Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

JanMichael

(24,847 posts)
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:20 PM Oct 2015

Do you hate people that work for the government? Local, State or Fed? The very idea of it?

I sometimes get the feeling that a large part of DU either hates them or IT or seems to think they have something that they do not have and hate them for that.

There is a reason for all levels of government work from education to sanitation and everything else. Bureaucracy is not what von Mises thought (EVIL) even though his praxeology argument against supreme beings is a classic.

The non stop attack on Public Education seems to be the main goal of our von Mises Dems. Charter this charter that. There was neat APA toon several yeas ago with a guy sitting on the roof of his house with his dog after a flood; the rescue boat had a sign saying something like "rescues for $20 cash per person only". Fuck yeah! Pay up or drown. Our constant degrading of government services by the very people that hate it does create poor service then the call to end it. I may be wrong but didn't congress make it where the USPS had to assume a military pension debt if a military retiree (sometimes only 40 years old) became a postal worker? They also had to pre-fund all pensions after 2006 which created another mess? Then they wonder why the costs are so damned high?

I'm sure there is also someone who hates their local DMV just because like, whatever. Oh like that guy screaming on video at a DMV worker with his 6 year old cowering in embarrassment at his misogynistic yelling

I guess I am just curious about attitudes.

45 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Do you hate people that work for the government? Local, State or Fed? The very idea of it? (Original Post) JanMichael Oct 2015 OP
Like anyone else, some are awesome and deserve a raise, and some suck and should be fired. Throd Oct 2015 #1
Just like Comcast and Time Warner folks but I don't see the organized political attack on them. JanMichael Oct 2015 #3
Probably because if you dislike the level of service from government, there is nowhere else to go. Throd Oct 2015 #7
you're saying that for people who have a bad experience with cable, they'll just cancel it CreekDog Oct 2015 #26
No. Cable companies are more analogous to government. Little choice there as well Throd Oct 2015 #37
I guess you weren't around for the Ma Bell breakup? Recursion Oct 2015 #9
why yes i was and that was a long time ago and they are reassembling nt JanMichael Oct 2015 #44
.....I'm rather out of love with civilian IT contractors on DOD projects JackInGreen Oct 2015 #2
Congress is the main problem with that 1939 Oct 2015 #41
Not me portlander23 Oct 2015 #4
LOL ... That made me laugh because my three have been saying ... 1StrongBlackMan Oct 2015 #8
My Dog Is Afraid Of Them ProfessorGAC Oct 2015 #27
My three just stand on the front window seat and sound the alarm ... 1StrongBlackMan Oct 2015 #31
Good One! ProfessorGAC Oct 2015 #36
Generalized hatred of public services is a RW nihilistic thing. leveymg Oct 2015 #5
BINGO! nt kelliekat44 Oct 2015 #23
That is the libertarian left wing of DU ... 1StrongBlackMan Oct 2015 #6
Yes shenmue Oct 2015 #11
There's nothing inherently wrong with being a libertarian Major Nikon Oct 2015 #13
Other than it being an inherently ... 1StrongBlackMan Oct 2015 #15
That's the John Birch Society interpretation as I stated Major Nikon Oct 2015 #25
Then, I guess I don't know what libertarianism is ... 1StrongBlackMan Oct 2015 #30
You stole my line! Major Nikon Oct 2015 #35
No I actually want to go work for the government at some point. Initech Oct 2015 #10
Almost to a fault, the folks in my post office are ChairmanAgnostic Oct 2015 #12
no. n/t wildbilln864 Oct 2015 #14
I disdain upper management in govt and the private sector. lpbk2713 Oct 2015 #16
Not me. I envy them. Lyric Oct 2015 #17
Not exactly what 2naSalit Oct 2015 #18
Don't hate anyone, and have no use for libertatian Agnosticsherbet Oct 2015 #19
I just hate lancer78 Oct 2015 #20
I've known a lot of DoD civilians that weren't worth their paychecks NobodyHere Oct 2015 #21
Same here. But i've known other worth 3 times their salary. nt Adrahil Oct 2015 #29
I do surveys for the census. Le Taz Hot Oct 2015 #22
I've Never Understood RobinA Oct 2015 #40
Almost every government statistic Le Taz Hot Oct 2015 #43
Most people complaining about high taxes blame the Feds when they are screaming about their kelliekat44 Oct 2015 #24
Not me. nt LiberalElite Oct 2015 #28
"non stop attack on Public Education"? JustABozoOnThisBus Oct 2015 #32
where do i get that? you have to be joking. just google those words. nt JanMichael Oct 2015 #45
No, my husband is one. They're good jobs and not easy to get. nt BreakfastClub Oct 2015 #33
While I am in the process of dealing with them, it can be logosoco Oct 2015 #34
?? I'm a state employee... Blue_Tires Oct 2015 #38
Nope, I'm not a Republican. Iggo Oct 2015 #39
No. H2O Man Oct 2015 #42

