If You Know A Furloughed Federal Employee.......

Do NOT ask them how their "vacation" was. Because it isn't funny and it wasn't a vacation. I'm pretty sure that most of us didn't pack a bag and head to Hawaii to sit this out on the beach. The 4 days we were home, the only thing we could really focus on was when are we going to be back to work and paid again. And I imagine a lot of other furloughed feds who are still at home are doing the exact same thing.

Sure, some have enough money to wade it out. But I would bet the majority only have so much, if any, to be able to do that and are living paycheck-to-paycheck and aren't just living it up because they aren't working. Some are probably depressed as all get-out and just don't feel like doing much, while others are doing the chores they never have time for when working, and still a few others very well may be in Hawaii.

Had I been off this week, I would have been one of the ones tackling chores around the house that need to be done but not enough time to do them on weekends or worth taking leave for. Anything to keep busy and trying to keep my mind off of what may or may not happen.

As it was, I received the call on Monday morning to come in to work, so I did. And that was when I started getting "Welcome back from your vacation!" Grrrrrrr. (And, to make matters even worse, I hadn't had my Starbucks or ANY coffee yet!) So I did tell a few it was no vacation, I hadn't put in any leave, and it isn't fun to stress over making no money. Actually, even though I am back to work, it is without pay until they get their heads out of their butts and fix this mess.

Then to hear that ass Harry Reid (after he called this a paid vacation as well) say that the bill for us to receive retro pay wasn't important enough to pass through the Senate (even though the Senate said they would pass it and Obama would sign it) really pissed me off. I know a lot of people think we shouldn't get the retro pay, but you know, we didn't ask to be pawns in this little political game, and we already lost a lot of money this past summer from those 6 days of furlough. So go pick on someone else. Really!

So anyway, if you know a furloughed fed, don't ask them how their "vacation"" was/is. Instead, buy them a cup of coffee or invite them over for dinner becauase they really might need it.