Losses at the Forest Service

[RemingtonRules]

I blame the exhaustive wasteful spending that led us here. Hitting the reset button will impact some good people but blame those that did this over the years.

 

[RemingtonRules]

Keystone--if resurrected--will RAISE gas prices for many of those living in midwest USA. Gas prices rose just the other day here. Gonna be a lot of people regretting their votes pretty soon here!

You realize the last oil spike was on the heels of Biden shutting it down.

 

[El Jason]

They make me go through a freedom of information act just to stonewall.

The paper trail is necessary to show compliance with FOIA and/or state and local laws and codes. Agencies get sued for not releasing information and end up paying out. Is it unreasonable then, that all requests must be in writing?

 

[RemingtonRules]

Keystone--if resurrected--will RAISE gas prices for many of those living in midwest USA. Gas prices rose just the other day here. Gonna be a lot of people regretting their votes pretty soon here!

Irony of someone against a project that creates jobs in a post about people losing jobs.

 

[RemingtonRules]

The paper trail is necessary to show compliance with FOIA and/or state and local laws and codes. Agencies get sued for not releasing information and end up paying out. Is it unreasonable then, that all requests must be in writing?

I worked for a municipality we did not require if it was information related to budget and spending. Every year we had a budget hearing. We posted all budget information.

 

[TheTone]

I blame the exhaustive wasteful spending that led us here. Hitting the reset button will impact some good people but blame those that did this over the years.

I don’t see anyone getting blamed or being held accountable; it mostly just looks like a bunch of people at the bottom of the rung suddenly being out of work through no fault of their own

 

[El Jason]

I worked for a municipality we did not require if it was information related to budget and spending. Every year we had a budget hearing. We posted all budget information.

That’s great. Some states, counties and cities require a written request so they can show compliance. Isn’t that the essence of transparency?

 

[RemingtonRules]

That’s great. Some states, counties and cities require a written request so they can show compliance. Isn’t that the essence of transparency?

No

 

[RemingtonRules]

I don’t see anyone getting blamed or being held accountable; it mostly just looks like a bunch of people at the bottom of the rung suddenly being out of work through no fault of their own

The fish stinks from the head.

 

[El Jason]

No

So, someone says “I asked for this and you didn’t release it” and want to sue. But wait, there is no paper trail…

Personally, I find the paper trail does a lot to increase accountability. The agency I work for requires written requests (can be emailed) and won’t release documents based on personal or phone requests. We’ve been sued for stonewalling and legitimately lost. We deserved to pay out.

It’s interesting how you view having to submit FOIA paperwork as stonewalling, when in actually it creates a trail for auditors and/or investigators to determine if an agency is in compliance or not.

I like documentation. YMMV.

 

[SAJ-99]

Irony of someone against a project that creates jobs in a post about people losing jobs.

The real irony here is people arguing about a project that will never get built because no one cares anymore.

 

[Laszlo Cravensworth]

The real irony here is people arguing about a project that will never get built because no one cares anymore.

Brah... We need to import more Canadian oil so we can tariff it..

 

[noharleyyet]

Brah... We need to import more Canadian oil so we can tariff it..

Stage left entry: Keystone XL (nothing to see here, 'eff' the pipeliners)

 

[BuzzH]

These cuts are going to impact the way NFS do business. I'd expect access to some areas being cut, campground closures, more gated roads, trails being shut down, etc. etc. If the fire season is bad, there's going to be a lot more acres going up in smoke as well.

The FS has been understaffed and underbudget for as long as I can remember. The division I work for has NEVER been fully staffed, we were bare bones prior to this.

 

[RemingtonRules]

So, someone says “I asked for this and you didn’t release it” and want to sue. But wait, there is no paper trail…

Personally, I find the paper trail does a lot to increase accountability. The agency I work for requires written requests (can be emailed) and won’t release documents based on personal or phone requests. We’ve been sued for stonewalling and legitimately lost. We deserved to pay out.

It’s interesting how you view having to submit FOIA paperwork as stonewalling, when in actually it creates a trail for auditors and/or investigators to determine if an agency is in compliance or not.

I like documentation. YMMV.

You are conflating process with transparency. They are vastly different. We never kept records of what was provided. We fulfilled the requests to people or reporters.

I am not sure what agency you are a part of. Assume probably a police or sheriff.

 

[SAJ-99]

Some rehiring being done in some departments. LOL.

 

[RemingtonRules]

These cuts are going to impact the way NFS do business. I'd expect access to some areas being cut, campground closures, more gated roads, trails being shut down, etc. etc. If the fire season is bad, there's going to be a lot more acres going up in smoke as well.

The FS has been understaffed and underbudget for as long as I can remember. The division I work for has NEVER been fully staffed, we were bare bones prior to this.

I remember Trump donated his salary to the NPS during his first term. I anticipate he will get a leader in place to make sure the NFS is run to achieve its purpose.

 

[westbranch]

You realize private companies are audited annually. They also have a Board that oversees executive comp. A CEO cannot declare their own raise. But the truth does not make for a good story.

How did that nonprofit transparency work for the NRA?

I ask for basic information from my local city. They make me go through a freedom of information act just to stonewall.

The vast majority of private companies are closely held and while they may have external audits for some purposes the results of those audits are not public and many are not required to have audits. Based on numbers in 2024 87% of all companies with >100M of revenue are private.

 

[D_Walt]

I’m not a .gov employee and am not well versed in the exact workings of Federal agencies, but I have successfully and profitably run a business in a very cyclical industry (residential construction supply) for two decades. I have had times when we had to let 10% or more of the staff go, and every time that has happened we got better and more efficient - because if we didn’t we would have gone broke and everyone would have lost their jobs.
Like I said, I have no experience in government, but from the outside looking in, it seems like if there is competent management they should be able to handle some adversity and a hit in the revenue stream.
I certainly understand that there are a great many government employees that are dedicated and do a great job - and keep this country moving forward. But I do roll my eyes a bit when a 10% reduction causes a “sky is falling” reaction. Perhaps it is, but my life experience has showed me that people and businesses (and by extension I am assuming the Feds) can be quite adept at adjusting when they have to.

 

[RemingtonRules]

Brah... We need to import more Canadian oil so we can tariff it..

Yeah those tariffs materialized like everyone was running around screaming about in here.