Posted at reddit:
antinoria
Anyone else tired of their patriotism being questioned?
Misc Question
I work for one of the four power authorities under the department of energy. I am directly responsible for helping ensure all communications between control centers, substations, maintenance headquarters, mountain top radio sites, over 600 individual sites in total, can talk with one another so the entire northwestern energy grid is balanced and functioning. All 15.5 thousand miles of it.
I have worked holidays, in blizzards, sometimes for over 24 hours straight to help coordinate repairs carried out by other workers in sometimes almost impossible conditions. I hold a degree in electrical engineering and another in physics. I situationally telework in inclement conditions, and am generously allowed to work from home if I have a medical appointment that day or some other issue, providing of course that there is not an urgent demand for me to be present on site.
NO ONE I work with is lazy, sits on their asses or does not take their job seriously. I am proud of all the people I work with, work for, or who work under me. Our job is a simple one. To provide for the safe efficient and reliable generation and transmission of power in the north western United States of America. We are the reason we have the lowest electricity rates in the nation, we are funded by our ratepayers (local utilities) and not the Federal Government (yeah I get to work through, AND get paid during government shutdowns).
Moral is really low right now. WE just finished getting staffing and training back on track after the first four years of disruptions. Now we have seen over a 100 hiring actions eliminated, our probationary employees some have 2 or even 3 years of probation as they are in long internal training programs (because we work in the real world of science where electricity does not give a shit who you voted for, or how you feel about any particular culture war issue). I have line crews with only five out of ten positions staffed, being told no more guys for at least another year maybe even more. I am running two districts with less than 50% staffing as it is.
I'm a 100% disabled combat vet with 15 years in and exceeds expectations ratings for the last 4 rating cycles so I will be one of the last to go in the upcoming RIF (I fully expect it to come). However, of the 13 other engineers who have similar positions to mine, I expect 4 to 6 of them being let go. The combined experience and ancestral knowledge they will take with them will only make the job much harder and increase the risk to the system.
Privatization will not be an answer, not many public utilities have people with the experience to do many of our jobs. Those 500KV transmission lines, yeah not owned by the local utility, and working on them requires very specialized training.
Point is, we are the people who provide reliable electricity to everyone in the northwest. Fun fact, can't watch FOX news, or peruse the QANON sites without electricity.
Most people have no idea my job even exists, let alone understand how to do it. This is not unique to my job, most people have absolutely no concept of what the federal government does. DOE has three primary missions. First control and maintenance of our nuclear stockpile. Second control and management of the 21 National Laboratories. Third the four power authorities that provide a functioning national power grid (yeah even helping Texas). The vast majority of DOE personnel work for the power authorities. We will be seeing deep cuts like every other agency. No backfilling of positions, gutting of training programs, loss of experience and degradation of systems and equipment.
I am sick of people whose concept of patriotism is driving a truck with flags attached to it. I fought for my country, bled on foreign soil for my country, and now I am working to help deliver reliable power to my fellow citizens (regardless of who or what they are).
My VA shrink is worried as well, we had a great session (I see her every two weeks for the whole 100% disabled thingy). I am worried, my wife and daughter are worried. Again, I will weather this easier than most, I am a married hetero white male with specialized non-ideological experience providing, what I hope is, a relatively uncontroversial service. I am protected from RIF for a good long while. I am still very worried. For my friends, co-workers, and frankly for the very public that elected people committed to bringing it all crashing down in their ignorance.
I am worried I will not be able to do my job safely or efficiently.
I am worried that those who work for me will get burnt out trying to do too much with too little resources.
I am worried that good men and women who work tirelessly with me may have their entire lives upended to satisfy a line item on a nonsensical spreadsheet in DC so someone can have a 20 second throw away sound bite about the deep state.
I am worried that our national power grid may very well become more vulnerable to external threats than it already is.
I also am angry. I'm angry that my patriotism and dedication to this country is being marginalized, often by people who have no idea of the sacrifices I have made for it. Even worse, sometimes by those who KNOW BETTER, but do not care.
I am angry that women, people of color, marginalized communities, and the disabled are having their experience and qualifications summarily dismissed as a product of DEI, as if higher mathematics and technical expertise are somehow unable to be understood by non-white men. DEI is a really simple thing for me, forget all the training and classes, the buzzwords and jargon. It all boils down to one phrase. "People are different, don't be a dick". And yet that simple concept is too much for most to stomach.
I am angry at the general public's celebration of mediocrity and deliberate ignorance, as somehow being a holy virtue. I listened to people blame COVID on 5G wireless communication, people who have absolutely ZERO concept of how communication systems work, let alone basic fucking biology. I am angry that this neo-luddite phenomenon where science and reason are somehow the villain and emotion and faith the virtuous path. As if electricity and physics gives a fuck who you pray too (pro tip: Electricity does not care).
I am disappointed, in the so called "men" in leadership in congress, the influencers, media personalities and pundits writ large. For me a MAN is a very specific creature, being male is a product of birth, being a man takes a little more work. Today I see that there are way too many males, and not very many men. (BTW this applies to women also, just not sure how to make it sound right in writing).
A man does not demand affection, he earns it. A man does not take credit from those he leads, he shares it. A man does not blame those beneath him, he accepts the responsibility. A man does not shy away from the difficult problem, he works to solve it. A man does does not fear criticism, he welcomes differing ideas and will abandon a weak idea when presented with a better one. A man makes the honorable and just choice, even if it hurts. I could go on but I hope you get the idea. Like I said, too many males, not enough men.
So here I am, disappointed, worried, and angry. My mind keeps saying I should also be resigned, resigned to the fact that I will be disappointed, worried, and angry for some time to come. I hope I am wrong.
Thanks for letting me vent.
