AssHat of the Week: The Social Security Administration’s $700K Vacation
Maybe you are a little stressed out. You lost your job and you’re scraping the nickels together to get by. Perhaps you have a job, but the pink slips are getting passed around. Now you are on the brink of a panic attack every time you see your boss coming towards your cubicle.
What if someone told you that you need to relax a little and unload some stress? Even better: YOU wouldn’t have to pay for it! The taxpayers would send you on a lavish vacation complete with entertainment, drinks, sparkling swimming pools and great food.
Sound a bit far fetched? Ask almost 700 Social Security Administration executives what they did last week and who paid for it.
The answer: YOU paid for a vacation with your tax dollars so that these “stressed out” executives could get the relaxation they so deserve. All because their fucking jobs are so stressful that they needed a retreat at a four-star hotel in Phoenix. The Arizona Biltmore Hotel describes itself as a ‘restful oasis of 39 acres with lush gardens, a championship golf course, and many swimming pools‘. I have a sprinkler in my back yard. Can’t turn it on that often because then the water bill will be too high.
700 Social Security Execs got to relax here...due to job stress. Life sucks.
This is the first time that I have ever used the “f” word on my blog. Maybe I’ve been waiting to get ticked off enough to use it…or maybe I was afraid someone might not want to read my blog if I had the mouth of a truck driver. Truth is, it’s just not a necessary word for a blogger. Until now.
There are people who can’t find a job who have a Master’s Degree. McDonald’s won’t hire them because they are over qualified. In my tiny State of Rhode Island, the unemployment rate is now 12.4%. The food pantries are scrambling. Kids are hungry. One job at a bank opens up and hundreds of people show up.
Most of us can only pray that when we get to retirement age we will be able to get some of the Social Security money that we paid into.
Last week I gave the AssHat award to AIG for their attempt to seek government approval to give out those preposterous bonuses to their executives. Now this….
$700,000 in tax-payer money spent to de-stress a bunch of Social Security executives at a retreat? That’s bullshit.
What the hell is going on in this country? Is our President walking around with a blindfold on? Who gave the “OK” to do this while people are losing jobs by the thousands?
“The Social Security Administration said it was essential for its executives to attend, so they could learn how to reduce stress, to better deal with Social Security recipients.” – ABC’s chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross
I really think it’s going to be “pass the Xanax” pretty soon instead of “please pass the butter” at the dinner table. That’s if we can afford the Xanax.
I’m not sure about you, but I’d fire every jackass that took part in planning this fiesta at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
This week’s AssHat award is given to The Social Security Administration for spending OUR money to unwind. You guys get paid vacation time as part of your benefit package…nice that you were so stressed out that you received an additional vacation on the tax-payer’s dime.
Am I the only one that is ticked off about this?
Read more of my opinionated self: Providence Social Media Examiner
Mean while we all get little lectures on how to spend the money doled out to us, yet I guess irresponsibility isn't accounted for on their side. Now someone tell me what is wrong with this picture?
How about the SEC and the porn watching on the taxpayer dime? Or the fact that another site says taxpayers are funding the education of responsible drinking to prostitutes in China????????? Someone please tell me what is wrong with that picture? It's only okay to view porn on the taxpayer dollar if you educate prostitutes on how to hold their liquor? Oh and the workers weren't really watching grown ups having sex, they were watching children, see link below.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010...
go to app.com scroll down to the lower right hand corner where you can look up federal employees, then type in the name of any exec in the us government and they'll tell you what the poor, stressed out employee is making.
[...] word for the first time in the history of my blog. Of course, I was writing about the Social Security Administration and some of the big shots who took a $700K vacation/retreat thingy. The word was appropriately [...]
I came across this after learning about the corruption sweep in New Jersey and New York.
Team building is fine, but this seems corrupt in a different way.
It’s sickening what this administration is doing with the tax dollars of hard working Americans. What are we to do? Cut them off perhaps? Wonder what would happen then? Maybe ,just maybe We The People could command their attention long enough to get them to stop wasting OUR money.
This wouldn’t happen in other countries because the gov. is afraid of the people not us,we are all afraid of the gov and until this turns around we will be getting shit upon!!
Time for the American people to speak out! The SS employees should have to pay for this vacation out of pocket! Most of us haven’t had a vacation in years because of taxes!
Shame on them!!
.-= Peggy Gorman´s last blog ..Do you want to be the First Mamavation Mom? =-.
Ok it’s pissed me off again but let’s not stew take a copy of Cheryl’s Ass Hat link it to everything an email to the White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/; send to your state senators and congressmen – link it to facebook….ect and let everyone know we are sick and tired of this get these Aholes fired find out their names and send letters to the SS dept and bombard them with emails and phone calls CALL THESE MF&*$*O#s out!
ok I am good
Governments that practice this should be much more afraid of their people than they realize.
When people are down and out, sitting at rock bottom, the last thing they need is any Fed unzipping and take a leak on them.
