Ted Cruz

Bryant wrote:And its shut down...

Woot, woot.....anarchy rules!!!!

Ever notice that only those in government worry about the shutdown??? Us normal folks don't seem to give two shits.

Guess we don't need them as much as they want us to think.

On a totally unrelated note:

I had an environmentalist do a prelim walkthrough of a pipeline dig site yesterday afternoon. Oh that was choice. His "only concern" was the hundreds upon hundreds of red oak seedlings that have begun growth ontop of our pipeline. These things are only 3"-4" tall at most. There are thousands in similar condition everywhere you look out there. These things are not endangered at all, but this guy wanted to cry when he realized that we would need to dig up these seedlings. What the hell does he think the root systems will do to our pipeline if we allow them to grow??? I swear government only hires dumbasses who couldn't make it In the private sector. If given the choice between 4" tall oaks or real progress......they choose regression in the name of political "progress". Damn but I hate self-important progs. This guy is gonna be a problem. I don't think he liked being the butt of my guys' jokes. Man, but I love my regular crew......glad that crane job is over and I am back with them. I got them "Cajunized". Nothin like speakin fluent Cajun with my hispanic foreman. We get funny looks at the diner during lunch. Nothin like turning my crew of laborers into a bunch of wisecrackin government haters.

Bryant wrote:

Dennis324 wrote:

Bryant wrote:

I do work for the Forest Service.  Our funding comes from several sources, however it all goes through the Treasury before it reaches us.

Wish I worked for the Forest Service.  That's gotta be a cool job!  I'd like to work for the US Fish and Game service too. 

While I currently hate my boss and the pay kinda stinks (I'm making half what I could in private sector, worse yet if I were to go into oil, with no benefits), I do like the work that I do and love being allowed to work out in the forest.  Its also a great honor to be able to serve the People of the United States.

While we do love you for serving us, make sure it is us that you serve and not the whims of those with power. That is why I left the military. The military no longer serves the people. They just do the bidding of those in power.

Hey, I'm in the woods right now......and I make a good chunk of change. Hydrocarbon production ain't a bad gig. We get treated well and have many avenues of advancement. Third party, where I am, is the money, but company is safer and has more benefitz. Course us third party with experience are worth our weight in gold. Many company guys remind me of government guys. Those who can, do........those who can't, manage......or teach.

To me, third party is as American as it gets. I am responsible for myself and I have full power over my compensation rates. I can also uproot and change check givers anytime I so choose. That's just me though and y'all know I likes my freedom.

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:And its shut down...

Woot, woot.....anarchy rules!!!!

Ever notice that only those in government worry about the shutdown??? Us normal folks don't seem to give two shits.

Guess we don't need them as much as they want us to think.

As part of the shutdown, all timber contracts have been suspended and all permittees have been instructed to immediately remove all their livestock from Federal land. In Grant County you either own a ranch (and run cattle in the mountains during summer), log, work for the government, or run a store or restaurant. All government facilities are now closed, including all USFS campgrounds. All the hunters (deer rifle season started last weekend) that booked up our campgrounds are being evicted. All National Parks and Monuments are closed, cutting off tourist revenues to small communities that built their economies to catering to visitors (look up what happened to Mariposa, CA when the Furguson rockslide cut off access to Yosemite). Almost everyone here will be hit directly or indirectly by the shutdown. The same will likely hold true for the town I grew up in and countless others like it. Many large cities will likely get by just fine, but the small towns that depend on logging or grazing on Federal lands or tourism to Federal parks are now in a precarious situation.

All but four of our fire staff have been furloughed (and those four are being forced to work without guarantee of getting paid), and its unclear if they can call to work anyone not already deemed exempt should a wildfire break out. While that may not be a huge risk here, I see this being a huge concern on drier Forests like the Cleveland out of San Diego.

On a totally unrelated note:

I had an environmentalist do a prelim walkthrough of a pipeline dig site yesterday afternoon. Oh that was choice. His "only concern" was the hundreds upon hundreds of red oak seedlings that have begun growth ontop of our pipeline. These things are only 3"-4" tall at most. There are thousands in similar condition everywhere you look out there. These things are not endangered at all, but this guy wanted to cry when he realized that we would need to dig up these seedlings. What the hell does he think the root systems will do to our pipeline if we allow them to grow??? I swear government only hires dumbasses who couldn't make it In the private sector. If given the choice between 4" tall oaks or real progress......they choose regression in the name of political "progress". Damn but I hate self-important progs. This guy is gonna be a problem. I don't think he liked being the butt of my guys' jokes. Man, but I love my regular crew......glad that crane job is over and I am back with them. I got them "Cajunized". Nothin like speakin fluent Cajun with my hispanic foreman. We get funny looks at the diner during lunch. Nothin like turning my crew of laborers into a bunch of wisecrackin government haters.