Throd

(7,208 posts)
7. Probably because if you dislike the level of service from government, there is nowhere else to go.
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:30 PM
Oct 2015

If company A treats you like shit, you can go to company B, or C.

CreekDog

(46,192 posts)
26. you're saying that for people who have a bad experience with cable, they'll just cancel it
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 06:16 AM
Oct 2015

and that whichever competitor they actually have available for all those services, that they will have a superior experience there?



that's a good one, but on a par with the other experiences I've had reading your posts.

Throd

(7,208 posts)
37. No. Cable companies are more analogous to government. Little choice there as well
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 11:09 AM
Oct 2015

I'm thinking more on the restaurant or tire shop level.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
9. I guess you weren't around for the Ma Bell breakup?
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:38 PM
Oct 2015

Attacks on local cable companies are legion, too, and generally well-deserved; we're finally getting past the idea that a local monopoly is the only way to do that.

OTOH these are usually local questions, so you'll only see them in the local media for where you live.

JackInGreen

(2,975 posts)
2. .....I'm rather out of love with civilian IT contractors on DOD projects
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:25 PM
Oct 2015

But I dint act against em. I'm biased. I was crypto, back when this shit started we did all our own. I think it'd still be an appropriate use of defense funds to cut out civilian contractors from that aspect amd get ourselves self sufficient for field, networking, maintenance and security AWAY from the private sector.

1939

(1,683 posts)
41. Congress is the main problem with that
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:26 PM
Oct 2015

It is easier for an agency to get money for contracts. Even if contractors are more expensive, they don't count against your civilian or military head count limits. I could always get money for contracting studies that I could do with less headache in house if they would let me hire another GS-12 engineer or ORSA.

 

portlander23

(2,078 posts)
4. Not me
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:27 PM
Oct 2015

But my dog has been trying to convince me of the existential threat posed by postal carriers for years.

 

1StrongBlackMan

(31,849 posts)
8. LOL ... That made me laugh because my three have been saying ...
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:31 PM
Oct 2015

the same thing about the Garbage Haulers.

ProfessorGAC

(64,425 posts)
27. My Dog Is Afraid Of Them
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 07:35 AM
Oct 2015

Probably because the trucks are noisy. But, he will run in the house like he's been shot out of a cannon if we're out when the garbage truck comes by.

 

1StrongBlackMan

(31,849 posts)
31. My three just stand on the front window seat and sound the alarm ...
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 08:46 AM
Oct 2015

I don't have the heart to tell them, the garbage folks are from a private company; ergo, not a part of the big. bad government!

