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Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

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Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#11

Post by jakeogh »

hello_moto wrote: post #10
lenerdenator wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Government doesn't work. Here, we'll prove it." Ever since Reagan said "I think you all know that I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." there's been a cadre of monied business interests who want to replace all government with "private" services, basically making themselves the new royal families of the US.

> the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help That pretty much sums up the difference between USA vs the rest of Western countries. In the US, People are protecting themselves from their own Government. Other Western Countries, The Government is there to protect the people (and the people understand this).

... until they outlaw silent prayer?

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#12

Post by techpineapple »

jorblumesea wrote: post #4

Ignoring the obvious humanitarian aspect of it (veteran suicide rate, societal promises of healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoring_our_PACT_Act_of_2022 ), politically you have to wonder why do this. Vets usually vote conservative, are often employed by the VA. It's an economically unstable time with other administration policies like tariffs. It won't reduce the deficit by any significant %. VA hospitals a…

I sort of have to hand it to republicans, I am impressed by their commitment to slash spending even in the face of hurting their own constituents, like at least they're consistent.

On the other hand, it's amazing that people seem to hear "Republicans will make the Government better" Rather than "Republicans will slash and burn the Government regardless of who it hurts" even when they're not particularly quiet about it.

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#13

Post by lenerdenator »

simonsarris wrote: post #2

It's so difficult to evaluate this stuff from afar. In 2019 there were 399,000 workers. Now 482,000. In 2022, the Biden admin tried to slash 50,000 workers and was stymied, and then the VA hired 61,000 the following year. What's the right number? I'm sure people leaning one way politically will confidently say one thing, though they may have said something else in 2022, and vice versa. I find it hard to have a proble…

I don't think too many people have an issue with the idea of "right sizing" the government. It's an organization meant to achieve goals; there's an approximate number of people needed to do this and anything beyond is waste.

What rubs a lot of people the wrong way is an executive branch run by billionaires acting with no constitutional or statutory authority to terminate the employment (and vital benefits that come with it) of tens of thousands of ordinary people without any real consideration for the institutional knowledge being lost, all in the name of "efficiency" and "cost savings", while the people in the executive branch have far more value than they could have ever produced in a human lifetime, and stand to benefit the most from such destruction.

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#14

Post by hello_moto »

The Administration actions are all to fund the $4.5 trillion tax cut.

* DOGE - Cut Expenses

* Tariff - Bring Revenue (another form of Tax, the victimized countries can't/don't influence USA politics); this is essentially Sales/VAT Tax without being said as Sales/VAT Tax.

* Cutting Aids - Cut Expenses

* Ukraine - Cut Expenses

They're looking for all avenue to fund $4.5 trillion tax cut for the Billionaires.

That is the main logic and reason behind all these moves, not the smoke and mirror they said to the media.

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#16

Post by DrillShopper »

unsnap_biceps wrote: post #9
jorblumesea wrote: post #4

Ignoring the obvious humanitarian aspect of it (veteran suicide rate, societal promises of healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoring_our_PACT_Act_of_2022 ), politically you have to wonder why do this. Vets usually vote conservative, are often employed by the VA. It's an economically unstable time with other administration policies like tariffs. It won't reduce the deficit by any significant %. VA hospitals a…

It really seems like that a large number of politicians no longer seem to think that their actions will impact future voting. And I mean this on both sides, there's a lot of inaction on the D side. I wonder if popularism has just broken our electorate where they're convinced everyone is going to vote the way they are going to vote regardless of who they're voting for and thus there's no need to actually represent the…

> there's a lot of inaction on the D side

Not true - I've gotten five fundraising texts today.

Now effective action? Not wrong.

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#17

Post by blindriver »

jorblumesea wrote: post #4

Ignoring the obvious humanitarian aspect of it (veteran suicide rate, societal promises of healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoring_our_PACT_Act_of_2022 ), politically you have to wonder why do this. Vets usually vote conservative, are often employed by the VA. It's an economically unstable time with other administration policies like tariffs. It won't reduce the deficit by any significant %. VA hospitals a…

Veteran suicide can be massively helped with psilosibin and ketamine therapy, things that I hope RFK Jr will implement quickly.

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#18

Post by lenerdenator »

jakeogh wrote: post #11
hello_moto wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help That pretty much sums up the difference between USA vs the rest of Western countries. In the US, People are protecting themselves from their own Government. Other Western Countries, The Government is there to protect the people (and the people understand this).

... until they outlaw silent prayer?

Seems hard to enforce, no?

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#19

Post by KingOfCoders »

jorblumesea wrote: post #4

Ignoring the obvious humanitarian aspect of it (veteran suicide rate, societal promises of healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoring_our_PACT_Act_of_2022 ), politically you have to wonder why do this. Vets usually vote conservative, are often employed by the VA. It's an economically unstable time with other administration policies like tariffs. It won't reduce the deficit by any significant %. VA hospitals a…

The plan is to have no government agencies at all, but to have private companies run everything,

like jokingly in this Fry and Laurie sketch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLfghLQE3F4

Re: Leaked VA memo calls for up to 83,000 layoffs to reduce workforce to 2019 levels

#20

Post by redeux »

jorblumesea wrote: post #4

Ignoring the obvious humanitarian aspect of it (veteran suicide rate, societal promises of healthcare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoring_our_PACT_Act_of_2022 ), politically you have to wonder why do this. Vets usually vote conservative, are often employed by the VA. It's an economically unstable time with other administration policies like tariffs. It won't reduce the deficit by any significant %. VA hospitals a…

Vets aren’t as conservative as you might think and they’re a vulnerable population without a strong collective voice. The vets that actually have a voice were usually officers who showed little empathy for the rank and file to begin with, so why would they now?
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