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NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

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Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#251

Post by davkan »

refurb wrote: post #249
davkan wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The public sector is about service. It’s not emotional attachment that keeps these employees there to the end, it’s a sense of responsibility. There’s no higher calling keeping you at your B2B SaaS company.

The public sector is a job for most. They aren't working at the government because of some higher calling (though some might).

Higher calling might be the wrong phrase, but generally I find that people who work for the forest service etc feel more responsibility for their charge than people making widgets.

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#252

Post by [deleted] »

margalabargala wrote: post #237
ScoobleDoodle wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pointing out a definitional misunderstanding. It's was a double negative misinterpreted as a single negative.

I see your point, but I think you are missing their point. They are saying, the action taken by the administration is to cut funding to the department. This can't really be "obstructed" short of the director using their personal funds to pay people's salaries. It would require either people to work for free, or an outside source of money.

[deleted]

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#253

Post by Vilian »

ziddoap wrote: post #166
anthomtb wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are a Reddit user r/MaliciousCompliance is full of stories* of people follow orders to the most exacting and absurd extent. Most of them are peon-level folks so I am not sure how those actions would map to a person in a position of real power. *fact vs embellished fact vs straight fiction is always questionable on Reddit.

I do really enjoy that subreddit, but as you alluded to, I can't think of any stories that would be applicable to the NSF director & president (even if taking them all at face value rather than as writing exercises).

They said to him to fire half of the people, fire everyone then

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#254

Post by ziddoap »

Vilian wrote: post #253
ziddoap wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do really enjoy that subreddit, but as you alluded to, I can't think of any stories that would be applicable to the NSF director & president (even if taking them all at face value rather than as writing exercises).

They said to him to fire half of the people, fire everyone then

Keep in mind we are talking about real people. These people are supporting themselves (and likely families). Making thousands more people, above and beyond the mandated amount, lose their employment is not a good outcome. It isn't some management game on steam where we can make decisions like that without second thought.

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#255

Post by angry_octet »

ziddoap wrote: post #196
angry_octet wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Congress is the body that decides budget, not the President. Convince Congress and you will win budget, and legislative directives to accomplish specific tasks. Putting a man on the moon required Congress. People are now routinely absolving GOP Congress critters, when they are the actual decision makers.

I'm not sure how the NSF Director should/could by themselves convince congress to not do the funding cut, but sure.

By back briefing them about all the impacts on their district/State, the stocks the own, the donors they will alienate, the attack material it provides their opponents, and conversely the opportunity to seize national prominence and respect of mega corps, science believers and donors.

Play hardball, that's the job.

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#258

Post by brianmurphy »

const_cast wrote: post #241
brianmurphy wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump was elected on deporting illegals, closing the Dept of Education, removing men from women's sports and to stop sending money overseas. The insular HN community doesn't understand this is what the majority of American voters want. Many of us are very happy with the direction things have been moving.

> Many of us are very happy with the direction things have been moving. No, you're not, and yes I am telling you how you feel. This is, for lack of a better word, "cope". Even if you think some of this stuff is cool, you can't be so stupid as to just ignore all the economic damage around you. That does affect you, whether you have the conviction to admit it or not. At the end of the day, you _will_ suffer. There is n…

Your reply to me is all emotion, no facts.

As for "economic damage", this is where you really diverge from reality.

The S&P 500 has risen back to pre-Liberation Day tariff announcement levels.

Gasoline prices are down.

Egg prices are down.

April jobs report is out, beating projections by 44,000 jobs.

The media's economic fear-mongering never materialized.

So yes, the US economy effects me -- all in a good way right now. President Trump's agenda is working. The people wishing otherwise will be the ones who need to cope.

Re: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy

#259

Post by const_cast »

brianmurphy wrote: post #258
const_cast wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many of us are very happy with the direction things have been moving. No, you're not, and yes I am telling you how you feel. This is, for lack of a better word, "cope". Even if you think some of this stuff is cool, you can't be so stupid as to just ignore all the economic damage around you. That does affect you, whether you have the conviction to admit it or not. At the end of the day, you _will_ suffer. There is n…

Your reply to me is all emotion, no facts. As for "economic damage", this is where you really diverge from reality. The S&P 500 has risen back to pre-Liberation Day tariff announcement levels. Gasoline prices are down. Egg prices are down. April jobs report is out, beating projections by 44,000 jobs. The media's economic fear-mongering never materialized. So yes, the US economy effects me -- all in a good way right n…

The only reason the economy is in any kind of "decent" shape is because Trump backtracked on the things he said. He's well aware his suggestions are economic catastrophe.

So, you should be thanking his opposition for forcing his hand in this. You're welcome. If we did not complain enough, then the tariffs would still be proposed and we'd be fucked. Luckily, he backtracked 99% of it.

And, nothing has actually went into effect yet. What you're missing is that the economic disaster we've seen is just from him threatening it. Yeah, nothing material has happened yet. So however bad it was, it can only get worse when his awful, awful economic policy comes to fruition.

Also, GDP is down Q1 2025. We're almost certainly going to enter a recession, it's mostly a question of how bad it's going to be. Have fun!

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