Politics And Current Events

[Morkle]

lol you have to be tough. No bro, you need to have money.

[count2infinity]

Seems almost like a lose-lose situation for NYC and Amazon, and both are trying to walk away as winners. That said, Amazon's official statement is far superior to de Blasio's...

[Viva la Ben]

What is it about stiffing contractors?
Republican senator says Trump ‘won’t sign’ funding agreement that includes contractor back pay
https://wtop.com/government/2019/02/rep ... -back-pay/

[tifosi77]

Do we really think that Ellison for example, with his ties to the Nation of Islam/Farrakhan, likes Jewish people but just dislikes the Israeli government? C'mon.

I went to a Catholic Church for 30 years and still identify as one, do I hate all gays?

So you're saying the hatred is more selective?

[eddy]

Trump will declare national emergency to fund border wall

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430 ... -emergency

[Troy Loney]

Great precedent.

[eddy]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1096139796186054656

[tifosi77]

Three West Hollywood council members urge Mayor John Duran to resign amid harassment allegations. He says he won’t. “Look, I am a creature of the sexual liberation of the 1970s...I live out loud. I’m very colorful. I’m very flamboyant. I’m very sexual.”

https://twitter.com/haileybranson/statu ... 3765720064

Top comment on that thread: "All politics is scrotal."

[tifosi77]

What is it about stiffing contractors?
Republican senator says Trump ‘won’t sign’ funding agreement that includes contractor back pay
https://wtop.com/government/2019/02/rep ... -back-pay/

I do not understand the thinking behind this position.

[Shyster]

Trump will declare national emergency to fund border wall

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/430 ... -emergency

That's a snazzy suit/vest combo Chuck Grassley is wearing. I'm in the subset that likes brown suits.

[Freddy Rumsen]

"thinking"

[dodint]

What is it about stiffing contractors?
Republican senator says Trump ‘won’t sign’ funding agreement that includes contractor back pay
https://wtop.com/government/2019/02/rep ... -back-pay/

I do not understand the thinking behind this position.

Which position?

I understand why contractors that did not perform work during the shutdown should not get paid. There are different classes of employees and they got what they negotiated for.

If contractors, during the shutdown, performed essential work at the behest of a federal agency then yes they should absolutely be paid for their services.

[Trip McNeely]

TIL that if you don’t get what you want, just declare a national emergency

[Troy Loney]

What is it about stiffing contractors?
Republican senator says Trump ‘won’t sign’ funding agreement that includes contractor back pay
https://wtop.com/government/2019/02/rep ... -back-pay/

I do not understand the thinking behind this position.

Which position?

I understand why contractors that did not perform work during the shutdown should not get paid. There are different classes of employees and they got what they negotiated for.

If contractors, during the shutdown, performed essential work at the behest of a federal agency then yes they should absolutely be paid for their services.

If they performed any work during the shutdown they should be paid.

[Freddy Rumsen]

BIDEN INCHES CLOSER: @JoeBiden met privately with @SenFeinstein today. “Oh yes," she said when asked if she thinks he'll mount a 2020 bid, @mkraju reports. Aides are preparing a campaign. They are awaiting his signal to flip the switch — but don’t expect decision until March.

https://twitter.com/jeffzeleny/status/1 ... 8506441728

[Trip McNeely]

I’m still on the side that Trump won’t sign the bill at all. It will be on his desk for the photo-op and he’s gonna refuse

[tifosi77]

If contractors, during the shutdown, performed essential work at the behest of a federal agency then yes they should absolutely be paid for their services.

If they performed any work during the shutdown they should be paid.

Yes, I don't think this is a controversial stance, and I don't quite get why this is apparently not happening.

[dodint]

What is it about stiffing contractors?
Republican senator says Trump ‘won’t sign’ funding agreement that includes contractor back pay
https://wtop.com/government/2019/02/rep ... -back-pay/

I do not understand the thinking behind this position.

Which position?

I understand why contractors that did not perform work during the shutdown should not get paid. There are different classes of employees and they got what they negotiated for.

If contractors, during the shutdown, performed essential work at the behest of a federal agency then yes they should absolutely be paid for their services.

If they performed any work during the shutdown they should be paid.

Agreed.

In typical practice when there is a gov shutdown contracted workers do not report to work. They're paid by the contracting company, not the government. So whatever agreement they have to work comes from that company. It's not the federal governments place to step in and give money directly to these people because they do not have an employment relationship with those individuals. The basis for Trump's opposition is that, for the first time ever, there is a movement to give back pay to the companies to pay the employees. There is a significant opportunity for corruption here from several different directions. There is no mechanism for FedGov to pay the contractor-employees directly.

Philosophically, contractor-employees are simply a different class of worker than a federal employee. Contractors bargained for their position knowing that these kind of interruptions are possible and that uncertainty is reflected in their compensation package. FedGov employees bargained for their positions based on similar but substantially different assumptions. It's unfortunate that contractors got their stream of income interrupted, but that's the nature of the game. I might not have agreed with that analysis until recently; I took Employment Law last semester and it changed my view on the employer-employee relationship.

Citation: Am a current FedGov employee and was a defense contractor-employee for the DoD.

[eddy]

I predict national emergencies will be on the rise going forward

[Gaucho]

I predict national emergencies will be on the rise going forward

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1096148833246081024

[Freddy Rumsen]

Yeah, Presidential power to declare by fiat war, spending, policy, etc... has been soooo limited before. #TheOnceandFutureKing

[Troy Loney]

Agreed.

In typical practice when there is a gov shutdown contracted workers do not report to work. They're paid by the contracting company, not the government. So whatever agreement they have to work comes from that company. It's not the federal governments place to step in and give money directly to these people because they do not have an employment relationship with those individuals. The basis for Trump's opposition is that, for the first time ever, there is a movement to give back pay to the companies to pay the employees. There is a significant opportunity for corruption here from several different directions. There is no mechanism for FedGov to pay the contractor-employees directly.

Philosophically, contractor-employees are simply a different class of worker than a federal employee. Contractors bargained for their position knowing that these kind of interruptions are possible and that uncertainty is reflected in their compensation package. FedGov employees bargained for their positions based on similar but substantially different assumptions. It's unfortunate that contractors got their stream of income interrupted, but that's the nature of the game. I might not have agreed with that analysis until recently; I took Employment Law last semester and it changed my view on the employer-employee relationship.

Citation: Am a current FedGov employee and was a defense contractor-employee for the DoD.

I understand that there is some complications here. Contractors should be reimbursed for any work that they performed. I don't think the contractors should be obligated to pay people that weren't working during the shutdown.

But since this is now how the government operates, I think these contract going forward should outline exactly how employees are treated during such periods. These contract employees shouldn't be put in limbo because the government is dysfunctional.

[eddy]

I predict national emergencies will be on the rise going forward

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1096148833246081024

she's not wrong.

[Troy Loney]

National Emergency Season 2 will be abortions.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/a ... ad-of-2020

[dodint]

These contract employees shouldn't be put in limbo because the government is dysfunctional.

I agree with just about everything you've said except the quoted sentence. They're put into limbo because they chose to work under conditions where that outcome is a real possibility. If they want stability they can work elsewhere; including seeking similar work for the government under terms that provide that level of stability.

Contractors work under a contract. Sometimes it's good for the individual, sometimes it's good for the agency. But they both understood the deal from the start (or should have).

I think we're effectively talking to the same end; I'm just acknowledging that cries for back payment for work not rendered is disingenuous for this particular class of worker.