Hey Joe,
My buddy just referred me to your site. So here's my beef: I'm finishing up my last week as an employee of the Federal Government (U.S. Army). My position was a four-year term position. Usually, term positions are either converted to permanent, or, if the employee demonstrates a decent work ethic, the person is moved into something. My performance was stellar. At least that's what they told me on paper, and rhetoric. One good old boy said I performed too well, and pissed off too many folks looking for an easy life with the feds.
I was raised in the heartland (Kansas). I knew early on I wanted to work with my hands. I served a demanding four-year apprenticeship as a machinist/toolmaker. At the same time, I attended community college to complement my mechanical trade with math and physics.
I worked the machine trade for over 20 years, gypsying from town to town, following company after company closed the doors and moved offshore. I got fed up moving every five fucking years for another job. I've moved some 30 times in my adult life -- mostly for work.
At 35 I returned to school to learn fisheries technology. I eventually landed this federal job. As we entrenched in Iraq, money dried up. I applied for numerous mechanical jobs and got superceded by women, or folks of color. Then the managers are pissed when their category employees don't work out. It's not pride: I've applied for jobs scrubbing shitters in Baghdad. Same reply -- no room for white boys over 40!
My head is spinning. I did what I thought was right. Early on, I learned a trade, worked, moved for work, re-educated, worked more, and now it's done again. I can't change my gender, race, or age (I'm a 50-year old white male). I'm pissed off. It's getting too late to keep re-learning.
What the fuck happened to this country I once was proud to live in?
Phil
Middle America
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Phil:
You've got it, brother. The screw job being performed on the ordinary good hardworking folks who played by the rules is one of the best kept secrets of this administration. They can get away with it because working people no longer organize or raise hell about it in unison so they can be heard. Two generations don't even know that together we can fight back.
I hate to say it, but I am glad to see more and more regular guys like you standing up and saying, "Hey wait a fucking minute here, buster! YOUR war is not as improtant to me as MY job!"
Solidarity,
Joe
