Monday, December 13, 2010

Fun Monday - Complaints, please.



Jill continues her hosting duties for December Fun Monday - and decided it was time to get stuff off her chest.... her challenge? Post your biggest gripe of the year. Anything goes.

Where to start? Where to start? I consider myself a pretty peaceful and content person, but there are a few things that make my blood boil. Cruelty to animals and children. People and animals left out in the cold to starve and die. Injustice. Injustice makes me so angry - and the problem with it is that there is so little that can be done about it. Even if I had a million dollars, I couldn't feed everyone or protect the children and animals or even punish those who think it is their right to abuse people, power, trust. Even many, many like-minded people can't seem to change some things.

The thing that is making me angry this year, on a personal note, is the devaluation of the state worker. Once upon a time being a state worker was something to aim for, a prestigous job with good pay, good benefits and a good retirement - so people who were lucky enough to land one stayed in their positions and took care of the state's business as if it were their own.

I've been a state worker for a long time now. And the longer I work for the state, the poorer I become. There hasn't been a raise, cost-of-living or otherwise in over six years (not that I make that much money to start with). The cost of health insurance is going up (again). Retirement benefits are dropping. And every year, the lay-off ax hangs above our heads like the sword of Damocles, ready to fall at any second.

I feel fairly secure in my job, in that there is no one else here who knows or is able to perform the full scope of my duties. But there comes a time when even perceived stability has to be re-evaluated.

I found out that my boss is retiring in four years. Once he's gone, all bets are off. That gives me four years to figure out what comes next. And decide what I want to do when I grow up.

6 comments:

SophieMae said...

I so hear ya! Duller is a state employee, as well. *sigh*

One of my biggest gripes is ignorance, and the fact that people don't seem to care that they're ignorant. On a petty note, I no longer have any Brit-coms to watch on Saturday evenings. >:\

Sayre said...

Sorry about the Britcoms, Sophie Mae... We ran out of rights and it cost a lot to renew them. Tried a fundraiser just for those - didn't even come close to the amount needed to buy rights for even ONE series. The people spoke and apparently Britcoms were not high on their list of priorities.

Sandcastle Momma said...

I'm with you on cruelty but lately my biggest complaint has been backstabbing.
I HATE people who smile and act like they're your friend and all the while they're stabbing you in the back.
If you don't like me that's fine but don't pretend you do and then turn around and stick a knife in my back. At least have the nerve to say what you think to my face.
I've been dealing with several women lately who play that way.
I'm an upfront kind of woman - if I have a problem with you I will tell you and if I have something to say about you I'll say it to your face.
I have no respect for people like that and sadly it seems that women do it far more often than men.

Island Rider said...

It is no fun being a county worker anymore either. Ditto with all the complaints about benefits being taken away. I will be lucky if there is any retirement left by the time I am old enough to retire. If I get to retire and am not let go first.

Faye said...

I agree with you on both counts, Sayre. It's hard to be around people who are only concerned with their own little world. On FB last week I just had to shake my head at the lack of compassion expressed by this person and the agreeing comments about how to end welfare. Always feel like all of us escape inhumanity by grace.

I too was a state worker for about 15 years. The most frustrating thing was when a new administration came in and suddenly whatever we had been doing was no longer the right course. Oh yeah, there was also someone new who could do the job better.

joanygee said...

Couldn't agree more with all of you. Here we call them the Public Sector (toffee-nosed English speak lol). Boy am I glad to have been allowed to retire before 'they' moved the goal posts yet again.
'Take me as you find me' if not...then don't bother... about sums it up for me too. I so disliked co-workers who were management toadies. Fawning on managers and back-stabbing the rest of us!