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The People in Your Neighborhood


 

I do not know what it is like to be an immigrant, or to be undocumented. I do not know what it is like to be a Federal worker, either. Strangely enough, I can feel for them. My heart goes out to them. I can see the wholly unnecessary cruelty being imposed on them and know it is wrong and inhumane.

Why? Because they are my neighbors. And because, as the sign says:


“It shouldn’t have to happen to you for it to matter to you.”


So that brings me to Federal workers. There are many who live here in Howard County and until quite recently I wouldn’t have seen any connection between them and County residents who have come here from other countries. Yet now they are linked essentially by the fact that they are targets of a new administration whose goal is to slash and burn. 

It’s breathtaking how fast that has happened, isn’t it?

A word today in support of our neighbors who are Federal workers. Maryland State Comptroller Brooke Lierman shared the following post on Facebook yesterday:

This is a shout out to our federal workers. 

They are nurses, scientists, social workers, doctors, engineers, assistants, accountants, air traffic controllers, lawyers, TSA workers, food safety inspectors, park rangers, water inspectors, auditors - and more. 

They are moms, dads, grandparents, singles, community volunteers, food-pantry-donors, neighbors. 

They work at the Veterans Administration (the largest agency), US AID (fight for it!), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NOAA, HHS, the Dept of Education, Defense, Homeland Security, the Dept of Transportation, the IRS, the Smithsonian and more.

They are there for us: every single one of us. They don't check to see if Republicans or Democrats will drink the water or meat they test; they don't ask what state you're from and then deny you entry at the Smithsonian; they don't care who is on a train, car, bus, or airplane - they want to keep us all safe. They care for our veterans. They want to protect our families. They want to save us land to explore. They are us.

Right now is the toughest time in my lifetime for our federal workers. And I know many groups, unions, and attorneys general are fighting to protect them. 

Our federal workers are part of what makes America, America. 

So, THANK YOU to our federal workers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am with you; we are with you.

Have you seen this fact sheet?

Text only:

The Truth About FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  • Federal Employees comprise just 1.87% of the American workforce
  • 4.3% of the federal budget amounts to federal workforce compensation
  • The ratio of federal workers to national population has steadily decreased for more than a 1/2 century
  • Federal employees are paid 25% less compared to private sector counterparts
  • Only 10% of federal employees are fully remote
  • 79.4% of federal working hours are spent at an in-person workspace

1 OUT OF 3 Federal employees is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Force

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ARE MORE EDUCATED

Federal workers are:

• 53% more likely to have at least a bachelor's degree

• 120% more than twice as likely to have an advanced degree than private-sector workers

SOURCES

Federal Salary Council Working Group, U.S. Office of Management and Budget , U.S. Office of Personnel Management, U.S. Congressional Budget Office

*****

Here’s the crux of the matter as far as I am concerned: immigrants do incredibly valuable work in our community. Federal workers do incredibly valuable work in our community. Oddly enough, the ways in which they contribute to the places where they live can be largely invisible. We can easily take them for granted. 

That would be a mistake. Not just because their work benefits us, but because they are our neighbors. 

Who is my neighbor? Good question. Now would be a good time to reread this piece from June of 2017:

I Don't Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People, Kayla Chadwick, HuffPost 

I can’t debate someone into caring about what happens to their fellow human beings. The fact that such detached cruelty is so normalized in a certain party’s political discourse is at once infuriating and terrifying.

Which one was a good neighbor?

The one who showed mercy. - - Luke 10:25-37



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