In any organization, when the boss is an asshole, when big

[rzemanfl]

stupid changes are made for the sake of show, when people's job descriptions are changed for no reason, when people are disciplined for speaking their minds, when job security is a thing of the past, the most talented and most ethical people are the first to leave. This is what happened under Bush. Anyone with talent they knew they could sell, anyone with ethics they would not compromise, got the hell out, leaving only the drudges, the fearful ass-kissers and the soon to retire behind. Katrina is just an example of the kind of response you get from people who are willing to eat large helpings of shit to preserve their jobs and are afraid to fart without the proper paperwork.

[hobbit709]

1. You got that right.

What's left is living proof of the Peter Principle in action.

[rosesaylavee]

2. Yes. That just about sums it up - except we are paying for it all. n/t

[brainshrub]

3. Yes, and it's deeper than that.

Conservatives don't trust Democracy and they view government programs for the poor as inherently evil. If you despise the very system you are responsible for nurturing, you have little motivation to manage it responcibly.

Giving a conservative the reigns of government is like giving a ming vase to a drunk vandal. No good can come from it.

[rzemanfl]

6. After I posted this I realized that I left out the folks who stay on

because they believe in the mission. I have watched these people suffer as their morale eroded and their anger began to consume them.

I agree that a lot of the people placed in charge of these programs really are there to destroy them.

[alfredo]

17. Colin Powell may fall into that category.

At least many of us hope that is the case.

[peekaloo]

4. Ramen!

Been there, done that!

[rzemanfl]

7. Noodles? n/t

[peekaloo]

9. .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

I'm a recent convert. ;-)

[rzemanfl]

11. I have seen the light. n/t

[Missy M]

5. People in large corporations have to put up with the nonsense...

of "Teamwork and Teamplay" training or "Six Sigma" training all put in place to brain wash them. It is all so ridiculous when all a company has to do is pay a good wage, offer benefits and treat the employees with respect, then you will see the most talented and ethical people stay on. As far as government jobs go I guess that is a different story. Sometimes I think only people with no conscience have government jobs.

[rzemanfl]

8. I have a government job and not having a conscience would

help. When I was in a position to theoretically make a difference it drove me nuts, now I am just a drone (having resigned a high-profile, high stress job and moved to a warmer, but lately hurricane-ridden clime) and what I think means nothing.

[Missy M]

12. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you - I know there are many people...

like you in government but your hands are tied. What you think should mean everything and I wish it could change, but I'm afraid it never will.

[rzemanfl]

14. Not insulted at all. Lately my main function seems to be to learn

illogical and user unfriendly computer programs designed in India for companies that are large campaign contributors to the Republican party. These programs make the routine an emergency, the simple complex and overlay $20.00 of administrative costs on a $5.00 expenditure. But I get paid every two weeks, get a month of vacation a year and have benefits. Come to think of it, I do have no conscience.

[BiggJawn]

15. And don't forget "Who Moved my Cheez"...

The HR trainer was visibly taken aback by the heat of the hostility our group had for that module.

My "input" was: "You're presenting this to the wrong group, since NONE of us are middle managers, and this 'Cheez' Bee-Ess was developed to allow those middle managers to feel good about themselves for having to fire valuable people because the CEO is greedy.You must think we're too dull to 'get' the symbolism here, but any person with a brain can see that the 'Maze' is a metaphor for our jobs and 'Cheez' represents our paycheck, thus 'Being FREE to seek New Cheez' translates to getting the Sack..."

She had no comeback for that, just buried her head in the training nmanual and said "OK, now moving along..."

They bring in their cronies to run things then break the spirit of everyone else. Bush's Enronomy he;ps facilitate this by ensuring that the only job availabe in an area is toting a rifle in Iraq...

[Missy M]

16. I never heard of "Who Moved my Cheez" but it doesn't surprise me..

the people who come up with these asinine, ridiculous programs should be drawn and quartered. They are great money makers for the idiots who think up these training programs and present them.

[BiggJawn]

18. Never? You're lucky, then...

I look at "Who Moved my Cheez" as a sign of the ammount of contempt an company has for their workforce.

[Missy M]

19. I am self employed so I don't have to deal with this crap but I do..

deal with large corporations who force this nonsense on their employees, so I know about some of it. I don't always have a paycheck but it beats putting up with the idiot managers who run these companies.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. Excellent Point

Like Colin Powell, for example?

Long gone.

[sendero]

13. Precisely...

.. I couldn't agree more.

And what happens when the boss is a moron as well as an asshole? the company fails. Seen it time and again, and we're seeing it now.

Sycophants never have any real ability, that is why they are sycophants.

[iconoclastic cat]

20. Except for the Rove, Cheney, etc. cabal.

They're very intelligent. And also evil.

[lpbk2713]

21. They are highly motivated and goal-oriented.

"We've got to protect our phoney-baloney jobs, gentlemen."

[Seansky]

22. I am not sure that is the case anymore, look

at all the largest corporations (even med. ones)how much the CEOs and exec. people get as salary regardless of what they accomplish...the list is enormous and when they mess up, they get a big parachute as reward...I think the cause-effect situation you mentioned is something of the past (prior to the 90s) if you make it to the top, you get immunity, that's what I see happening as a business culture right now and it has quickly become accepted. Who do you see protesting about those big packages, Enron issues, and so on?