Five Things You Did Last Week

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I know a lot of guys who’ve worked for the Federal Government for decades.

They’re good guys and conscientious workers. We’ve worked shoulder-to-shoulder in the safety field.

I spent part of my Saturday night exchanging texts with them about the memo sent out by President Musk, asking them to write down five things they did last week.

Failure to answer the demand would be met with the employee’s termination.

My friends with the government didn’t much care for the demand.

Much as they didn’t much care for the ‘fork in the road’ letter that asked them to quit.

“All the years I’ve worked have been reduced to this. Like nothing I ever did mattered.”

That would be how I would have taken that first letter too.

As far as reporting what I did last week?

I’d also be aggravated with that request as I’m sure there is accountability within each department. Sending a report to an unelected billionaire who ran around with a chainsaw and laughing about firing people?

I’d have a hard time answering it in good faith, especially considering that the president played three rounds of golf last week.

There may certainly be government waste and a chance to cut some of the fat. Bill Clinton also downsized things back in the 90’s…

…yet that was a slow, targeted approach that paid some mind to the fact that there were actual human beings holding those jobs.

People now are getting letters that say they’re being let go because of poor performance when that’s not the case.

Thousands upon thousands of people are getting their lives turned upside down on a whim.

The men I know are all in their 60’s.

They had a plan as to when they were going to retire. They have more than 30 years experience in their jobs and they certainly would never be let go for performance issues.

On social media the usual trolls are out in full force, happy that those in government are being chopped.

We will feel the pain of these cutbacks.

National parks, museums and libraries closed.

Safety and aid and emergency relief.

FEMA, OSHA, USAID, the IRS and the FBI, the VA…

…are filled with hardworking Americans who are now all on edge, afraid that their lives will never be the same.

Doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason…

…just a multi-billionaire with a chainsaw, laughing about pain.

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