Great Podcast - Excellent talking points.... I agree, those who are screaming murder now about the defunding and dismantling of the USFS, but have been silent until the last two weeks are either misinformed or hypocrites. It has been a mess for many years, and some of those pointing fingers now should have looked in the mirror a decade or two ago.
Yes, "Diversity" efforts have overreached. They have taken too much money, time, effort and created distractions from the most important work the Forest Service does... Good intent does not equal good implementation. IMHO - If a Govt. Agency is well funded, a good place to work, is professional, and its mission has the support of the public, "diversity" will largely take care of itself.... Put the Horse before Cart and you'll get there faster.
When it comes to DOGE however, I think the question and debate about the potentially unprecedented changes coming to pass now is more fundamental - It centers around the Legality, Intent and Structure of Governmental Agencies...
DOGE is NOT an arm of the government in the traditional sense. It's funding has not been approved. Its authority and legal parameters are not definite - Musk has not been nominated, vetted or approved by anyone,.. Yet he now holds cabinet level power and authority. He is subject to no public input, answers to no chain of command, and is not obligated to oversight by any elected official, save one (you know who)
Here is a question - maybe the most important one... How is it a person with BILLIONS of dollars in government contracts and Billions more in potential personal profits at stake, being given access to the handling of all governmental financial data, payments & records NOT a conflict of interest ???? Is this about "Govt Efficiency" or Privatization for profit opportunities ?
Tim DEFINITELY don't get disheartened now. You are our honest voice! Your perseverance and tenacity are what we need more of. Proud to support you and your willingness to keep us all in the know.🇺🇸🇺🇸
Call me crazy, but I think this will come out better for the boots on the ground in the end. Look no further than 113 million being cut for DEI and only 70 million needed to fund the wildfire workforce. To me it seems like a reshuffling of priorities and budgets to get back to doing the work these agency’s were set up to do: manage timber, natural resources, maintain roads, build trails, and fight fires.
I hope you are correct, and it may prove you are right in the long run... Agree !! If Millions are to saved from ending DEI efforts, lets get the Pay Act for WFF in the Feds passed at last !!
This we know for sure - Musk wants to end all funding and any efforts related to a diverse work place in government. This still adds up to only a fraction of the reduction in spending he has talked about. (1.6 Trillion)
His intent beyond that, and how it all looks then is less clear. Except for massive funding cuts and huge reductions in the work force at Public Agencies his goals, or where those dollars end up, is murky at best.
(Remember, this is a guy who gives the Hitler salute and backs the neo-Nazi Parties in Europe) He is also someone who has secured Billions in Tax Payer funded contracts and subsides thru questionable methods. To buy into the message his actions are somehow built around a altruistic motive of "government efficiency" or service to the public seems naïve.
Thank you for this, I never about your being demonetized because of reporting on the vaccine mandate’s effects on firefighters. It really is amazing how some stories are covered and some are covered…up.
Good podcast and good info, sorry it took so long to sacrifice a can of cope for the subscription. I liked you hypocrisy section. When myself and the other folks I fight fire with were told to get vaccinated or get terminated, we were not offed pay and benefits till the end of September, instead I paid money to be a plaintiff on the BGA lawsuit that got us the injunction. I wish more people would have been vocal about that. As far as temp non-fire freeze, it is a big deal and effects fire since we have more horsepower when it comes to numbers than other functions and we tend to help them out a lot. Now it could put more work on our plate. As far as pay I am disappointed but not surprised the FS chose to remind me of my unconscious bias thru aglearn instead of improving our pay. On a side note, a day before assisting another agency with an RX we were told we couldn't go. I understand there is a lot of stuff going on right now but I think wherever that decision came from it was a bad call. It takes a lot of planning to put together your organization and find a window to burn. I hope things start to stabilize since our critical 80 is about to kick off in a couple months.
Good work Ms. Jae - A soft coup by the Billionaires has been moving for many years. But is now upon us in earnest... An attack on public lands, public workers, public institutions. And now they have been given access to the systems collective governance.... Illegal - unconstitutional - dangerous, This is what happens when people mistake Wealth for Virtue and Wisdom.
Alternatively, the government, and the Forest Service much more than most, embraced and ran with every conceivable bullshit Leftist crazy idea from DEI to carbon credits for climate to every single “I’m different from you” celebration. The FS was so far from its mission, and so pathetically mismanaged by Randy Moore and his clueless NLT/ELT, and such a stand out overreach agency, that a correction was way overdue. It’s happening! Buckle up, buttercups.
I have to agree to at least in part on your observations. It is one of the most dysfunctional and directionally deficient Agencies, and Moore's tenure has been a mess IMHO - One deserving of MAJOR reform.....Still, the USFS is the smallest of fractions in the game being played out right now. Nothing short of the attempted end to collective government and rule of law. BTY, Great Handle "Smackey" = Like it !!
Great Podcast - Excellent talking points.... I agree, those who are screaming murder now about the defunding and dismantling of the USFS, but have been silent until the last two weeks are either misinformed or hypocrites. It has been a mess for many years, and some of those pointing fingers now should have looked in the mirror a decade or two ago.
Yes, "Diversity" efforts have overreached. They have taken too much money, time, effort and created distractions from the most important work the Forest Service does... Good intent does not equal good implementation. IMHO - If a Govt. Agency is well funded, a good place to work, is professional, and its mission has the support of the public, "diversity" will largely take care of itself.... Put the Horse before Cart and you'll get there faster.
