Howl Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 That's a horrifying story,Sherlock.What misery for the millions who undoubtedly work under similar circumstances just trying to get through life as best they can.I'm sure that the efficiency "quotient" of that sort of manager must be pretty low when he's permanently pre-occupied with a personal vendetta against one or more of his staff. TheBrownOne, your understanding is appreciated. Actually, the boss I referred to got promoted to a GS-15 position, which had been temporarily filled by another guy. Then the guy on the temp ended up being my new boss. Whooooza! He tried to outdo the guy who replaced him. So he intensified the charges against me. Later, he hit me in the face with a sheaf of paper right in front of my Union Steward. We filed charges. Well, they tried to hide that event, saying it didn't happen, but they failed to report the claim to the top bosses. So later both he and the Deputy Director lost their annual bonuses and were subsequently prevented from ever again supervising any empoloyees. It was a semblance of justice. However, before that occurred, those two tried to get me fired when they found out that I had cancer. I could not believe the lack of sensitivity, compassion, etc of those two. A top level official had a mom and a sister who had had cancer, so he was sympathetic to my situation. Bottom Line: the Union guys helped me get out of there with all my benefits intact. I wasn't ready to retire, but in retrospect, it was a good thing. I didn't want to fight anyone anymore. It was hard enuf just fighting for life vs fighting for a job. The vast majority of gov't employees are people like me, professionals just trying to do a good job and provide for their families. The ones you hear about in the news, The Rumsfields, the Wolfowitzes, the Feiths, ets. are political appointees vs career gov't employees. Its a damn shame that the ordinary gov't employees get castigated based on the public view of the appointed ones. Career employees are the ones that ensure that all the stuff happens that Govt is required to do... like send out Soc Sec checks, like buy the vehicles that the miitary needs, etc. Meanwhile, the Career Civil Servants are worried about how the administration is attempting to reduce the size of Gov't. Its called: outsource the jobs to private industry. The best examples I can give are Halliburton taking over the support roles for the Military and not able to build/sustain the troop bases in Iraq, or moving the Contracting Functions to private industry where the gov't restrictions/procedures are not enforced. Yes, the outsourcing of gov't jobs reduces the # of gov't employees, but every GAO study has shown that the private sector did not cost less than the prior gov't paid functions. Most citizens are not aware of this, so they just blame the gov't employees. This is just not fair!! Rant off... I'm sure any wage-slave has to deal with crap like this at some time in the career. I'm relatively lucky to be working in the private sector. My parents both worked more or less as government employees. Government is said to be the worst employer in the Netherlands. I have heard their horror-tales many times. Everything in your tale sounds familiar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Got shorts? The campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are pouring thousands of lawyers into the most closely contested states, ready to challenge the results of narrowly lost races and laws they believe hinder their candidate. In Ohio, Florida and New Mexico, the two camps have already been in and out of court several times ... In Ohio, 73% of voters will use the same punch-card voting machines that caused such an uproar in Florida in 2000. Other states, including Florida, have opted for electronic machines, which are an improvement. The trouble is, they aren't equipped to provide a paper record ... Nor are the problems limited to the voting machines. A new federal law mandates that provisional ballots be given to people whose names do not show up on the registration rolls ... Recipe for chaos I suspect Florida and Ohio, in particular, are headed for TEM (Total Electoral Meltdown). You can just see from a mile away that this is a developing clusterfork. The 2000 election exposed the weaknesses of the electoral system. This year interested parties may rip it to pieces, knowing that it won't stand up to scrutiny. Sell stocks and sell dollahs ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howl Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Got shorts? The 2000 election exposed the weaknesses of the electoral system. This year interested parties may rip it to pieces, knowing that it won't stand up to scrutiny. Sell stocks and sell dollahs ... The dollar slide is the real thing. And it is not only because of the erection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 It's Happening and just as we expected.... From Eric Fry in todays Rude Awakening..."In August Foreign private investors sold $4.4 Billion more in T-Bonds than they bought that followed a 20% decline in July. Bond purchases by Foreign Central Banks fell 76% in July. Foreign purchases of Stock went from a net purchase of $9.7 Billion in July to a net SELL-OFF of $2.1 Billion in August. India is planning to spend $120 Billion of its Forex Reserves by selling U.S. Treasury Bonds it holds. An Indian official said we are subsidizing the American economy and our funds can be put to better use elsewhere." Look out below! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrStool Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Nerve Wracking Week Ahead After Schizo Day Your Anals are loaded. Take a subscribatory and download RIGHT NOW! 30 Day Intro Subscribatory. Just $16.99! Get In RIGHT NOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traderfromhell Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Steve Puetz, bear, crapitulates: http://www.investmentrarities.com/thebestofsp10-22-04.html Mebbe he should change his name to "Steve Calls" ... Putz calls. Got a nice ring to it. Great name. Now that's one I'd change for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charvo Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Central banks may want to get out now while Greenspan is inflating the inventory of the US central bank. This may indeed be the best price they get on their treasuries since Greenspan wants to keep interest rate fluctuations at a minimum prior to the election. The dollar index however shows central banks may be selling hard. If Greenspan does buy a bunch of treasuries from other central banks to stem any interest rate rise, it may not be pretty for the treasury market post-election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 You won't read this in an American paper...Mathew Fisher is the Baghdad Bureau Chief for the National Post and a War Correspondent who has covered the World hot spots for over 20 years. He is currently on R & R in Amman, Jordan and I quote snippets from his column in todays Post. "I am fresh off the wild 75 minute Flight from Baghdad and the even hairier 20 minute gauntlet of bullets, rockets and car-jackings that make up the drive from the centre of Baghdad to the Airport." 'Iraq long ago became the most dangerous War covered by this generation of War Correspondents."..."Every reporter who has spent more than a few weeks in Iraq has had a long list of close calls, they begin every morning with the suicide bombings, that serve as a grim wake up call. Then there are the constant death threats, kidnappings and attacks from machine guns, mortars and rockets the death toll for Journalists now stands at 46."....he then goes on to point out that the security situation is so bad that every news organization except his own and some of the Brits is or has bailed...."As usually happens in War zones these days, the Japanese Press Corps which always does things en masse , were the first to get out. Not long thereafter , many old Arab hands from continental Europe decided the risks had become too high. A small group of French reporters stayed on but soon they too quit. The Wall Street Journal temporarily suspended its operation last month. Newsweek did likewise 2 weeks ago. Time Magazine pulled the plug last week. Whatever the White House claims, the REALITY for MONTHS now has been that U.S. Forces in Iraq only CONTROL WHATEVER PATCH OF SHIFTING SAND THEY STAND ON. Everywhere else is potential enemy territory." What a clusterfook-Huh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Got shorts? The 2000 election exposed the weaknesses of the electoral system. This year interested parties may rip it to pieces, knowing that it won't stand up to scrutiny. Sell stocks and sell dollahs ... The dollar slide is the real thing. And it is not only because of the erection. Dick Cheney said that the election result would be 52% for Bush, 47% for Kerry. That's not a 'prediction.' It's the pre-determined result, and there are several back-up plans to obtain it. Yesterday a news screen flash advised, "52% of Americans trust courts to determine election result." Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Sixpack, you might want to spend some relaxing evenings watching DVDs while the courts do the hard but necessary "nitty gritty" work of managing democracy and deciding the election results. After all, it's very, very complicated -- like, calculus or something -- and only 'experts' understand it. You're in good hands ... with the Matrix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiding Bear Posted October 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Got shorts? The 2000 election exposed the weaknesses of the electoral system. This year interested parties may rip it to pieces, knowing that it won't stand up to scrutiny. Sell stocks and sell dollahs ... The dollar slide is the real thing. And it is not only because of the erection. Dick Cheney said that the election result would be 52% for Bush, 47% for Kerry. That's not a 'prediction.' It's the pre-determined result, and there are several back-up plans to obtain it. Yesterday a news screen flash advised, "52% of Americans trust courts to determine election result." Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Sixpack, you might want to spend some relaxing evenings watching DVDs while the courts do the hard but necessary "nitty gritty" work of managing democracy and deciding the election results. After all, it's very, very complicated -- like, calculus or something -- and only 'experts' understand it. You're in good hands ... with the Matrix. I agree with Howl, the dollar decline before the election is a result of prior inflationary policies. An election crack-up would even cause further dollar weakness. If held today the election would be closer than Cheney's numbers, due to last minute turnouts. It could be quite a mess with a number of lawsuits based on the flawed thinking in the probably unnecessary decision of Bush v. Gore. In Bush v. Gore, the SC ran away from its ruling by saying that it can't be used as precedent. It weakened states rights and transferred then to the courts. But I don't think the SC will be able to get away from the implications of their decision anyway, since they can be applied to all states and not just Florida. IMHO in the possible post-election chaos to come, both parties will use the contorted logic of Bush v. Gore to request court review over issues that were outside the SC's review before 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wndysrf Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 "John, honey, I bought 15 million shares of STEM last week, and doubled our money...