How many of you actually work in/around Government?

i'm around the courts a lot..does that count?

 

i'm a lawyer.

 

I work for a not for profit that writes International accounting standards for government, education, business and the private sector.

Curiously enough it is governments (and in particular the US government) that are the most reluctant to adapt regulatory standards to oversee themselves.

 

Worked for a company that had contracts at NASA and DoD. Never again.

 

I interned at for a City Councilmember when I was in college. It was fun, not highly political. It was more about responding to his constituents and making sure they were happy.

In my previous job, I had to deal with RailRoad Commission officials. Lots of legal and regulatory mumbo jumbo. But it was interesting watching elected officials at hearings.

 

i was a clerk at the First Court of Appeals after my first year of law school. forgot that one.

 

Work for the state

 

I used to work for a university research group that developed reports and consulted on land use and transit issues for local government. I still do some consulting every now and then for groups dealing with urban planning including legislators and other politicos. I also deal with planning, zoning and inspectors.

The old dictum that no one likes seeing politics or sausages get made applies to urban planning too. Imagine spending your time going through byzantine bureaucracy, political in fighting and angry neighborhood activists complaining about how taking away 200 square feet of their park to widen a right away will destroy their kids.

"WON'T ANYBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"

 

I'm around. Defintely around. Significant other in very "in" with the Texas Legislature. We talk about it every day. Speaking strickly for myself, our Texas Legislature and current Governor really, truly suck. They are dominated by corrupt right-wing extremists, starting with the Governor, with some exceptions, to be sure (and not all Democrats, by any means). I wish I were exaggerating. I'm not. I'm understating just how bad it is. Why Texans, of either party, stand for such terribly bad representation and corruption on a grand scale is a mystery to me. All I can figure is a state-wide apathy that is beyond belief.



Keep D&D Civil!!

 

Deckard is correct

 

me too

 

(thanks, Donny and updawg)

Do either one of you, Mulder and updawg, work in Austin? Things are so bad here that we don't put political bumper stickers on our cars, which we used to do, because of the worry that it could have a very negative affect on my wife's career. The very partisanship that conservatives love to accuse liberals and Democrats (they aren't always the same thing, obviously, although you wouldn't know that from reading some of the stuff posted here) of in D&D (and I'm not talking about conservatives like Max, for example), has had a chilling effect on political activism among state employees, at least those higher up, like my wife. Yes, state executives in this liberal bastion of Texas are very much walking around trying to stay under the radar. Those state employees, in the main, who are very openly political are either Republicans, those pretending to be Republicans, or lower level state employees who work for very large agencies. Am I off base?

I was just curious if that was based just on my own experiences and perceptions here, or if it's affecting others the same way.



Keep D&D Civil!!

 

State employee for last 18 years (Texas). Worked for the Feds 4 years prior to state.

 

I work in Austin for a large agency just doing computer network stuff so I don't have to deal with politics but I hear about it alot. Been here 5 years, first 2 were great, the past 3 have just gone downhill quick. I'm about to go back to the real world but the ease of getting golf days off has been keeping me around lately.

There is soo much cronyism and lobbying going on its ridiculous. The more I hear the madder I get. I know people in high up situations like your wifes and you definitely have to watch yourself.
Hopefully it will change with KBH or Kinky

 

Nope I'm in Houston now, but I used to live and work for the state in Austin. But I'm a liberal so everyone in Austin loved me and I am hated here.

 

What does Mrs. Deckard do for a living?

 

I work for a large non-profit school reform foundation. In my position, I deal with the Dept of Ed. pretty regularly. Ironically, this is the one area where I think the Bush Administration has had a positive effect, with it's requirements that schools adopt reading programs that are supported by research.