If you run a business, and your employee is doing lousy work, do you still support them

[ixion]

just because they're your employee?

No, you do not.

The people in the government work for us, technically. They are our employee(s). There is NO REASON whatsoever that we have to support them when we think they're doing lousy work.

First you take them aside and say "Hey, you need to improve your work."

If they don't improve, you let them go and find someone who can do the work.

It should be no different in government. Our elected officials work for us. We pay their salaries. There is no reason that we have to support them based solely on party affiliation. None.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

[cali]

1. government is not like business. Hate that meme

it a repuke one. let's not adopt it.

[ixion]

14. I understand... the difference is figurative vs literal

they believe the government IS a business. I was using an analogy, but I don't believe that government can, or should, be run like a business, because the government should not be about profit.

[timo]

38. i disagree

business is business and the government runs theirs very poorly, in real life can you go to your bank and just print up a bunch of money?
if you run out of money and take out a loan and run out of money and take out another loan and run out of money and take out yet another loan??? How long do you think the bank will float your sorry ass? when you have a company thats running in the red and you vote yourself another pay raise do you think thats right? I don't know whose MEME it is or isn't but people need to see that what our government regardless of whose at the wheel is screwing us to death just as fast as they can, and probably will from now on.

[vadawg]

2. yup you are so right, unfortunately the pols forget they work for us

as do most government workers, we need to be able to fire the pols without a long process. Yes we can, at the next election cycle, it would be interesting just to do a clean sweep and remove every congresscritter and senator and start again...

[mother earth]

11. Like we were going to do with GW, and then he was in again?

[vadawg]

19. no i mean across the board, from left to right, it would be interesting if every incumbant was throw

out regardless of party or seniority, i wonder what laws would be quickly passed to stop it happening again or in the first place.

[nichomachus]

30. Yeah -- corporate lobbyists have wet dreams about this

Nothing like a bunch of greenhorn members of Congress who don't even know where the bathroom is -- being steamrollered by 14,000 well-experienced, well financed, very smart corporate lobbyists.

God, it would be like Brad Pitt and Colin Farrell trying to pick up girls at a freshman mixer.

[surrealAmerican]

34. Not to mention that these congresspeople who know ...

... their time is limited would expend way too much effort in insuring themselves good jobs for after they leave congress.

[vadawg]

36. who says their time is limited other than by election, only difference is that when they dont so shi

shit we fire their asses rather than perpetuate their careers... if they want to work to pad their future then its no different from now other than they would be getting their asses handed to them rather than being in congress for 30 or 40 years....

[vadawg]

35. lol yeah like every american is so dumb that the lobbyists would steamroller them

best example although total fantasy is the advert with the firefighters sitting in congress, there are millions of americans who if elected would tell the coporate lobbyists to go fry their faces. I guess it must be the standard of citizen you surround yourself with that makes you doubt your fellow cits abilities..

[shadowknows69]

3. Actually I did once. It pretty much cost me my business. Lesson learned.

[ixion]

16. I know. Me, too... lesson learned

as you say. It was a painful lesson to learn, too.

[shadowknows69]

28. Very, as I no longer have a business.

[Sparkly]

4. We pay their salaries, BUT

they do collect from corporations and lobbyists, as well.

[ixion]

5. indeed... and we should put an end to that

post haste.

[cali]

15. fantasy politics are pointless.

[ixion]

21. we created the system

ultimately, we can make of it whatever we can summon from imagination into reality.

I think people lose this very basic concept in the wash. Everything about the institutions of things like Religion, Politics, Education down to the concept of money and society has been created by humans. We control the game. Technically speaking, it does not control us.

To bring about change we have only to make it so.

[cali]

23. i find it kind of touching that you believe that.

but it's just not realistic.

[ixion]

26. but it's the Truth

none of what I mentioned existed before we created it. :)

[KittyWampus]

6. Government and Administration is not like business.

[NNN0LHI]

7. If you did better under Republican administrations I can understand your concern

I haven't done better under Republican administrations so I have a different take on this.

Don

[ixion]

12. well, I can say that I made more per year when * was in office

although I give him no credit for that whatsoever.

I'm not sure I understand your point. Elected officials from both parties are largely inept.

[NNN0LHI]

18. Well there you go then. What state are you in by the way?

I notice that info has been deleted from a lot of User profiles as of late.

You aren't by any chance located in a state with 2 Republican Senators are you?

Don

[ixion]

22. I am in Florida... a red state, to be sure

but I am not a rethug, and I've got 20,000+ posts on this board to document that.

[NNN0LHI]

24. Well your Republican Senator should have worked on this bill with the Democrats then

Perhaps he would have actually represented you and crafted a bill more to your liking?

Don't blame the Dems. Blame your Rethug Senator if you have any complaints. Take it up with him next election.