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian4 Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 Gm had its debt rating down graded today from "A" to BBB-that is significant as their borrowing costs will now go thru the roof and the debt they already have was the reason for the downgrade. Schaeffer has written a commentary-"Calling a technical" which is available on his siteand says if nutsDuck breaks 1850 then all markets are insync for a huge downmove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 No link..... The SEC says it will look into pensions. Could very well be tied to Hedge Fund looksee posted by Machinehead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 That's a horrifying story,Sherlock.What misery for the millions who undoubtedly work under similar circumstances just trying to get through life as best they can.I'm sure that the efficiency "quotient" of that sort of manager must be pretty low when he's permanently pre-occupied with a personal vendetta against one or more of his staff. TheBrownOne, your understanding is appreciated. Actually, the boss I referred to got promoted to a GS-15 position, which had been temporarily filled by another guy. Then the guy on the temp ended up being my new boss. Whooooza! He tried to outdo the guy who replaced him. So he intensified the charges against me. Later, he hit me in the face with a sheaf of paper right in front of my Union Steward. We filed charges. Well, they tried to hide that event, saying it didn't happen, but they failed to report the claim to the top bosses. So later both he and the Deputy Director lost their annual bonuses and were subsequently prevented from ever again supervising any empoloyees. It was a semblance of justice. However, before that occurred, those two tried to get me fired when they found out that I had cancer. I could not believe the lack of sensitivity, compassion, etc of those two. A top level official had a mom and a sister who had had cancer, so he was sympathetic to my situation. Bottom Line: the Union guys helped me get out of there with all my benefits intact. I wasn't ready to retire, but in retrospect, it was a good thing. I didn't want to fight anyone anymore. It was hard enuf just fighting for life vs fighting for a job. The vast majority of gov't employees are people like me, professionals just trying to do a good job and provide for their families. The ones you hear about in the news, The Rumsfields, the Wolfowitzes, the Feiths, ets. are political appointees vs career gov't employees. Its a damn shame that the ordinary gov't employees get castigated based on the public view of the appointed ones. Career employees are the ones that ensure that all the stuff happens that Govt is required to do... like send out Soc Sec checks, like buy the vehicles that the miitary needs, etc. Meanwhile, the Career Civil Servants are worried about how the administration is attempting to reduce the size of Gov't. Its called: outsource the jobs to private industry. The best examples I can give are Halliburton taking over the support roles for the Military and not able to build/sustain the troop bases in Iraq, or moving the Contracting Functions to private industry where the gov't restrictions/procedures are not enforced. Yes, the outsourcing of gov't jobs reduces the # of gov't employees, but every GAO study has shown that the private sector did not cost less than the prior gov't paid functions. Most citizens are not aware of this, so they just blame the gov't employees. This is just not fair!! Rant off... I'm sure any wage-slave has to deal with crap like this at some time in the career. I'm relatively lucky to be working in the private sector. My parents both worked more or less as government employees. Government is said to be the worst employer in the Netherlands. I have heard their horror-tales many times. Everything in your tale sounds familiar. From the front lines Not only are civil servants involved but also active duty af........courtesy of one Robert McNamara. Managing numbers does not ensure quality products nor workmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 In Bush v. Gore, the SC ran away from its ruling by saying that it can't be used as precedent. It weakened states rights and transferred then to the courts. But I don't think the SC will be able to get away from the implications of their decision anyway, since they can be applied to all states and not just Florida. IMHO in the possible post-election chaos to come, both parties will use the contorted logic of Bush v. Gore to request court review over issues that were outside the SC's review before 2000. Poor Rehnquist -- a Nixon appointee -- is reported to have undergone a tracheotomy, but says he will keep working. Probably he underestimates how seriously having your throat cut open will set you back when you're 80 years old. Part of my personal nightmare is Rehnquist sitting behind the bench in a wheelchair, on oxygen, announcing the Court's Kerry v. Bush decision in a Darth Vader voice through one of those low-fidelity speech aid appliances held to his white-taped throat ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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