Is this guy government or is he a private citizen? If he isn't government, then why are you using him to attack civil servants? If he is government, is he state or federal? I've seen CA F&G employees pull stunts with the USFS that I could only describe as mindlessly obstructionist. Either way, be glad you're only trying to remove sapplings in an area with no protected species. Imagine trying to commercially log an area with protected species habitat and archeological resources with the same types of people trying to shut you down. I've even heard some environmentalist argue that we shouldn't be allowed to log at all, that we should let fire do its job.   Thats what happens in almost every timber sale on federal land in California. One of many reasons why I would never want to be a NEPA coordinator!

I swear government only hires dumbasses who couldn't make it In the private sector.

Whoa there buddy, thats starting to sound a little personal. Many federal agencies, like the USGS and DOE, are renown around the world for hiring some of the best scientists and producing some of the highest quality work. The USFS seems to be a mixed bag, most folks I've come across are competent hard working folk, but there are some that make me wonder...

Marconius wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Dennis324 wrote:

Bryant wrote:

I do work for the Forest Service.  Our funding comes from several sources, however it all goes through the Treasury before it reaches us.

Wish I worked for the Forest Service.  That's gotta be a cool job!  I'd like to work for the US Fish and Game service too. 

While I currently hate my boss and the pay kinda stinks (I'm making half what I could in private sector, worse yet if I were to go into oil, with no benefits), I do like the work that I do and love being allowed to work out in the forest.  Its also a great honor to be able to serve the People of the United States.

While we do love you for serving us, make sure it is us that you serve and not the whims of those with power. That is why I left the military. The military no longer serves the people. They just do the bidding of those in power.

Our actions are limited by the scope of law and funding, so we are constrained by the powers that be (heard some horror stories from those that served during the Bush administration), we are usually able to get by so long as we use the best available science to support or actions. That said, I fully recognize that this doesn't come anywhere near the kind of BS the DOD folks have to deal with.

Hey, I'm in the woods right now......and I make a good chunk of change. Hydrocarbon production ain't a bad gig. We get treated well and have many avenues of advancement. Third party, where I am, is the money, but company is safer and has more benefitz. Course us third party with experience are worth our weight in gold. Many company guys remind me of government guys. Those who can, do........those who can't, manage......or teach.

From what I've heard, most oil companies treat their senior geologist like royalty while prices are high, what happens if prices dip depends on the company (I hear Oxy is the one of the quickest to issue pinkslips). I have mixed emotions about the prospect of working for an oil company. They pay incredibly well (usually 2-3x other private sector fields) and have access to state of the art geophysics equipment/methods (all proprietary, so its usually many years before engineering firms or government agencies even hear about them), however I detest how many of these companies use their profits (whether that be to buy off politicians in the US to get favorable regulations, running PR campaigns to confuse the public about topics that have scientific consensus, or to bribe foreign officials [I've heard stories from folks who worked for Exxon in Africa]). I also lack any real interest in the types of geology that one usually finds oil if, but for what they pay I could more than live with that.

Again with the government dig. I know some great geologists who work in public sector and at least one utterly incompetent one who works for a smaller petroleum company (apparently all you need to know is how to claim work for your interns work to get by).

To me, third party is as American as it gets. I am responsible for myself and I have full power over my compensation rates. I can also uproot and change check givers anytime I so choose. That's just me though and y'all know I likes my freedom.

85% of the government is still funded. Sorry your in the 15%.

Sir Pun wrote:85% of the government is still funded. Sorry your in the 15%.

Where did you get 15%? The estimated number of furloughed federal workers is 800,000, which is just shy of 40% of 2150000 the 2150000 federal civilian employees. Of those who are at work, many of those outside of the military are being forced to work for no pay (its up to Congress to decide if they want to allocate funding to pay back time. Precedent suggest they will, but they're not forced to).

I said 85% of govwrnment, not 85% of government workers.

Sir Pun wrote:I said 85% of govwrnment, not 85% of government workers.

Gotcha

Supposedly it is just the non-essential personnel. Good to know that almost half of our government employees aren't even needed. Y'all know what I would do.

Now before you take it the wrong way, I feel strongly about Bryant's position. Forestry service is not and never will be non-essential, but as I've already said, the money to pay him IS there. His employer is just full of self-important dickheads(by employer, I mean those people in DC).