Logos Stick said:

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Fins Up! said:

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Sometimes conservatives are the dumbest people on the planet. And the cuts have already gone too far, IMO, because they haven't been done wisely. They've just been done to appease a base. We will all pay for it.

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The cuts seem to have not been done wisely because of the completely inefficient and illogical way the government operates.

If cutting a single new, probationary employee causes a shutdown of a park, then the problem is not with cutting that person.

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I agree that the operations system is archaic and inefficient. So fix the operational management first, then do what any private company would do: combine roles, cross functional training, eliminate useless positions, retire legacy roles, and promote on merit.

Don't just cut without knowing the needs first.

RogerFurlong said:

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Institutional knowledge on how to open doors. Only the government would keep all the keys with one guy. Did the boss not get the keys when he was fired? Complete idiots.

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Also - if the locksmith was a probationary employee it means they had a vacancy to fill. So they'd just gone through this drill to go from Frank to Aiden. If that supervisor didn't take the opportunity to learn what Frank was doing: how could they properly task Aiden? If Frank left without cross training his replacement: then they're back to the same interim status they'd just made it through.

Sob story for the feeble-minded.

How far is Yosemite from a town? Should have put two locksmiths on retainer, and paid them for a call out when needed. Save on benefits , retirement etc.

Heck, do what Corps of Engineers do-- hire a retired locksmith for a free RV space or cabin-- there has to be at least 20 in US that would take you up on deal.

Fins Up! said:

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flashplayer said:

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I was at Independence hall the other day and one of the park guides giving a tour was discussing the precedent set by Washington of serving 2 terms. She ended it with "and ever since, the power of the presidency has been transferred peacefully with 2 exceptions: Lincoln's election before the Civil War and January 6th."

Bunch of lib trash.

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That's the kind of behavior that should get someone reprimanded or fired. We experienced the same bs at Monticello (private conservancy - not NPS). Our young female tour guide couldn't help be continuously pointing out that Jefferson owned slaves. Like it was the most important thing we could take home that day. The entire group was goaning by the end of the tour. Give the damn tour, and shush the political commentary.

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She was wrong twice. Even Lincoln's election was peaceful transfer of power. The South, starting with South Carolina in December after, simply rejected the outcome and detached.

Live near Wilson's Creek Battlefield (federal park) and frequent visitor to exercise. The park rangers generally just drive their pickups in circles. I've not really seen them do anything productive. They did harass my child's PE class for walking the trail (over the summer) because the teacher didn't get their permission in advance (even though the park is free).

Ellis Wyatt said:

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ABATTBQ11 said:

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My company has several hundred employees. Surely we can replace the one maintenance guy with someone from IT or a secretary to save money. Hell, maybe your company should fire all the secretaries and receptionists and just randomly route incoming calls. It'll just be a distributed responsibility to answer the phone and direct people to the right person.

They have a locksmith because all those 1000 other employees have jobs to do that don't involve locksmithing.

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And surely we can stop defending the indefensible. If Donald Trump has to visit every location of every agency in the federal government to make sure it is being run correctly, the average federal employee is even worse than I thought and we are wasting far more taxpayer money than I ever would have believed possible.

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The indefensible is a blanket firing with no idea of who you're firing or what they do instead of just instituting budget cuts and telling departments they need to cut their employee count. Trump made this decision, people followed his orders, and now you're complaining about the consequences as if it's their fault and not his.

It was his decision, he should own it and everything that comes with it. He didn't give them a choice on who to fire or how to restructure or redistribute responsibilities. That's on him, and no one else.

Fins Up! said:

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Logos Stick said:

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Fins Up! said:

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Sometimes conservatives are the dumbest people on the planet. And the cuts have already gone too far, IMO, because they haven't been done wisely. They've just been done to appease a base. We will all pay for it.

---

The cuts seem to have not been done wisely because of the completely inefficient and illogical way the government operates.

If cutting a single new, probationary employee causes a shutdown of a park, then the problem is not with cutting that person.

---

I agree that the operations system is archaic and inefficient. So fix the operational management first, then do what any private company would do: combine roles, cross functional training, eliminate useless positions, retire legacy roles, and promote on merit.

Don't just cut without knowing the needs first.

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When something is that badly run, you can't do it that way. You wouldn't be able to find the rot by a simple audit or inspection. You shut it down, and endure some chaotic moments to find out what is indispensable or competent, and then empower that.

ABATTBQ11 said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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ABATTBQ11 said:

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My company has several hundred employees. Surely we can replace the one maintenance guy with someone from IT or a secretary to save money. Hell, maybe your company should fire all the secretaries and receptionists and just randomly route incoming calls. It'll just be a distributed responsibility to answer the phone and direct people to the right person.

They have a locksmith because all those 1000 other employees have jobs to do that don't involve locksmithing.

