Wilbur Ross is disappointed
More on Wilbur Ross and “why don’t they just take out a loan?”
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday said he doesn’t understand why federal workers are visiting food banks during the partial government shutdown, saying they should instead seek low-interest loans from banks and credit unions to supplement their lost wages.
“I know they are, and I don’t really quite understand why,” Ross said on CNBC when asked about federal workers going to food banks. Ross is a billionaire and a longtime friend of President Trump.
“The idea that it’s paycheck or zero is not a really valid idea,” he said. “There’s no reason why some institution wouldn’t be willing to lend.”
Wellllll I can think of a reason. It goes like this: banks don’t lend money to everyone who asks, because banks are in the business of making money. They ask if you will be able to pay it back, and they seek documentation of any affirmative reply, and if they can’t find the right kind of documentation, they decline to lend the money. That’s a reason some institution wouldn’t be willing to lend. I would think a commerce secretary would know that.
Ross leads one of the agencies that is directly affected by the shutdown that began Dec. 22, and many of his employees haven’t been paid for weeks.
But they’re all fine, because they can all get loans just for the asking. Probably.
The White House is working to quell a growing anger among the 800,000 federal workers who are scheduled to miss their second paychecks this week, as many have begun calling in sick or refusing to show up for work. The Trump administration has scrambled to try to deflect the shutdown’s effect on the economy, but they’ve done this in part by requiring thousands of unpaid federal employees to continue doing their jobs.
Many of those workers are beginning to revolt, either calling in sick or saying they can’t afford gasoline.
“It’s kind of disappointing that the air traffic controllers are calling in sick in pretty large number,” Ross said.
Oh yes, how rude and disappointing of them to stop showing up for work when they’re not being paid.
This sort of grin-and-bear-it line is similar to the position Trump has taken, saying he thinks federal workers will make “adjustments” during the shutdown.
Sure. Just get out the screwdriver and give it a little twist and everything will be awesome.
Maybe he means that Cash n Go in the strip mall.
No, what am thinking? Pawn shops. He’s read about pawn shops. It’ll even help clean out the attic.
Isn’t it wonderful how Trump cleaned out a lot of politicians from Washington’s attic and replaced them with savvy, practical, down-to-earth businessmen?
I really do wish that news outlets would stop saying that workers are ‘calling in sick’.
They aren’t being paid. It’s not their fault they can’t work. That’s kind of what ‘work’ means; I do something for you, you pay me. If you can’t pay me, I can’t work for you. If you make me work for you, then I’m not your employee any longer. We have another word for what you’ve made me.
NPR had a segment this morning on food establishments (including a food truck) in DC that are losing business from the shutdown and having to cut hours; some are sure to go out of business (not that the Commerce Secretary would understand or care about that). Meanwhile, some of those same establishments are being inundated with applications from furloughed government workers.
As I said in the other thread, when the shutdown is over Secretary Ross should ask the cleaning crews how they managed to survive it.
In follow-up remarks to reporter Chuck Dickens, Ross asked “Have they no refuge or resource? Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”
Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts,
“Are there no prisons?” And the Union workhouses? Are they still in operation?”
The last thing I would want is a distracted or agitated air traffic controller in charge of my flight. Better to have disrupted travel. Professionals in safety critical roles are taught when to remove themselves from duty. Anyway, there needs to be a difference introduced between the State being unable to pay because of some short term exigency and a politician choosing to fuck around with your life in an attempt to get his way.
Why doesn’t Wilbur Ross offer to personally extend loans and lines of credit to all federal employees who are currently working without pay?
Don’t normal people have a few hundred thousand laying around? Hell even poor people should be able to manage fifty grand or so, right??
@ #7, I’m guessing because:
1. Fuck those bums, they shouldn’t be working for the government anyway; and
2. 2 million people not earning money x $400 per week = US$800 million per week x ?? weeks = All of Ross’s wealth = see point 1.
Rob, #6. Agitated, distracted ATC’s; Trump’s next flight on Air Force One; what could possibly go righ
…right?
@AoS, if only that didn’t involve hurting innocent aircrew…
I know. I wonder if the Orange one’s seat could be retro-fitted with an ejector?