The news is filled everyday with thousands more firings of government employees. The process clearly has zero connections to efficiency or effectiveness. There is no analysis underlying any of this – just a race to see how many people they can fire before sanity reasserts itself. Today a federal judge said all this was illegal and directed these people be brought back to work. Time will tell what happens next.
But in the meantime, let’s take a moment and look beyond a failed process, beyond the impact on government and our country. Let’s look at one person’s story about what it is like to be caught in this meat grinder disguised as policy.
The story below was shared with us by close friends. We have changed names and any identifying elements, in recognition of the hate driving all these firings. Read on and remember stories like this are now the stories of thousands and thousands of families who prior to all this served us with honor and dedication.
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A disturbing event relevant to our family and our nation, occurred in mid-February that we want to share:
Bradley, our oldest grandchild was one of more than 4000 employees fired from the National Forest Service and National Park Service. Since then, we have read thousands of employees in other agencies, such as Health and Human Services, have also been fired.
Since a toddler Bradley, has loved being outdoors. In his early teens he started going with his grandfather Mike, volunteering to do trail maintenance with the Mountain Club in our region of the state.
From ages 16 to 20 years old, Bradley, spent his summers working in Yellowstone National Park, for the Idaho Conservation Corp, and Idaho, and for the nonprofit Friends of the Scotchman Peak Wilderness in Montana. He spent those summers, sometimes with 100+ degree temperatures, building trails, hauling rocks, sleeping outdoors on the ground, cleaning campgrounds and shower/bathrooms, for minimal wages. At age 20, while still in college, he got his first summer job with the US Forest Service as a junior ranger along the Snake River in Hells Canyon.
At age 21 he graduated from University, with a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies, and a minor in English. He was hired full time by US Forest Service as a River Ranger, stationed in Idaho, in a small town (less than 500 people and a no-stoplight Main Street), along a river.
In spite of scooping up copious amounts of dog poop and trash left along the riverbanks and at campgrounds, Bradley, loved his “dream come true” job! He had exemplary reviews and recently won an award from his regional supervisors for a risk management project. Bradley was very good at his job! He sacrificed much to earn his position with the U.S. Forest Service. He did this because he loves our country’s public lands and wants to preserve National Forests and National Park for all Americans to enjoy.
On Friday, February 14th, Bradley phoned us about his being fired and access to his records with the Forest Service being frozen. Naturally he was extremely sad, but he was more concerned for others than himself. He knows he has a supporting family to help him get through the challenges ahead, but he expressed compassion for many others less fortunate. With the immediate and unexpected loss of their jobs, they may likely lose their homes and be unable to support their young families.
He said he personally knows nearly 50 other young adults across the US, who he has worked with at sometime during the past 6 years, also were fired. Like Bradley, many of these Forest Service and Park Service employees, who have had extensive certification training in emergency medical services and wilderness firefighting, were involved in the welfare, recovery, and rescue of visitors to our country’s public land.
A week prior to Bradley’s call, we read about the shutting down of the USAID offices. Since Bradley’s call, we have read that other government agencies, especially those under Health and Human Services (which includes Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, etc.) experienced similar firings of employees and freezing of their employment records.
We have read that these recent firing are the first wave of planned nationwide slashes to federal jobs in multiple agencies.
Others will see us from their subjective point of view. Their opinions are not our concern. “Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty…” – Albert Einstein
There are incurable diseases that ravish bodies and destroy minds, leaving loved ones living with grief and constant sorrow. People, animals, and land suffers, often long term, following natural disaster from fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.
There are already tremendous tragedies from the wars in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, etc. We are now extremely concerned for the future welfare of many, nationally and globally, and for our republic.
On that somber commentary, we will close by saying we are thankful for our lives and try to find joy in every day. Our major sources of joy come from our families. Each week we hear from, or about, one or more of our grandchildren – that brings us smiles and warms our hearts. Much gratitude!
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A Closing Note
Stories like this are multiplied all over our country, for no justifiable reasons. The costs will be terrible for so many, and for our country. People are starting to get this. Tonight, our Republican Congressman actually scheduled a town meeting in our area, a very rare thing. The venue he picked only holds 300 people. Two hours before the event was to start, about 1000 were in line and more were arriving.
May we not be tired or afraid or sad. Be angry. Commit to the fight, for the long haul. Quite literally everything is at stake.
Bill Clontz
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Let’s grow our circle.
I hope your Congressman has the guts to show. A significant number of GOP politicians have, following advice from the Party, chosen to not have Town Meetings or at least have carefully vetted audience members.
He did show up- as did 2,000 citizens (for a 300 seat facility). Will read the outcome tomorrow but that turnout says a lot.