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And surely we can stop defending the indefensible. If Donald Trump has to visit every location of every agency in the federal government to make sure it is being run correctly, the average federal employee is even worse than I thought and we are wasting far more taxpayer money than I ever would have believed possible.

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The indefensible is a blanket firing with no idea of who you're firing or what they do instead of just instituting budget cuts and telling departments they need to cut their employee count. Trump made this decision, people followed his orders, and now you're complaining about the consequences as if it's their fault and not his.

It was his decision, he should own it and everything that comes with it. He didn't give them a choice on who to fire or how to restructure or redistribute responsibilities. That's on him, and no one else.

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If he owns it, it will literally be the first time he's ever accepted blame for anything. Alas, I assume he will find a way to blame Biden or DEI.

Get Off My Lawn said:

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RogerFurlong said:

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Institutional knowledge on how to open doors. Only the government would keep all the keys with one guy. Did the boss not get the keys when he was fired? Complete idiots.

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Also - if the locksmith was a probationary employee it means they had a vacancy to fill. So they'd just gone through this drill to go from Frank to Aiden. If that supervisor didn't take the opportunity to learn what Frank was doing: how could they properly task Aiden? If Frank left without cross training his replacement: then they're back to the same interim status they'd just made it through.

Sob story for the feeble-minded.

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If you read the original article, which I'm sure no one else did, you'd know that he apprenticed under the previous guy for 4 years as a seasonal employee. His supervisor knows what he does, he's just the only guy who does it.

Or you suddenly and surprisingly hire a hatchet COO type, from outside the company and empower him/her. It moves the cheese rather quickly, and you find out where the rat nests are.

To me, Lake of the Pines Corps of Engineers parks are just as important as Yosemite.

Several years ago a big enema blew across the lake and destroyed almost all of the southside campgrounds. They closed the park for over a year, and just now opened an area after three years. I figured Biden et al (I noticed too under obama) wasnt going to spend any money on RVers because they are republicans by nature.
I didnt whine, Just went somewhere else.

Not sure why the parks service needs a locksmith on staff. Do they re-key the restrooms after every use? Why not contract with an outside locksmith who can provide the remaining employees with keys? Do those employees not know how to use keys and thus need a full time expert to show them? Something doesn't make sense.

I have never taken a leak at Grand Canyon or Yosemite, but I doubt those restrooms lock from the outside. How often does a lock malfunction and leave someone trapped? Once every 5 years? I'm sure they can find a locksmith in the Yellow Pages that can probably get there just as quickly as the in-house locksmith.

jwhaby said:

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Not sure why the parks service needs a locksmith on staff. Do they re-key the restrooms after every use? Why not contract with an outside locksmith who can provide the remaining employees with keys? Do those employees not know how to use keys and thus need a full time expert to show them? Something doesn't make sense.

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Have you ben to a NP? People are freaking idiots. Between the Karens, badly behaved children and our society as a whole being complete idiots, things are going to happen.

Ftr, I agree with you about calling one. Just pointing out how stupid society is in mass gatherings like a NP. (Former NP Ranger here).

It's a ****ing locksmith not an aerospace engineer. Call one if you need one. For ****s sake. What a joke.

Fins Up! said:

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Or you suddenly and surprisingly hire a hatchet COO type, from outside the company and empower him/her. It moves the cheese rather quickly, and you find out where the rat nests are.

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You are right, but considering that just happened to an associates company those don't go much slower or any less blunt or arbitrary. And yes, it created a flutter of chaos too -- but they just made the remaining do more work and promoted one.

Owlagdad said:

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How far is Yosemite from a town? Should have put two locksmiths on retainer, and paid them for a call out when needed. Save on benefits , retirement etc.

Heck, do what Corps of Engineers do-- hire a retired locksmith for a free RV space or cabin-- there has to be at least 20 in US that would take you up on deal.

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It's not a matter of occasionally needing someone for a stuck lock. Yosemite has a ton of admin and visitor buildings, a federal courthouse, gun safes, bathrooms, and probably all manner of padlocks and gates. This guy keeps track of all the keys that go to what locks and probably handles rekeying and key cutting. I would venture a guess that he's also responsible for fixing or replacing damaged locks. With 4 million visitors a year, I'm sure there are plenty of vandals and lots of wear and tear.

ABATTBQ11 said:

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Owlagdad said:

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How far is Yosemite from a town? Should have put two locksmiths on retainer, and paid them for a call out when needed. Save on benefits , retirement etc.

Heck, do what Corps of Engineers do-- hire a retired locksmith for a free RV space or cabin-- there has to be at least 20 in US that would take you up on deal.

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It's not a matter of occasionally needing someone for a stuck lock. Yosemite has a ton of admin and visitor buildings, a federal courthouse, gun safes, bathrooms, and probably all manner of padlocks and gates. This guy keeps track of all the keys that go to what locks and probably handles rekeying and key cutting. I would venture a guess that he's also responsible for fixing or replacing damaged locks. With 4 million visitors a year, I'm sure there are plenty of vandals and lots of wear and tear.