When it comes to DOGE however, I think the question and debate about the potentially unprecedented changes coming to pass now is more fundamental - It centers around the Legality, Intent and Structure of Governmental Agencies...
DOGE is NOT an arm of the government in the traditional sense. It's funding has not been approved. Its authority and legal parameters are not definite - Musk has not been nominated, vetted or approved by anyone,.. Yet he now holds cabinet level power and authority. He is subject to no public input, answers to no chain of command, and is not obligated to oversight by any elected official, save one (you know who)
Here is a question - maybe the most important one... How is it a person with BILLIONS of dollars in government contracts and Billions more in potential personal profits at stake, being given access to the handling of all governmental financial data, payments & records NOT a conflict of interest ???? Is this about "Govt Efficiency" or Privatization for profit opportunities ?
Tim DEFINITELY don't get disheartened now. You are our honest voice! Your perseverance and tenacity are what we need more of. Proud to support you and your willingness to keep us all in the know.🇺🇸🇺🇸
🙏 Appreciate that.
I'm with you, just along for the ride now. Going to get interesting.
Wild times we live in.
Call me crazy, but I think this will come out better for the boots on the ground in the end. Look no further than 113 million being cut for DEI and only 70 million needed to fund the wildfire workforce. To me it seems like a reshuffling of priorities and budgets to get back to doing the work these agency’s were set up to do: manage timber, natural resources, maintain roads, build trails, and fight fires.
Priorities are definitely being reshuffled. Now we watch to see if they can finally address the pay issue in March.
I hope you are correct, and it may prove you are right in the long run... Agree !! If Millions are to saved from ending DEI efforts, lets get the Pay Act for WFF in the Feds passed at last !!
This we know for sure - Musk wants to end all funding and any efforts related to a diverse work place in government. This still adds up to only a fraction of the reduction in spending he has talked about. (1.6 Trillion)
His intent beyond that, and how it all looks then is less clear. Except for massive funding cuts and huge reductions in the work force at Public Agencies his goals, or where those dollars end up, is murky at best.
(Remember, this is a guy who gives the Hitler salute and backs the neo-Nazi Parties in Europe) He is also someone who has secured Billions in Tax Payer funded contracts and subsides thru questionable methods. To buy into the message his actions are somehow built around a altruistic motive of "government efficiency" or service to the public seems naïve.
Thank you for the information it’s gonna get interesting buckle up
Thank you for this, I never about your being demonetized because of reporting on the vaccine mandate’s effects on firefighters. It really is amazing how some stories are covered and some are covered…up.
Thanks for the longtime support. 🙏
Good podcast and good info, sorry it took so long to sacrifice a can of cope for the subscription. I liked you hypocrisy section. When myself and the other folks I fight fire with were told to get vaccinated or get terminated, we were not offed pay and benefits till the end of September, instead I paid money to be a plaintiff on the BGA lawsuit that got us the injunction. I wish more people would have been vocal about that. As far as temp non-fire freeze, it is a big deal and effects fire since we have more horsepower when it comes to numbers than other functions and we tend to help them out a lot. Now it could put more work on our plate. As far as pay I am disappointed but not surprised the FS chose to remind me of my unconscious bias thru aglearn instead of improving our pay. On a side note, a day before assisting another agency with an RX we were told we couldn't go. I understand there is a lot of stuff going on right now but I think wherever that decision came from it was a bad call. It takes a lot of planning to put together your organization and find a window to burn. I hope things start to stabilize since our critical 80 is about to kick off in a couple months.
I’m just upset because I can’t put my pronouns under my name on my email signature anymore.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT26pdpmx/
Good work Ms. Jae - A soft coup by the Billionaires has been moving for many years. But is now upon us in earnest... An attack on public lands, public workers, public institutions. And now they have been given access to the systems collective governance.... Illegal - unconstitutional - dangerous, This is what happens when people mistake Wealth for Virtue and Wisdom.
Alternatively, the government, and the Forest Service much more than most, embraced and ran with every conceivable bullshit Leftist crazy idea from DEI to carbon credits for climate to every single “I’m different from you” celebration. The FS was so far from its mission, and so pathetically mismanaged by Randy Moore and his clueless NLT/ELT, and such a stand out overreach agency, that a correction was way overdue. It’s happening! Buckle up, buttercups.
I have to agree to at least in part on your observations. It is one of the most dysfunctional and directionally deficient Agencies, and Moore's tenure has been a mess IMHO - One deserving of MAJOR reform.....Still, the USFS is the smallest of fractions in the game being played out right now. Nothing short of the attempted end to collective government and rule of law. BTY, Great Handle "Smackey" = Like it !!
Also, What is NLT/ELT ?
National Leadership Team and Executive Leadership Team, both of which were at stay-at-home organizations. They’re being downsized.
Of course - I realized and remembered shortly after I asked the question.
I hadn't completed my online F.A.R.T. refresher = (Federal Acromion Recognition Training)
We’ll can only roll & see what happens
I’m with the Hotshot movie guy on Twitter
Move USFS HQ outta Washington DC & move it to California 🤣
Excellent podcast again, as usual!.... Thanks for the motivation... I have family in the FS near retirement and nearing hiring in fire. Any thoughts?