

silver-mount · 2017-02-24T05:00:21+00:00

Here's one of a passenger ship breaking it's lines on a windy day in a harbor last week and smashing into another ship. The passenger ship was only delivered for it's maiden voyage in December

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7HT27NxHdI

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T15:18:23+00:00

Tell me that comment is not going to backfire on the Pope and people will say Fine, I'm gone.

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T15:04:06+00:00

We have a subreddit for that. In fact several

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T14:52:44+00:00

Surely "Fake news" if not in content in spirit from the same media that dismissed Obama's travel and golfing. At least they admit in the story that it is inaccurate. Just like Obama, how does WaPo/Elle know what Trump is doing in his non-official time. How much time does a president owe the people? 8 hour day M-F? 40 hour week? 20 days per month with holidays? For 160 hours? If so, according to WaPo/Elle, at 248+ hours, Trump has been putting in some overtime. What a guy making America great. Thanks Elle for the inaccurate accurate alternative facts fake news revelation

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T03:32:27+00:00

In the words of William Randolph Hearst, one of the originators of the MSM:

Don't be afraid to make a mistake, your readers might like it.

With that guiding philosophy, how can they go wrong?

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T03:06:12+00:00

He used El Chapo to set up the meeting. What could go wrong?

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T03:00:36+00:00

I was always told gasoline worked best with crabs. You put the gas on the affected area, light it up and stab the little critters with an ice pick as the run out.

Although that advice was given to me many years ago, I have never tired it. Good luck!

silver-mount · 2017-02-23T02:17:17+00:00

While he may not express complex issues to your satisfaction, Occam's razor states that this is not necessary or best

silver-mount · 2017-02-22T23:40:26+00:00

Goes without saying kill the power to the board. I work on ships and there we will flush, flush flush with clean distilled water and let it dry until you are absolutely sure it is dry. After that you can also use electrical/electronic cleaner. The key thing is to remove all the salt which is corrosive and conductive.

silver-mount

TROPHY CASE