Don

[ixion]

25. I blame the body in general

and don't really make such distinctions. Sure the GOP hasn't been helpful. But when are they ever helpful? It's more disappointing to me to see this coming from a Dem majority, but then I'm used to being disappointed by the government in general.

[nichomachus]

29. New campaign slogan: "The other guys are worse"

That'll bring them to the polls in droves.

[NNN0LHI]

39. I realize for some taking the better over the worse can be a complex issue

For others not so much.

Don

[nichomachus]

40. Not better -- the proper phrase is "not worse than" -- the lesser of two evils is still evil

There is a difference

[Mika]

8. I support my employees by showing/teaching them exactly what I want.

On the political front, I see little of this activity by the constituents.

[Bluenorthwest]

31. That's funny. Because I spent all day Friday trying to

get through to my elected officials. Their offices were swamped. Their mailboxes full. Same for the one Senator that is not in my State that I happen to know a bit. Swamped. Flooded with constituents opinions.

[Laelth]

9. Good analogy. n/t

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Chicken and the egg metaphor

I'm starting to wonder whether it's "them" or whether the "system" prevents well-meaning and inspired individuals from carrying out their promises once they're ensconced. By the system, I mean the combination of lobbyists, campaign contributers, threats from the party's leadership, corporatists, and the media, etc.

[ixion]

13. the system may be to blame, but they built and control the system

so I don't see a circular logic issue here.

Now, if We, the People could control their salaries and perks, it would level the playing field quite a bit. :)

[mother earth]

20. The perks should be the first to go. Why are we not stripping

those? They've had no problem stripping away our protections.

[mother earth]

17. Of course it's the system, if candidates can only campaign

with donor money, the donors are the winners, the corporations know who to back, they test the water and they understand what the payback will be. We won't change anything until campaign finance reform is done, and just like ensuring our votes can be audited, it will never get done under the same old system.

It's going to take major upheaval, everytime there's something good that can be accomplished, nothing changes, there's more of the same, and we continue to ask ourselves why? It's corrupt. Rule of law has to return, we let major criminals walk when the last admin left office. Where was the outcry?

[Stevenmarc]

27. Except for one persnickety fact, you are not the boss you're a member of a 300 mil+ board

[cbdo2007]

32. It depends....are the in a Union?

If so I'll probably have to promote them for seniority regardless of their performance.

[SoCalDem]

33. I’m having some problems with my employees

March Thursday 2 2006 (17h13) :
I’m having some problems with my employees


These people did everything but slip me cash under the table to get me to hire them.

They showed me references out the wa-zoo

They said they knew how to DO the job.. in fact had lots of experience

They knew that the job required some researching and involved a learning curve

They assured me they were willing to do what it took to do the work

They knew that I would be watching how they progressed, and now they act all pissed off whenever I mention something to them that would help them do their job the right way

Now I learn that they are having outsiders do their work for them

They write themselves checks for pay raises without my permission

They have bought excellent medical benefits with MY money, and have canceled MY health care

They are taking bribes and doing favors for their friends, with MY assets

They are lying and covering up their misdeeds

They rarely work...instead take off weeks at a time, and go gallivanting around the world..and send ME the bills for their travel

They’re sneaking around behind my back, cutting deals with my competitors and GIVING them MY equipment

I want to fire them all, but apparently they have a contract and I have to wait until then, and have to have my friends go with me and kick them out.

They will not go willingly ...I may need LOTS of Help.... What say you grab a torch and join me ? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x555873


By : SoCalDem
March Thursday 2 2006

[timo]

37. the big difference

The big difference between government and business is, if your in business you CANNOT spend MONEY you dont have, You CANNOT promise your workers/customers something over and over again and NOT DELIVER, in business if you run a shitty company that produces inferior product you go bankrupt, in government if you do that, you print more money make some more promises and get re-elected over and over and over again, it is the stupidest thing I see in this country, like wiping your ass with a wagon wheel, theres no end to it!!!

[stray cat]

41. I do if everyone else I could hire is worse. I'm currently in that boat.

Its sometimes hard to find competent hard working employees - and it is often the lesser of evils you have to hire. If I find someone better - this person will be out the door but something is better than nothing.

[pipi_k]

42. OK, so we throw out the bums who slide by on their asses and thumb their noses at us...

What then?

With whom do we replace them?

What if the available candidates are no better?


What do we do...snap our fingers and conjure up the perfect politician? And who's to say whether the guy who looks so "perfect" will actually measure up?

[ixion]

43. There needs to be checks and balances on them

that is, they ought to be able to lose their job if they can't do it any better than their predecessor.

We, the People ought to decide what they get paid, what kind of perks they'll have.

There should be COMPLETE transparency.

And most importantly, corporate lobbying should be outlawed.