ProfessorGAC

(64,425 posts)
36. Good One!
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 10:35 AM
Oct 2015

Yeah, but they're paid by taxes, so they're leaches just like the rest of 'em! At least that's what i think your dogs would say.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
5. Generalized hatred of public services is a RW nihilistic thing.
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:27 PM
Oct 2015

It is possible to demand better service, however.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
13. There's nothing inherently wrong with being a libertarian
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:15 AM
Oct 2015

The problem is with the John Birch Society interpretation of the ideology which promotes the dipshit ideas of equating government service with government overreach and personal liberty always trumps all other concerns.

 

1StrongBlackMan

(31,849 posts)
15. Other than it being an inherently ...
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:22 AM
Oct 2015

bankrupt political philosophy that is the anti-thesis of governmental intervention vis-à-vis civil rights ... no.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
25. That's the John Birch Society interpretation as I stated
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 04:46 AM
Oct 2015

Equating government services with government interventionism is just nutty. The idea that individual rights trump civil rights is just assholery, not libertarianism and the same goes for all sorts of other collective rights like workers' rights. Libertarianism is a very broad ideology that spans a lot more ideas than just the narrow minded and warped views expressed by far right wing dipshits. When you have someone like Rand or Ron Paul that simultaneously self-identifies as a libertarian and a neo-confederate, it's not hard to figure out which ideology is more dominate. A slavery apologist is the anti-thesis of liberty. That doesn't mean that all anti-authority ideas are bad. In a society that truly adheres to democratic principles, all authority should have to continuously justify itself. If it can't, it should be dismantled.

 

1StrongBlackMan

(31,849 posts)
30. Then, I guess I don't know what libertarianism is ...
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 08:20 AM
Oct 2015
Equating government services with government interventionism is just nutty. The idea that individual rights trump civil rights is just assholery, not libertarianism


As that is what I've understood is what it is all about.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
35. You stole my line!
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 10:15 AM
Oct 2015

Some libertarians advocate laissez-faire capitalism and strong private property rights,[3] such as in land, infrastructure, and natural resources. Others, notably libertarian socialists,[4] seek to abolish capitalism and private ownership of the means of production in favor of their common or cooperative ownership and management.[5][6] An additional line of division is between minarchists and anarchists. While minarchists think that a minimal centralized government is necessary, anarchists propose to completely eliminate the state.[7][8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism

ChairmanAgnostic

(28,017 posts)
12. Almost to a fault, the folks in my post office are
Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:47 PM
Oct 2015

incredibly polite, professional, friendly and helpful.

My town's police are known for their professionalism, especially compared to other nearby suburban cops (willow springs is scary for all out of owners, but be black or Hispanic? Watch out.)

The only issue I have is with Illinois SecState offices. Underfunded, staffed by those incapable of passing GED courses, rude, unfriendly, unhelpful, and surly . . . And that is on their good days. But I cannot blame them. gov. Rauner has fucked them over pretty well and will do more damage soon, unless the Dems prevent it.

lpbk2713

(42,696 posts)
16. I disdain upper management in govt and the private sector.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:33 AM
Oct 2015



They bark out orders and establish policy that the lower levels have to carry out and those clowns at the top have no idea what it is like to deal with the general public.

Lyric

(12,675 posts)
17. Not me. I envy them.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:37 AM
Oct 2015

I'd give anything to finish my college degree and get a good, stable government job.

2naSalit

(86,061 posts)
18. Not exactly what
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 01:16 AM
Oct 2015

it used to be these days. It's really hard to get hired, even as a temp or a 1039 and in many cases, like dealing with the public, you are subject to some of the most horrid insults and aggression. The pay is okay as long as you can get something that is GS05 or higher and you have no dependents or high cost of living (as a 1039).

 

lancer78

(1,495 posts)
20. I just hate
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 02:10 AM
Oct 2015

Government employees who think that they are gods and can deny people their rights. Kim Davis is a good example. But our local code officer is as well as she has gone over privacy fences without a search warrant.

 

NobodyHere

(2,810 posts)
21. I've known a lot of DoD civilians that weren't worth their paychecks
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 03:58 AM
Oct 2015

I don't have a lot of experience in other areas of government.

Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
22. I do surveys for the census.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 04:03 AM
Oct 2015

I have to go to people's houses and I can attest to the fact that people are getting more hateful and aggressive. My over-60 coworker who works in the mountains has had guns pulled on her -- for the huge crime of going on their property and knocking on their door. I've had people charge me, sick their dogs on me, threaten me, cuss me out, all for . . . knocking on their door. It's only a matter of time until one of us is killed.

RobinA

(9,878 posts)
40. I've Never Understood
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 11:58 AM
Oct 2015

the census-hate that seemed to spring up at the last census. Maybe I just never noticed it before. Either way, I don't get it. It's the census. The country has an interest in knowing what's going on in the country. Can anybody imagine a business that didn't have any idea how many people it had working for them and what they were doing?

Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
43. Almost every government statistic
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 01:54 PM
Oct 2015

that is published comes from the surveys the census does. It's how decision-makers decide where to put services. It's where we get our unemployment figures, our crime figures, how many people are insured/not insured, average prices of houses in the area, average commute times and THOUSANDS of other statistics.

I can understand if people don't want to be interviewed. OK, you have that right But all you have to do is say, "I don't want to participate." The end. You don't have to cuss me out, start charging toward me, yell at me to get off your property or you'll call the police, sick your dogs on me or put a gun in my face.

Faux Nooz and all these right-wing hate sites just incite the crazy people who hate the gummit to be more and more aggressive. They think they're justified.

 

kelliekat44

(7,759 posts)
24. Most people complaining about high taxes blame the Feds when they are screaming about their
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 04:10 AM
Oct 2015

high property tax and school taxes and utility taxes and water taxes. Any and every tax or fee they ascribe to the Federal government.

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,283 posts)
32. "non stop attack on Public Education"?
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 09:13 AM
Oct 2015

Where do you see this? got links?

And what's the "von Mises" reference supposed to convey? Is this some kind of "insider" jargon? Or did some old dead economist rise from the grave and post something on DU?

I must be missing something in your post. I just don't see a general dislike of government workers. There may be some frank discussion of politicians, however.

JanMichael

(24,847 posts)
45. where do i get that? you have to be joking. just google those words. nt
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 07:55 PM
Oct 2015

von mises is the patron saint (no irony there) of the cruz and other nutty conservative types.

i am sorry if i used a more academic reference. god forbid.

also if you do not notice the growing hatred of educators and other govt types i dont know what to suggest. oh snap....

google - american hatred of public employees

the attacks on public pensions by the chris christies should be evidence enough.

logosoco

(3,208 posts)
34. While I am in the process of dealing with them, it can be
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 09:53 AM
Oct 2015

frustrating! Right now my mother and I are working on getting guardianship of my elderly aunt who has always had mental illness and now has dementia. It is frustrating and just yesterday I was cursing all of the people who abused or took advantage of their elderly family members because this is why we have to jump the hoops. But, I am glad there is a system to protect them.

I LOVE the post office! No one else would send my birthday greetings to nieces and nephews from St. Louis to Madison, WI for $0.45. The DMV has now made it easy to renew plates online. I am glad we have to check our cars for pollution levels. I am more than happy to pay real estate taxes because we have nice schools, a fantastic library and a very up to date fire department.

My son is currently in Africa, with the Peace Corps. The State Department is very careful to make sure he is safe. I emailed our Secretary of State to find out about absentee voting for the primary and they made it so easy for him!

So, I guess at the worst I would say it is a necessary evil and I can't imagine how this country would be without the government system it has.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
42. No.
Thu Oct 22, 2015, 12:28 PM
Oct 2015

I don't.

(I don't "hate" anyone, really. Thus, it might be more accurate, in the context of this question, to say that I do not resent people who work in government positions because of their job per se. I do dislike some individuals, such as Dick Cheney.)

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Do you hate people that w...