'It's sort of scary': Officials flag surprising revelations from deep State Department cuts

[postman]

LOL. Everyone but you knows how bloated government jobs are. I actually have to applaud Lisa for getting out. Most people want government jobs because they are fairly well paying with government benefits, tons of days off, you don't have to do much work at all, and your job is secure because no matter how much of a **** off you are, they won't or can't fire you.

We had a poster who worked for the government for over 40 years, and claimed she was always busy and hard working.

 

[postman]

Yes, it’s all over the government. Many of the leftists continue to deny it.

After I retired, someone I know who was a GS-14, step 10 (that’s around $180,000), was “working” from home 5 days a week - running errands, going on bike rides, going out with friends for long lunches, hanging out at the pool for hours, etc., etc.

Here’s the kicker: she asked me if I would like to “help her out” with her workload by signing on as a contractor because she didn’t have time to get everything done!

I also know a retired government worker who is collecting a hefty pension AND contracting back. He put his wife on as a contractor, too, as “administrative support.” Together, they are getting $500,000 a year from the government. (I know this because they bragged to me about it.)

The government employees have been running a scam for decades. The DOGE cuts are a drop in the bucket, but it’s a start.

If you knew of government fraud waste and abuse, why didn't you report it.

Instead of thinking it was common place.

We have a poster here moniker flack, who tried to rip off the government, got caught and then tried again

 

[Lisa558]

And to think that Democrats passed policies that government contractors had to make a "living wage". What a bogus bunch of crap that was.

Yup. And the contractors abuse the system even worse.

 

[Lisa558]

If you knew of government fraud waste and abuse, why didn't you report it.

Instead of thinking it was common place.

We have a poster here moniker flack, who tried to rip off the government, got caught and then tried again

Report it to whom? There was no DOGE back then, and the abuse and fraud was common knolwedge.

 

[LAUGHatLEFTISTS]

Since it was 50 years ago. How about telling us what office it was, that was so overstaffed, and under worked?

Most likely the post office.

 

[Edgetho]

Yup. And the contractors abuse the system even worse.

And much of the excessive profits somehow always finds their way back into dimocrap scum campaign coffers

the dimocrap scum party is a criminal organization. The whole crew should be brought up on RICO Charges. n/k

 

[postman]

Report it to whom? There was no DOGE back then, and the abuse and fraud was common knolwedge.

For one, the office of inspector general for the agency.

 

[postman]

Most likely the post office.

Nah. The post office handles 317 million pieces of mail a day.

 

[LeftofLeft]

I guess you haven't called FEMA or Social Security lately.
Between AI and staffing cuts, if you have a problem, it would be faster to just mail them a letter.

I would take a hard look at the cuts. If you see a significant cut in constituent-facing and service roles, then you have a point. If the cuts are for overlapping HR, compliance, and DEI roles, that’s not going to have impact on constituent services.

 

[postman]

I would take a hard look at the cuts. If you see a significant cut in constituent-facing and service roles, then you have a point. If the cuts are for overlapping HR, compliance, and DEI roles, that’s not going to have impact on constituent services.

FEMA was only able to answer 3 calls in 10 after the July 4th flash flood in Texas.

 

[postman]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/climate/fema-missed-calls-texas-floods.html

FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show

Two days after catastrophic floods roared through Central Texas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

 

[Lisa558]

For one, the office of inspector general for the agency.

You’re still acting as if this waste and fraud was an anomaly. It was widespread throughout the government, well known for it, and the higher-ups were all fine with it.

 

[Lisa558]

I would take a hard look at the cuts. If you see a significant cut in constituent-facing and service roles, then you have a point. If the cuts are for overlapping HR, compliance, and DEI roles, that’s not going to have impact on constituent services.

When I worked for the government almost 50 years ago, there was so much redundancy it made your head spin. It’s got to be 10x worse now.

 

[postman]

You’re still acting as if this waste and fraud was an anomaly. It was widespread throughout the government, well known for it, and the higher-ups were all fine with it.

Are you still talking about what happened decades ago? Or during COVID?

Or do you know about the situation in 2020's?

 

[postman]

When I worked for the government almost 50 years ago, there was so much redundancy it made your head spin. It’s got to be 10x worse now.

So you only ass-u-me what the current situation is decades later.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

My GS-14 NOAA neighbor went into work one day a week before Covid, zero days during Covid and zero days post-Covid. He was made to go back into work after trump was elected so he took $25k bonus to retire a month later.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

When I worked for the government almost 50 years ago, there was so much redundancy it made your head spin. It’s got to be 10x worse now.

Infamously known as the department of the redundancy department.

 

[leftwinger]

Plenty in Silicon Valley show up 9-10A with coffee time and an online meeting or email. Then 11-11:30 arrange a lunch out almost every day, back 1:30-2. But they are PC type, play the game. They Avoid layoffs mostly. Go home a little after 5P most days for appearance.

I think the work from home was actuslly better to get more out of those types?

Not only the GOVT is bad. Silicon Valley is better than it was in 1999 - 2001 or so? But it is off/on. Varies by site.. Some may work hard maybe few days a year if crisis?

 

[westwall]

You realize annecdotal evidence without specifics is meaningless.
I could tell you about the time I visited a firehouse and found 90% of them had nothing to do for the whole day I was there.
And the 10% doing something were doing busy work.

But I'm not going to go around and claim that's typical of the whole system.

Anyone who has ever had to deal with government KNOWS they are horribly inefficient. Toss in some corruption, which most have, and you have a real problem.

The DMV, amazingly, is one of the better run organizations, and they can be miserable to deal with thanks to their oftimes incomprehensible requirements.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Plenty in Silicon Valley show up 9-10A with coffee time and an online meeting or email. Then 11-11:30 arrange a lunch out almost every day, back 1:30-2. But they are PC type, play the game. They Avoid layoffs mostly. Go home a little after 5P most days for appearance.

I think the work from home was actuslly better to get more out of those types?

Not only the GOVT.

But who pays them? In government, we all pay.