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This is the problem with making government jobs unionized or making them overly-cush jobs. I was talking to someone about benefits and he listed his federal ben

This is the problem with making government jobs unionized or making them overly-cush jobs. I was talking to someone about benefits and he listed his federal benefits. I was floored. He also claimed he's more or less unfireable. I don't know how the federal government gets anything done and when it does get done, it gets done over-budget and incorrectly.(Obamacare website is probably a good example here) They're playing retirement min-max'er and I'm playing honest citizen. They're winning at the expense of us all.

afarrell 12y ago
Obamacare's site wasn't built by federal employees--it was built by contractors.
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  That's still the same problem. These federal employees chose and managed those contractors. The ultimate responsibility falls on them.
  - emodendroket 12y ago
    I don't think so. The very structure of contract work encourages slapdash products (after all, if you've checked off the boxes, you've "delivered" and can be paid, regardless of whether you meet the customer's actual needs). I bet that if the US government hired a team of programmers who answered only to their government bosses quality would go up (I understand the UK did this and that was the result they found).
  - logfromblammo 12y ago
    No. No, it doesn't. They get the credit when things go right. Whenever things go wrong, it's all on the contractors. Based on my anecdotal experience, the government employees are simply untouchable. Even when they blatantly break the law, they still keep their jobs, and all the contractor and subcontractor employees lose theirs. Maybe they get a letter in their personnel file that keeps them from certain transfers and promotions, but they don't get fired. The worst thing that typically happens to them is a furlough, which is a lot like a layoff in the private sector, except the workers can actually expect to be called back to work at some point. Sometimes they even get paid something for their inconvenience. I have never seen even a single one of them assume personal responsibility for anything even remotely negative. It does not happen. The buck never stops anywhere.

afarrell 12y ago

Obamacare's site wasn't built by federal employees--it was built by contractors.

drzaiusapelord 12y ago
That's still the same problem. These federal employees chose and managed those contractors. The ultimate responsibility falls on them.
- emodendroket 12y ago
  I don't think so. The very structure of contract work encourages slapdash products (after all, if you've checked off the boxes, you've "delivered" and can be paid, regardless of whether you meet the customer's actual needs). I bet that if the US government hired a team of programmers who answered only to their government bosses quality would go up (I understand the UK did this and that was the result they found).
- logfromblammo 12y ago
  No. No, it doesn't. They get the credit when things go right. Whenever things go wrong, it's all on the contractors. Based on my anecdotal experience, the government employees are simply untouchable. Even when they blatantly break the law, they still keep their jobs, and all the contractor and subcontractor employees lose theirs. Maybe they get a letter in their personnel file that keeps them from certain transfers and promotions, but they don't get fired. The worst thing that typically happens to them is a furlough, which is a lot like a layoff in the private sector, except the workers can actually expect to be called back to work at some point. Sometimes they even get paid something for their inconvenience. I have never seen even a single one of them assume personal responsibility for anything even remotely negative. It does not happen. The buck never stops anywhere.