I can no longer justify being a part of Trump’s ‘Complacent

[Tennesseer]

OPINION

I can no longer justify being a part of Trump’s ‘Complacent State.’ So I’m resigning.

Chuck Park’s resignation from the Foreign Service is effective Thursday.

I was 26, newly married and more than a little idealistic when I set off for my first diplomatic assignment almost a decade ago as a member of the 157th class of commissioned U.S. Foreign Service officers.

According to a certain type of right-leaning conspiracy theorist, that would make me part of “The Deep State” — a shadowy government within the government that puts its own interests above the expressed wishes of the electorate. Adherents to this theory believe that thousands of federal workers like me are plotting furiously to subvert the Trump administration at every turn. Many on the left, too, hope that such a resistance is secretly working to save the nation from the worst impulses of President Trump.

They have it all wrong. Your federal bureaucracy under this president? Call it “The Complacent State” instead.

Like many in my cohort, I came into the government inspired by a president who convinced me there was still some truth to the gospel of American exceptionalism. A child of immigrants from South Korea, I also felt a duty to the society that welcomed my parents and allowed me and my siblings to thrive.

Complete article here: I can no longer justify being a part of Trump’s ‘Complacent State.’ So I’m resigning.


ETA:

State Department foreign service officer resigns in blistering criticism of Trump

[busymom]

While I agree with his reasons for resigning, I worry that all we'll have left are those who will do ANYTHING the POTUS asks of them, right or wrong.  We need folks to stand up to the stupidity.  Or insanity.  However you view what's wrong with those who are at the top right now.

[happyhoix]

Aug 8, 2019 21:03:43 GMT -5 busymom said:

While I agree with his reasons for resigning, I worry that all we'll have left are those who will do ANYTHING the POTUS asks of them, right or wrong.  We need folks to stand up to the stupidity.  Or insanity.  However you view what's wrong with those who are at the top right now.

Add to that the fact that so many of these government organizations are already understaffed because the Trump admin wants to shrink government.

Our internal terrorist department at DHS is less than half the size it was before Trump took office, because Trump's admin doesn't think home grown (white supremist) terrorism is a 'thing' - so, no one watching the henhouse, and the foxes have taken up residence.

[OldCoyote]

Add to that the fact that so many of these government organizations are already understaffed because the Trump admin wants to shrink government.

Woooo Hoooooo Trump is helping survive Government over reach by reducing the number of writing ridiculous laws.

Here is a great example. One of my sub's bought a nice lot on the side of a hill, mind you this has a gentle slope, Oh my god, the rules that apply to that!

Rules that only apparently are only know to the people buried deep in the system, of course no one can come out and just say,, you need to do this this and this,,,

Nope after each thing that come , go to the architect, make that change, now here is another one, so you have weeks turn into month trying to get a permit,,

Here is the last one, because he is with in five miles of an airport, if I understand it,

is required to get a letter from the airport saying that he is required to tell the person,

if he ever decides to sell it,, that the house and property is within five miles of the airport!

Oh yea , that airport is owned by the city,, Wonder what their requirement will be??

[phil5185]

""government organizations are already understaffed because the Trump admin wants to shrink government.""

Maybe it depends on your version of 'understaffed?'

"AT LEAST 22 million are reported to work for all the various U.S., state and local governments, as of Q3 2015, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you want a more precise approximation (?) the number for May 2018 (same source) is 22,326,000"

[busymom]

I can't help but be slightly amused, in a sad sort of way, when people complain that government is bloated, yet, when they need help from an agency like the IRS or social services, complain about HOW LONG it takes to get a return telephone call from a government employee.

[happyhoix]

Aug 9, 2019 8:35:18 GMT -5 phil5185 said:

""government organizations are already understaffed because the Trump admin wants to shrink government.""

Maybe it depends on your version of 'understaffed?'

"AT LEAST 22 million are reported to work for all the various U.S., state and local governments, as of Q3 2015, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you want a more precise approximation (?) the number for May 2018 (same source) is 22,326,000"

Hmm, you quote ALL government workers. I tried to look for just federal government workers since Trump took office, and found a bunch of sources offering contradicting statistics. 

Politifact (a site that rates the truthiness of other sites) and it points out the postal service and military are the largest piece of the federal government pie, and that the number of total federal employees has gradually declined for 30 years. www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2018/jan/22/taking-measure-federal-workforce/

But - if you look only at the State department, which is the department the person in the OP's article worked for, that much smaller part of the pie lost 12 percent of it's foreign affairs specialist in the first 8 months of the Trump administration.  (They only have data up through Sept 2017, in this article from 2018) www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/02/tillerson-trump-state-foreign-service/553034/

So, we have a rare happy event - you're right the total number of federal employees has gradually been going down for 30  years, but I'm right that for the foreign service state Department employees, especially those with years of experience, there has been a big reduction of experienced employees.  

[djAdvocate]

Aug 9, 2019 8:35:18 GMT -5 phil5185 said:

""government organizations are already understaffed because the Trump admin wants to shrink government.""

Maybe it depends on your version of 'understaffed?'

"AT LEAST 22 million are reported to work for all the various U.S., state and local governments, as of Q3 2015, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you want a more precise approximation (?) the number for May 2018 (same source) is 22,326,000"

federal employment was DOWN under Obama.

it is up 2% under Trump.

this is not about "shrinking government".