How would not getting paid work for you?

[fdcg27]

Many federal employees didn't get a paycheck this week due to the government shutdown.
My wife and I could go a year or more without dipping into our retirement savings, but we've been empty nesters for nearly a decade and our house has been long since paid off.
What if we were twenty or more years back in our lives?
Could we survive long without income while still working full-time in jobs deemed essential?
Things would be difficult to say the least.
I don't intend this as a political thread but rather a practical one.
The executive and the legislature must get together and arrive at some compromise.
Anything else is unacceptable in our nation.
Personnel deemed essential, like those working in TSA or BOP must not be expected to work without pay as they are now.

 

[Garak]

Nope. If we could all survive long without getting paid, we'd be retired, right?

 

[Mr Nice]

2 years

 

[JeffKeryk]

Silicon Valley has so much opportunity that I have no financial worries.
It has not always been this way; I got my 1st degree at 40 after many years of very hard living and constant troubles.
I do not need to work; I work because I like the challenge.
I am one of the lucky ones and I know it, others are not so lucky.
The workers are doing their part; their employer needs to do theirs.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

fdcg, I get your point, but here's mine: While intending no disrespect towards those employed by the government, other than the military which is obviously an essential part of the budget, there are nearly 2 million civilian federal employees. They do not by definition add any value to the country's economy. They consume the wealth generation of the working people, and a majority of those government positions are simply to collect even more revenue from the workers. This is not political, but simple fact.

While I think a shutdown is a crappy way to do business, I also support paring down the federal agencies and their payrolls. The paychecks and benefits are simply gravy compared to the private sector, and all of that money comes from the people with non-governmental paychecks.

 

[Zee09]

Those of us who are self employed never get a paycheck......

 

[bullwinkle]

As long as I knew I was going to get paid eventually, I would be OK with it. Not going to happen for years, though-I'm not breaking up & spoiling my retirement investments to do it-I would be getting another job. It always amazes me how people live paycheck-to-paycheck, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night without a rainy day nest egg.

 

[toneydoc]

Well. On a slightly different coin, I am about to retire.
I have been working/gainfully employed for the past 50 years with very little time without a paycheck.
That will come to an end on 1 February. I will not miss getting up and going to work one bit.
But I really wonder if I am going to miss getting a paycheck. I bet I do for a few months as my disposable income goes down
Back to the thread question. Many people are not ready for an extended period without a paycheck. We will see some with some pains.
I really think that we should force the Congress to forgo any paychecks while other fed employees do without a paycheck.
That might cause them to go to work and solve this situation
I feel bad for the wives and children who may be having to do without some things.

 

[csandste]

Shouldn't be talking because I was a local and state governmental employee my entire career. I did, however, consider my job as CEO was to beat my organization to within an inch of its life. I paid well but went crazy on any new position requests, especially the people wanting more managers. Stomping out middle management was my mantra. You want additional help I'll give you a hyphen in your new title. Not to be an old [censored] but since my retirement the organization has gone from wide and fast to narrow high and loaded with unnecessary people.

Always tried to avoid all things Federal. The few times I took their money I lived to rue the day. My view of the Feds is that they need huge cuts in almost everything including the military (and social security for that matter). Why do we spend more on the military than the next eight countries, couldn't we get by spending more than the next five countries instead?

Case in point for Federal spending-- the TSA. They seem no better trained than the old gatekeepers that were employed by the airlines. In fact, most of 'em are probably the same people. What did we gain by making them Federal employees?

Glad I got this off my chest before it gets taken down.

 

[4WD]

You actually have something in common with a TSA "officer" … when things go pear shaped … they too have to call a real LEO with a gun …

 

[DoubleWasp]

I don't know how long it's going to take the public at large to realize that these things only go on so that we don't fight for what really matters

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

People must be OK with it. They elected these psychos on both sides. I would be fine with it for a while. They will be paid. Do contract work for the government and it is always like a shut down. Takes weeks or months to be paid.

 

[Hall]

The irony is, folks in Congress are still getting their paychecks....

 

[spk2000]

I work in automotive that pays fairly well compared to other industries in similar role. You do work for it though.
It is also a very cyclical business and when vehicles are not selling well people get laid off. People in general feel entitled to their work and need to be able to survive without a paycheck for some time. Living week to week is not living within your means.
I have had extended times of layoff and extended times of nonstop 12/7 for months straight when there was way too much overtime. Problem is I am salaried and don't get paid for overtime. Believe me the small bonus does not make up for no overtime. I have also picked up part time jobs in times of layoff.

 

[AZjeff]

Saw a poll where 80% of responders live check to check. Obviously something is wrong with this picture. We're nearing the end of our working years but even in the middle of the kid raising years we could have gone a few months. People should live within their means.

 

[Wolf359]

Self employed here too. Haven't had a paycheck in over a decade. Sometimes I could go months without generating a commission check. But usually those commissions were pretty decent. Probably years before I'd run out.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Saw a poll where 80% of responders live check to check. Obviously something is wrong with this picture. We're nearing the end of our working years but even in the middle of the kid raising years we could have gone a few months. People should live within their means.

Amen. I grew up having a hard time finding work, not much $$. Now I am still cheap and been at my union job 15 years but live like I could be fired any day. Still do side jobs often as well. Sometimes I don't know why.....

 

[eljefino]

The issue is like living through a blackout-- it's unexpected and you need to ration what you have to get you through until forces beyond your control resolve themselves.

If I got through a blackout with fuel leftover, having powered the barest of essentials, I'd feel stupid for not using more so I could have watched TV and ran the heat up higher. But I wouldn't have known that until the power came back on and I was able to take inventory.

Some weather models aren't being run, I understand. This makes distant future forecasting less precise. The National Weather Service provides part of our infrastructure so we as people and businesses can plan a week ahead so we can use our time efficiently and avoid losses (crops, cattle, etc). The federal employees making this happen absolutely add value.

Additionally, it's common in families for one breadwinner to work a "steady" 40 hour job and bring home benefits while the other works a riskier job with greater (but variable) financial reward, more time flexibility for raising children, etc. It's quite disruptive to yank the carpet out from under the "steady" worker who sought this arrangement on purpose.

 

[CT8]

The government employees will eventually get their pay.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by CT8
The government employees will eventually get their pay.


But how do you work that? What if you have $1500 in checking, a monthly salary of $4000, and expenses of $3500, $1500 of which are fixed loans (mortgage and car)? Then you have $2000 you can put on a credit card with a $100 minimum payment, but you decide to pay the car note two weeks late on hopes that the government will be reopen by then, and you pay the minimum on your credit card wtih the money left over.

Then the shutdown drags on and your house of cards collapses.

Or you try to take out an emergency loan from your government retirement account, but the guy that processes that is on layoff too.

It's just a mess, and unprofessional.