Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights • Hacker News Board

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#121

Post by JumpCrisscross » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:50 PM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #109

hnthrow90348765 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, Russia is destabilizing the US and winning which is why I think we're acting like that. And it seems all of our military and counterintelligence capabilities can't stop it. Too much offense, not enough defense, it seems.

They can, but they won't because nobody dares to stick their neck out for fear of losing their job. And that's been going on for decades, the slow dismantling (if there ever was any) of job and income security, to the point where the majority of Americans, including federal workers, are only one or two paychecks away from financial ruin. Nobody wants to lose their job. Of course, if they get fired and there's nothing…

> Nobody wants to lose their job

There is almost zero causality in the U.S. government’s hiring and firing right now. Particularly relating to current conduct.

To the extent anyone has received job protection, it’s by getting politically fired and then seeking court protection.

So no, this is base cowardice and a lack of patriotism. Not rational action.

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#122

Post by egypturnash » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:50 PM UTC

philistine wrote: post #27

selykg wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely insane that this is what we've come to. It is mind blowing to me that this is what people want. We are regressing this country so rapidly that we are likely to become one of those shithole countries the president so loudly proclaimed Haiti, El Salvador and others were.

The is exactly a move the people in power in those troubled countries will use to maintain control over government. It used to be that the US government had pride in its own professionalism. The US is now acting like the countries it loves to destabilize.

"Krasnov" is doing exactly what the Russians hired him to do.

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#123

Post by selykg » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:50 PM UTC

Octoth0rpe wrote: post #100

selykg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anecdotally, I have some extended family who were very pro-Trump. One of them recently discovered that her job was funded through a federal grant, and now it’s likely going to be cut even though she doesn’t work for the government directly. They also discovered that one of their family members is covered by Medicaid through an avenue that’s looking like it will be cut. They went through a stage of disbelief, but no…

> I keep hearing stuff like this, but it doesn't seem to be widespread enough to seem to matter, at least in my circle. It also hasn't fully hit yet. The layoffs are in progress, already awarded grant money is still paying salaries. 3-6 months is when the pain will really begin. Until then, I think a lot of people are still thinking that it either won't really happen to them, or that Trump will somehow make an except…

I work as a software engineer in the non-profit sector, within education. It's going to be a wild ride as to whether I have a job or not in a year. We are (almost) entirely dependent on grants. The money we get that isn't from grants is tiny (like less than 1% of our total budget). We applied for a few government grants recently and it sounds to me like they are definitely not something we will be getting now so it's back to the private foundations we have to go to for funding. With all the mixups happening it's going to be interesting to see how private foundations pivot, will non-profits like ours see big grants or will we die because other areas are more important?

On top of that, I am no expert top of the job market software engineer. If I lose this job I am going to be competing against people significantly better than me because so many others have (or will) be losing their jobs. Basically, this is the potential beginning of the end of my career.

Thankfully, I think I'm okay through this year, and probably next... but after that, completely a mystery. And that's only because we have agreements for funding through 2026. There are no guarantees beyond that.

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#124

Post by xnx » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:51 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #69

selykg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anecdotally, I have some extended family who were very pro-Trump. One of them recently discovered that her job was funded through a federal grant, and now it’s likely going to be cut even though she doesn’t work for the government directly. They also discovered that one of their family members is covered by Medicaid through an avenue that’s looking like it will be cut. They went through a stage of disbelief, but no…

All of the news stories about unlikely Trump voters having regrets are just ragebait. Journalists can always find someone for readers to laugh at because they voted for someone who was openly against them, but that’s a different issue. The real interesting voter regret is when the likely Trump voters start realizing that their guy isn’t who they thought. It’s not going to happen quickly because denial and rationaliza…

> now nearly all of them have given up and agreed it was a bad move for crypto

It's not cool anymore when someone else is running the scam

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#125

Post by JumpCrisscross » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:51 PM UTC

anonzzzies wrote: post #86

palata wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US is now acting like the countries it loves to destabilize. Ironically, it's destabilising itself on its own.

Trump & Musk will walk out trillionaires, so they couldn't care less.

> Trump & Musk will walk out trillionaires

Or in jail. We’re not at the coup stakes of life and death, but we’re also like two months into this Presidency. (For what it’s worth, Trump isn’t currently being coup-ish. That’s been left to the pretender.)

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#126

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:52 PM UTC

dataangel wrote: post #54

selykg wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely insane that this is what we've come to. It is mind blowing to me that this is what people want. We are regressing this country so rapidly that we are likely to become one of those shithole countries the president so loudly proclaimed Haiti, El Salvador and others were.

This what a huge chunk of HN wanted! HN was all aboard the Trump train for years and the mods admonished anyone being too critical of other users for it, it's when I wrote off most of the people here as morons.

[deleted]

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#127

Post by matthewaveryusa » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:52 PM UTC

dataangel wrote: post #54

selykg wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely insane that this is what we've come to. It is mind blowing to me that this is what people want. We are regressing this country so rapidly that we are likely to become one of those shithole countries the president so loudly proclaimed Haiti, El Salvador and others were.

This what a huge chunk of HN wanted! HN was all aboard the Trump train for years and the mods admonished anyone being too critical of other users for it, it's when I wrote off most of the people here as morons.

That's a bit harsh. Maybe a bunch of political juniors thinking the system needed a rewrite by a bunch of folks foreign to the system. Don't write it off, it could work. Probably not though

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#128

Post by Cthulhu_ » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:52 PM UTC

anonzzzies wrote: post #86

palata wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US is now acting like the countries it loves to destabilize. Ironically, it's destabilising itself on its own.

Trump & Musk will walk out trillionaires, so they couldn't care less.

Trillionaires over the ashes, worth it I suppose.

And one day they'll get into an accident, run into the wrong person, or die of old age and then what? Their legacy will be AI generated gold statues and maybe their name on a building.

If they ctually used that wealth to advance the human race (on the ground, not a hypothetical but infeasible future on another planet) that'd be another matter. A percentage of Musk's theoretical wealth can solve every American's financial trouble, give them an education, and make the US great again. But that means giving some of it away and they may need it for... What, anyway? What does Musk use his money for besides buying companies and spawning babies against their will?

At least MBS (an autocrat whose wealth and country are one) spends his money on stupidly large building and opulence like The Line and whatnot, which will either make the UAE the center of world wealth and prosperity, or which will be interesting to archeologists in 2000-4000 years.

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#129

Post by jgilias » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:52 PM UTC

palata wrote: post #53

philistine wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The is exactly a move the people in power in those troubled countries will use to maintain control over government. It used to be that the US government had pride in its own professionalism. The US is now acting like the countries it loves to destabilize.

> The US is now acting like the countries it loves to destabilize. Ironically, it's destabilising itself on its own.

That’s what the successful decades long Russian psyop would want you to believe.

I’m not talking primarily about agent Krasnov allegation from a top Kazakh ex-spook (though that is an actual possibility), but about the well known Russian influence operations by financing what used to be extremists (both far-right and far-left) across the West.

Re: Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights

#130

Post by system33- » Tue, Mar 04, 2025, 1:52 PM UTC

linuxftw wrote: post #98

[flagged]

So cut those people. They will continue to be a problem. Can’t fire them because of the rights of federal employees? Get the law changed.

Actually solve an actual problem, not wave a machete around cutting the government in half.