A Reality Check

While it is lamentable that government workers are losing their jobs, data shows that it takes 80 private sector employees to pay for the employment/benefits of ONE government worker. 

Those with common sense and basic math skills know that THIS is not sustainable. Government employment simply must be scaled back. 

This, coupled with the nation’s HUGE DEBT, means cuts must be made everywhere. (Currently, every man, woman and child in America owes $107,000 for their portion of the national debt - a DEBT that is growing TEN times faster than US population growth).

Those in the know say most USFS seasonal employees (ie, campground cleaners, etc.) will be re-instated. Sadly, the house cleaning that really needs doing at big government agencies may or may not get done.

It’s mighty hard to dislodge the over abundance of mid-level chair warmers who kill innovation and initiative...EACH of whom requires 80 private sector workers to pay his wages and benefits. Gasp!

And here’s a thought: why have we become so dependent on government for EVERYTHING?

If the campground needs cleaning, organize family, friends and neighbors and go ‘get ur done!’

The Back Country Horsemen do something similar every spring/summer: clear trails, remove garbage, etc. THEY don’t wait for some government entity to see that such gets done. Good on them! 

Also, Montana’s roadside litter removal program (volunteer) works very well.

We must also note:

- Employees in the private sector face possible termination/unemployment DAILY.

There is no ‘iron rice bowl’ for them. (Chinese idiom for guaranteed/permanent work/income/benefits).

Ask folks in the private sector, like the hundreds laid off at the XL Pipeline (Biden) or at the Montana Stillwater Mine, (Russia) how often they’ve had to find a new job. 

Such is a fact of life. Government/public sector employees seem to have forgotten this.

- It must be remembered that during Covid millions of private sector employees lost their jobs & that millions of small businesses, etc. went under. Meanwhile, government workers, by and large, ‘worked from home,’ and continued to collect pay checks, insurance, benefits...whether they were really doing anything or not. Now they are being exposed. 

Yes, some private firms suffer the same but such is usually dealt with - ie, Musk cut the work force at Twitter 80% when he created ‘X.’ 

Yes, some whined & complained but did it do them any good? Nope.

They had to face the music and look for work. Such is life.

C.A. Disney, Libby