Government Workers & Military Personnel Are Exploited
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Ms. Ehrenreich:
I am reading your “This Land is Their Land” book and two chapters hit close to home. One was the chapter about the military (I worked in the Marine Corps as a civilian) and the other chapter was about the workplace.
I would like to tell you that in the past the Government used to be known for health care, medical benefits, and good supplies, equipment, and resources. It has been my experience in the military as a civilian (and I worked for the military for 24 years) that now, the Federal Government (and especially the military) has taken every iota, every shred of benefit that could be gotten from working for the government and the military away.
For example, it used to be said that in the government you could have good pension/medical care with NSPS (started under Reagan), now all the good retirement is out. Second it used to be said that in the government you could be assured of at least government cafeterias where the food may not be haute cuisine, but it was nourishing and cheap. Today’s government cafeterias consist of either eating Mcdonalds or Subway and that is it. Third, if one was a government employee, there was always a certain amount of privacy you gave up. In today’s military your supervisors can know when you go to church, how often, and where; the supervisors can know how many kids you have, are planning to have, and where you are planning to have them (Read the Marine Corps Guide on Mentoring).
But finally, yesterday’s government employees (including military) could be assured that one could have adequate supplies (ie. paper, pens, paper clips, post it notes, typewriter ribbons). Today’s Federal government employee has no such assurance that in an government office they will be able to have any paper, pens, paper clips, post-it notes, or paper clips. There have countless number of times when basic supplies were not available anywhere anytime to anyone.
Also, in yesterday’s government the government employee (including the military) could be counted on to get most of the time equipment (i.e. typewriters, computers) that worked–if computers did not work one could call the division’s computer people and get it fixed within a day or two. If today’s government employee or military has a non-functioning computer has to call first, the IT division, then they are given a 1-800 number (press 1 if you are Navy, 2 if you are Marine Corps) then once you get a human being on the line you’re asked first, your office, your code, what the problem is. Then you are asked are you sure you are using the computer right, then you are referred back to the local office who then says no, it’s a 1-800 problem.
Yesterday’s government worker could be assured to a certain degree of having well functioning equipment and supplies—today’s government employee (including military) is given the third degree and questioned as to whether they should have well functioning computers to start with.
Why should you have functioning computers; why should you have basic office supplies like
pens, papers, post it notes, typewriter ribbons; why you should have desks, chairs, and why you should have benefits: government pensions, life insurance, health insurance, hot food at all? Yesterday’s government employee (including military) was treated like a human being; today’s government employee is treated like a worker in a sweatshop–government employees and military are being exploited.