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US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

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Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s instructive that you mention only USAID. Based on past conversations, you were born and raised in Asia, right? So maybe you have an ax to grind. What about all the other agencies that are being gutted?

It’s more than that I’m Asian. The same arrogance and disregard for popular sovereignty in other countries that you see at USAID/State/NED has metastasized and been turned inward. “Deplorables” is how Acela types see Iowans and Bangladeshis alike. As the parent of a kid who got put in a “BIPOC” affinity group, I’m thrilled about the cuts to DOEd and the hammer coming down on teaching race consciousness ( https://www.…

The Tulsi that pushes Russian disinformation? That should do well for rooting out lying. Also some facts: Intelligence services did not lie us into the Iraq war - politicians did. Politicians manipulated intelligence reporting to fit their narrative. Since you seem to like conspiracy theories, it should be obvious that this was so Halliburton, the company vice president Dick Cheney was CEO of, could profit from government contracts. Guess what CEO will now profit from government contracts due to all the lying from the current slate of politicans.

And by conservative parents as domestic terrorists, I assume you mean the people convicted of crime due to their actual criminal actions on Jan. 6?

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#592
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Earlier quoted context omitted.

You were finding evidence for a different goal post you shifted to, that when applied applies even more harshly to the nuclear team.

Shut up, Jesus Christ...

The dude is insufferable.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#593
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post #450

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You're moving the goalposts. People did not, in fact, vote for DOGE.

I said 'the public voted for someone openly stating they'd carry out DOGE.' They moved the goalposts to what fraction of voters were questionably polled to know about DOGE, because my claim is pretty much irrefutable. Then when I use their own criteria suddenly we cry foul that I used their own goal posts that they shifted to.

You are single handedly making this discussion unbearable. Congrats I guess?

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#594

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I fully acknowledge that it will result in mistakes, The people arguing the other side are not talking about reversible mistakes with minor fallout. They are claiming that taken as a whole the damage will be very difficult to undo. Countering this simply by accepting that there will be mistakes doesn't quite suffice. As pg tried to remind Musk on twitter (I'm paraphrasing): Countless startups come into being and die…

Pg, the guy screaming about woke? He should be on Musk's side, they both want to de-woke society by force

I've never witnessed pg screaming about anything ever frankly, maybe people close to him have. He would be the last person I use the verb for.

A lot of people and Democrats in STEM fields who voted for Kamala in the elections, including pg who publicly stated he was voting for Kamala, thought the corporate DEIA initiatives were counterproductive to their stated goals. It's not a extreme minority position in the tech crowd, nor is there a complete lack of criticism of corporate DEIA in the progressive media either.

I also give pg credit for being one of the rare VCs who posts "pro-Palestinian" viewpoints on occasion. So he does buck the trend from time to time. Calling David Sacks, Musk's unwavering eternal sychophant, possibly "the most evil person in Silicon Valley" was also a great line in the sand for him. But the basis for this opinion was more from his knowledge of how terrible Sacks treated founders as an investor rather than from Sacks being a Musk acolyte.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#595

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> If you got your information from economic facts comparing Europe to USA this comment it hilarious I don't understand what you mean. Can you please point me to resources to help inform me instead of pointing and laughing?

Much of Europe is in a recession, or has stagnant economic growth at best. They've had left leaning governments for too long, and economic stagnation is the natural result of that. You can't regulate your way to prosperity.

UK, France and Germany have been lead by right wing governments for the last 10 years.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#596

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think Musk is on uppers all the time? This would indeed explain a bunch of things related to his behavior

Use your own judgement, but he looked like he was rolling during the inauguration... https://x.com/Dreamshockcom/status/1881383073495048599 Some might say he was just stretching his neck, but personally I love an electronic music gigs, and I've seen that behaviour enough times before. He's not quiet about his ketamine usage either (not an upper per-se, but close to an alcohol-like hallucinogenic from my experience).

The way he rolls his eyes and facial expression suggests MDMA or possibly adderall.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#597

So, my SO had a fellowship with the NNSA here. As in, the NNSA paid for their grad school. I'll speak to my own experiences here though as the spouse. The NNSA is, like, bonkers important. I'll just copy-paste wikipedia here: "The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is ... responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the sa…

What if they offer 2x the salary to come back? Some are suggesting that is the strategy. I know of one example where this was done but in a private company with lower stakes, so i know the concept at least exists.

It's not about money for government jobs. It's about the mission and, for many, the previously perceived stability + pension. The good ones, the capable civil servants who made the commitment to the government, do not need to work there but do out of a sense of duty, the interesting work, and commitment to the country.

Offering 2x is like going to Thanksgiving dinner lovingly prepared by a relative and asking at the end how much they want paid. You know, to just square up. It couldn't have been more than $20 a head. The social contract has already been altered, and there will be a non-zero number of government employees looking to the private sector. The capable ones will likely leave on their own in the coming years.

2x is also likely less than the private sector is willing to pay. Try like 4x. It is this way for cyber jobs where we will see massive brain drain. The only way cyber compensation starts to get even is through contracting work, but even then it's less than private sector. Which shows the level of stupid this policy was.

People in these roles are not fungible. That is a big logical error. People who can pass a background check with a PhD in Nuclear engineering aren't being pumped out every few months. They can't go to a web developer boot camp. There is a multi-year lead time and scholarships designed to attract them to the public sector. Same for capable cybersecurity talent (my field).

This is also a warning shot to all those in the government that their jobs, no matter what they are covering, are not safe from the stupidity. And if the BS factor gets too high they will leave.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#598
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Feds consumed It's hard to take these apocalyptic premonitions about federal government reduction seriously.

…youre saying that life was good from 1870-1910? Reconstruction and the gilded age?? I mean, there was technological and medical improvements, sure, and continued urbanization. But that’s… those are some of our nations most shameful, inequal, racist years in its entire history. The federal government as it exists now was just getting started after we realized we needed it thanks to the civil war, and many local democ…

> Finally, a HUGE majority of the costs of the federal government are social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and defense spending. I doubt even the biggest libertarian on here could advocate cutting any those with a straight face

I think plenty of people would like to cut Medicare and Medicaid spending, not by reducing service, but by cleaning up the unbelievably broken medical system in the US.

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#599

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The big questions remain unanswered. Where are costs inflated between pharmaceuticals, providers, hospital administrators, insurance administrators and patients seeking unnecessary care? Pharma costs are inflated by R&D costs and promotion. Insurance overhead is actually relatively lean, but base cost is primarily driven by cost of goods, and to a lesser extent admin. Provider costs are inflated by high legal and re…

If you had to pick one policy that maximises impact and messagability, what would it be?

Not who you asked, but:

"Remove the people between you and your doctor."

Re: US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

#600

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And also, what if a nation state is different than a tech startup and shouldn't be run quite the same?

Next you’ll tell us sovereign debt isn’t the same as personal debt!!! /s

It is if you have your own personal currency
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