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He was a border line genius. How will we ever survive without him.

txaggie_08 said:

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Quote:

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He was the sole employee with the keys and the institutional knowledge needed to rescue visitors from locked restrooms."

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Wtf

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Maybe remove all locks from restroom doors. YGTBSM!

Logos Stick said:

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ABATTBQ11 said:

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They fired the only locksmith because he started last March after years as a seasonal employee. He's probational. If you want to blame someone, blame the decision makers who said, "For all the probationary employees."

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The fact that they have only one locksmith in the first place is weapons grade idiocy.

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I have a crazy idea. Leave the bathrooms unlocked and call a private locksmith as needed instead of having a full time locksmith on staff. Give other staff members keys as needed.

How does the saying go? Piss poor planning...

You got to have a plan at the management level... unless, I guess you work for government ,and think your job is forever.

flyrancher said:

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txaggie_08 said:

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Quote:

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He was the sole employee with the keys and the institutional knowledge needed to rescue visitors from locked restrooms."

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Wtf

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Maybe remove all locks from restroom doors. YGTBSM!

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Uh, certain acts, I mean people need their privacy.

ABATTBQ11 said:

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They fired the only locksmith because he started a permanent position last March after years as a seasonal employee. He's probational. If you want to blame someone, blame the decision makers who said, "Fire all the probationary employees."

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Call Joe from down the street. He can open pretty much anything.

txaggie_08 said:

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Quote:

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He was the sole employee with the keys and the institutional knowledge needed to rescue visitors from locked restrooms."

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Wtf

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You need "institutional knowledge" to unlock a bathroom?

Pinochet said:

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I had that job once at a huge apartment complex. Track keys, replace locks, cut new keys, all of it. That didn't make me a locksmith. That made me just another maintenance guy. We all had access to and knew how to find the right keys. We traded off on who was on call for after hours lock outs. This "only one with access" story is bull*****

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I was a leasing agent and no one knew how to cut keys but the maintenance guys. They thought I was a genius when I figured out the machine. I milked more hours playing on my phone acting like it was a difficult task. Anything to avoid being stuck in the office with the manager.

Ag with kids said:

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txaggie_08 said:

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Quote:

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He was the sole employee with the keys and the institutional knowledge needed to rescue visitors from locked restrooms."

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Wtf

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You need "institutional knowledge" to unlock a bathroom?

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Haha. Maybe missed the post, but why was breaking down the door off the table?

This!

Yosemite has a post office, a tire shop, and auto repair shop, a clinic…basically a town. Yes, they need a locksmith. More than one.

Yosemite Valley Village is far from town, as is Canyon and Old Faithful Village in Yellowstone.

They do need all these things. Especially considering how many people visit daily. People get flats, have car trouble, and lock their keys inside their car… and have medical emergencies.

GC South Rim has these services also. And as someone who has had a flat at Big Bend, (tire shop person in Terlingua had a broken pressure hose) I sure do appreciate services of this nature in the parks. And they are needed, not only for visitors but for their fleet also.

The parks need housing for the hundreds of staff members that work the lodges, stores, restaurants, visitors centers, and to clean up the trash from filthy visitors. They have trails to maintain, facilities to maintain. And I deeply appreciate the rangers who work with kids on the Junior Ranger program. My daughter still does this at every park we visit, and it helps her learn and appreciate the uniqueness of the park and its environment.

My initial thought as well. If someone is "trapped" in a bathroom just break the f'ing door. LOL.

Logos Stick said:

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ABATTBQ11 said:

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They fired the only locksmith because he started last March after years as a seasonal employee. He's probational. If you want to blame someone, blame the decision makers who said, "For all the probationary employees."

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The fact that they have only one locksmith in the first place is weapons grade idiocy.

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Why do they have an in-house locksmith anyway. Subcontract it. Do you really need a locksmith on staff full time?

titan said:

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Fins Up! said:

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flashplayer said:

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I was at Independence hall the other day and one of the park guides giving a tour was discussing the precedent set by Washington of serving 2 terms. She ended it with "and ever since, the power of the presidency has been transferred peacefully with 2 exceptions: Lincoln's election before the Civil War and January 6th."

Bunch of lib trash.

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That's the kind of behavior that should get someone reprimanded or fired. We experienced the same bs at Monticello (private conservancy - not NPS). Our young female tour guide couldn't help be continuously pointing out that Jefferson owned slaves. Like it was the most important thing we could take home that day. The entire group was goaning by the end of the tour. Give the damn tour, and shush the political commentary.

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She was wrong twice. Even Lincoln's election was peaceful transfer of power. The South, starting with South Carolina in December after, simply rejected the outcome and detached.

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That's exactly what I told my family. She was wrong on both accounts.