Saving For A Rainy Day…..Lessons of the Past
Maybe I’m just a callous and heartless bastard, but I don’ understand how a federal employee that makes on average twice what the private sector makes for the same job, can lose everything after missing two checks.
Moses is an engineering technician for air traffic control at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. He’s furloughed and at the worst possible time. That’s because he is in the process of selling a house and buying a new one in Athens.
“I mean, we’re cutting back every which way trying to make the two ends meet,” Moses said. “I’m picking up odd jobs here in town just trying to put food on the table.”
Moses is one of as many of 16,000 federal workers in Georgia who are making emergency plans because of the partial government shutdown.
“We stand the risk of losing this new home very soon if I’m not able to produce income,” Moses said.
An engineering tech? You would think that pays pretty well, probably has killer government benefits, and is going to be paid back retroactively after the shutdown.
For another local federal worker, the longer the government shutdown continues, the more panic sets in.
Indya Thomas works for the IRS and said her last paycheck showed no income.
“I didn’t want to be put out on the streets, you know, if it had to come to that point, so I knew I needed help,” Thomas told Channel 2 Action News. here….
Wouldn’t you have some savings for a rainy day, or make arrangements with your lender or landlord knowing this is all temporary?
Maybe….just maybe…..we’ve learned more about federal employees than they really wanted us to know, or maybe the media is in full spin mode cherry picking stories that fit the narrative….Orange Man Bad, starving families!
7 thoughts on “Saving For A Rainy Day…..Lessons of the Past”
Neither is true. They are neither destitute nor is the media spinning (totally). The media is once again not checking nor corroborating these people’s stories. Why? because they feed into the medias preconceived opinions. And those “workers” are having a field day being treated like “victims” of mean ole Trump and are basking in the spotlight. I don’t believe a friggin’ word of it. BTW, Don’t these people have families?
Oh, and not to be harsh but Ikea in Philly is serving free breakfast and lunch to people who show a government ID. The cafeteria looked like a McDonald’s in Kenya. Only black folks who work for the government need help?
Yeah, you are a callous and heartless bastard. Just like me. I don’t get it either. Within days of the shutdown we saw them complaining about not being able to make mortgage payments or buy food. This was before any of them even missed a paycheck. Doesn’t anyone put a few bucks away for a rainy day anymore? When I was young, married and still pretty stupid about money back in the early seventies I still had my company take out a few dollars every week to buy savings bonds. I didn’t earn very much at the time, but I still put a little away. When the company started folding in the mid seventies I lost my job. Those bonds went a long way to tiding us over until I found work again……….
Funny how none of these “starving” federal employees who have provided support for the 1%-run government policies of the last 30+ years gave a rat’s ass about the millions of Americans whose jobs they’ve helped outsource or eliminate permanently, helping destroy families and communities all across the country. The corporate and non-profit idiocy that has risen up to cater to those poor inconvenienced federal employees is astounding. Just remember, all those “free” meals to federal employees will end up as tax deductions that you will pay for in about another 15 months. On top of their back pay.
And yet it is the Dems who continually shoot down any chance of passing bills to pay the workers, or back up their earlier promises to fund the damned wall.
Bastiges.
These winners also have access to the federal thrift savings plan, a govt 401k type retirement fund that the feds match dollar for dollar up to a point. This is something the military also has access to but for the last 20 years the feds wouldn’t match their contributions. Hmmmm. Anywho, they can take a loan out against the TSP without tax penalty at any time. When I was Navy and we missed a paycheck due to a govt shutdown, I didn’t see this kind of outpouring of support. There was some, don’t get me wrong, but the signal is strong with these virtue types!
Naw… I’d not blame them like the rest of you seem to be. The reality is that 30-40 years ago a family of 5 could get by on one income. Now days both parents need to work to support that same family of 5. Wages have not kept up with houses, cars, etc…
I’m very sure that people being paid an average salary often have little left over to put away for a “rainy day.”
A small percentage of my customers are government workers, they’re not making what you’re claiming they make. While I have never asked what they make, I do know them and how they are living, they’re living pretty average lifestyles across the board.
Big part of the problem I think is our representation has no fricking clue. Watched Trump yesterday say that grocery store, like banks, will work with furloughed workers because the grocery stores and banks know these people. I think the people we elect have lost complete connection to the people they represent and the way things work for 90% of the population. No grocery store is going to say “sure, just pay me when you get paid.” Maybe in the 40’s and 50’s but not in the last 40 years. Admittedly when I was very young, more than 50 years ago, there were grocery stores on many corners and they would float us milk and bread until Friday when my dad got paid. They knew where we lived (4 houses down) and knew where to find us. My mom would give us 5-10 bucks on Friday after my dad got home and would say run this down to the grocery store. The guy wasn’t the nicest guy, but he was fine with the arrangement. Those grocery stores all closed within a few years and it’s never been that way since, that was back in the 60’s early 70’s.
John – I’m not really blaming them, it’s not their fault all of this is happening, I’m just wondering why they wouldn’t have saved for something like this. It’s not like they couldn’t see the hand writing on the wall of a potential shutdown in December, and shutdowns do happen. I would have set up an savings account just for that possibility, but that’s just me.
Being from the private sector all of my life I have dealt with all kinds of economic hardships that were of no fault of mine, nobody asked me how I would save my home, I was on my own….guess I learned a few lessons from that.
My post was more of a question of why? Was it the individuals who were too short sided to save for a rainy day, or is this just the media finding a story that fits.
Trust me I feel for them, been there done that.