62-Year-Old Conservative: I Never Dreamed This Could Happen – Then Came Trump

Conservative News DailyFebruary 2, 2025

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The⁤ article discusses a recent announcement made⁤ by former President Trump, offering severance packages to 2 million federal employees to leave their jobs in several departments. The author, a conservative, expresses disbelief at the prospect of a smaller federal government, which has historically been seen as growing and becoming more intrusive. The piece critiques the perceived entitlement of government employees, suggesting they should not be insulated from job loss and should be held‌ to⁤ the same standards as those in the⁢ private sector. The author reflects on their own experiences with job insecurity and argues that everyone should be accountable for their performance at work, nonetheless of whether they are in government⁢ or private⁣ employment. The underlying message advocates for meritocracy and ⁣the importance ⁣of ⁤demonstrating value in one’s job, ultimately challenging the notion that government employees are ⁣exempt from the realities of the employment‌ landscape.

Trump in a stunning manner announced that he was offering 2M federal employees severance for leaving their employment in the federal government in several departments yesterday.

As a conservative at 62, I never dreamed that the federal government could EVER get smaller in my lifetime, and now, it looks like it might be a reality. The very nature of government is to grow and become more intrusive, and so far, that has been proven.

If Trump can do this, it may be the strike that shows everyone (including non-supporters) that like everything else in life, the federal government can also out-grow its environment.

However, what I really want to focus on is the entitled attitude that these employees are sacrosanct. I have always found this assumption that there is a class of people (who happen to work for us) that are above things that we have faced our whole life.

Getting laid off or fired (for cause or not), not having medical insurance, not having an income, etc. is a part of everyone who has ever worked in the “private sector”. By the way, the private sector is always talked about like it’s a negative thing. Let me make this clear: there are two classes of people in the US: people who work for the government, and everyone else that gets to fund the first group I mentioned.

I admit to the reader that I have always been biased against those who have no problem with people in the private sector losing their jobs and way of living, but when it comes to them (employed by government), they are above that as long as they “show up”. They never had to be any good at their job (necessarily), but as long as they showed up, they didn’t get fired.

Covid took the “showing up” requirement away. Now they just had to stay in their pajamas and turn on the computer. From there it was much easier to fake going to work. Apparently, though their entitlement to all of the benefits and money has been kept, even as the requirement to show up has changed.

Here is my main opinion on this: Government employees (federal, state, or local) are not guaranteed employment forever. They shouldn’t be looked at in a different way than my lowly “private sector” boss looks at me. We should all serve at the pleasure of our employer.

In the real world (the world that has to pay for everything), we have to justify ourselves every day. We have to balance our work and personal lives in such a way that we satisfy both sides of our lives.

Am I suggesting that everyone should be subject to the tyranny of our employers? Yes, I am. I’m not saying that anyone, me included, loves everything about work and my employer every day all the time. The idea is to make yourself unreplaceable.

The idea is to convince everyone surrounding you that you bring a good “value” to work every day. It’s not pleasant sometimes. Sometimes you get fired, sometimes you get promoted. However, the very minute I start to believe that I am “above” getting replaced, is where I absolutely deserved to be replaced.

When experiencing work setbacks in my life when I have been released from a job, it hurts. It’s painful and extremely stressful to get a new job. However each time it’s happened (whether I deserved it or not), it’s made me reevaluate my skills, learn new ones, and go to MAKE IT HAPPEN (though not pleasant).

The idea that there is a class of people who are on my payroll that are exempt from this kind of stress is offensive to me.

I am THANKFUL. I am lucky, I have a career with good moves and generous employers, but I have performed for them solving problems for them, some they didn’t know they had. It’s wrong in America to have a class insulated from this important life lesson.

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