Stressed out from dealing with Social Secirity recipients??? How about those of us who wait YEARS to get approved for disability (and only after you hire a lawyer who takes his pound of flesh)? Who made this crap the norm in the business world? It’s not just the government, it’s every large corporation – team building “retreats” in exotic locales, extravagant bonuses, extra perks. Everyday working folk have become the 21st century serfs.
I never use the f-word at all, but I am just about sick and tired enough of our govt to start using it! You can extend the award to the govt as a whole. When has the govt done ANYTHING well, efficient, low-cost, or corruption free? When will we learn our lesson and realize they will never start being responsible with our money? This blows my mind, and the only thing I am more stumped about is why the media is so silent about it. Thank you for sharing.
Who is in charge here??
The Government or the Bureaucracy.
The game of I won’t tell the public on you if you don’t tell on me.
Toooo many lawyers and comedians who could not get a real job so they talked their way into a Government position.
What was their platform??
“We will take care of you.”, and let the next three generations pay for the free ride.
Great post, could rant forever, Asshat is much to nice a title to bestow on such dorks.
If a few of us little people keep voting, maybe some day we will
have the right lawyers in charge. LOL
http://merb002.blogspot.com/
Who is in charge here??
The Government or the Bureaucracy.
The game of I won’t tell the public on you if you don’t tell on me.
Toooo many lawyers and comedians who could not get a real job so they talked their way into a Government position.
What was their platform??
“We will take care of you.”, and lwet the next three generations pay for the free ride.
Great post, could rant forever, Asshat is much to nice a title to bestow on such dorks.
If a few of us little people keep voting, maybe some day we will
have the right lawyers in charge. LOL
http://merb002.blogspot.com/
Blondie….I am beyond pissed… I am at the sullen resignation stage of things….. thanks for ruining my morning coffee…. can we go back to “Rent A Boob?”
OMG absolutely so upset to learning this!!! Every week we learn of more and more friends out of work. Politicians are the biggest crooks going. This is so upsetting!
Seriously? They should feel the stress of not having a job yet still having bills to pay. I don’t get it. And that is why I will never be executive material. How can they think they have more stress and work harder than the minimum wagers shlepping (sp) everyday having to do the actual field work and deal with all the paperwork and people wanting their money. Hey people, this is NOT the way to fix the Social Security shortfall issue! sigh
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Upromise $100,000 College Dream Sweepstakes =-.
Share this with the folks on Medicare who elected to have their Medicare Advantage premiums deducted from their Social Security checks, which became an option in 2006. They’re still trying to unravel the ensuing cluster fuck with Medicare and the insurance companies. Some folks went months without a deduction, and then SSA took it all at once, leaving them with NO CHECK. SSA is high up on my rant soapbox.
.-= Jenn Hughes´s last blog ..Friday Rambling =-.
This has me growling even more than I was before. My husband has waited nearly 3 years to be approved for social security disability — then when they finally approved it, they screwed it up. Still waiting for a check. Instead of a retreat to learn how to deal with stress, perhaps they should be sent to school to learn how to do their freakin’ jobs.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
.-= Vicki L´s last blog ..For Moms Everywhere =-.
“Bite Me” and “Man Up” are perfect phrases for this post. This is something that I cannot believe is not more front and center in the press. Oh, I forgot, Michael Jackson might have more songs that are coming out that were never heard. That’s right. Priorities.
If they can’t deal with the stress of HAVING A JOB, then they should give it to someone else who is dealing with the real stress of NOT HAVING A JOB!!!!! If they need training, bring in a guest speaker and do a FREAKIN LUNCH and LEARN!!! I have accepted the fact that Social Security wont be an option for me. What’s worse is that I’ve used my very hard earned 401k to keep my family afloat through this disaster of an economy. My husband and I are both self-employed. Right now, we DO NOT get vacations, even though we have the stress of dealing with everyday life and trying to keep the lights turned on. We’re manning up and working through it and will have to save double when things pick back up. No bailout for this family.
They need to thank their lucky stars they have a job and BITE ME! Sorry for the rant. But THAT’S POO!
OMFG… that about sums it up. I am stressing over the 20.00 I took out of my electric bill money and these people need to relieve stress? I am in agreement with you..fire the idiots that thought this was a good idea!
I wasn’t ticked off about this until you pointed out it was happening. THIS is ridiculous! “To better deal with SS recipients?” Seriously? The recipients need the vacation more than these executives do!
As far as Xanax goes, I took that once. $10 copay with my insurance. So stressed out people who have jobs and insurance might be able to afford it.
Where’s MY free vacation? And yours? And my brother’s, who hasn’t gotten a paycheck in over a year? (And he has a baby!)
I’m waiting for that line-by-line analysis of our budget that Obama promised us to cut the fat. Our Google for Government. It can’t begin soon enough.
.-= Christina Gleason @ Cutest Kid Ever´s last blog ..Top 10 Posts on Type A Mom =-.
OMG – your so right to point this out as it will sadly become more common place as those idiots so high up the tree lose sight of whats happening on the ground to the real people who are scrambling around for a life …..
Maybe lying around on a sun lounger gives life a better perspective when you have to dole out the crap …….