»

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Here we go again (?)

Well, as you probably remember, after my layoff in January, 2010, I got a job with a local county government.  I love my job, more than I ever could have imagined.  I think I'm good at it, and I love my coworkers and the culture there.  But....

Not sure if it's been on any news outside of MN, but....the MN governor and the Legislature cannot come to an agreement about the budget.  So far, it sounds like they are miles apart.  If they cannot reach an agreement by July 1, the government will "shut down", because there will be no funds for anything that is funded with State money. 

Working for a county, we were "safer" than actual State employees, but in reality, many of the programs we administer are State-funded, and also, many of the computer systems we work on are State-operated.  So potentially, if there is a shutdown, there would be no work for us. 

I got my "in the event of a shutdown, there will be layoffs" notice from the union.  I think....although, since nobody I work with has ever gone through this, so I can't get a "for sure" answer....that if I were to be laid off, I would be called back when the shutdown is over.  So I'm not as worried about that as I was with my corporate layoff.  But....if it lasts very long....Unemployment is state-run, too.  The Governor is trying to make sure that Unemployment stays running, and that the programs/systems I work with stay running, too, but the judge hasn't decided what will happen.

I guess I'm kind of ambivalent about this--I could use some time off.  My mom has declined considerably and most days now struggles with her words and the delusions have become a "normal" thing.  There are many days when she refuses to eat, and some days where she refuses her pills, too.  Often when I am there, I can get her to eat, so spending more time with her would sooth my soul, for sure....I know "they" say that when a person starts refusing food, it's the beginning of the end....but.....some days she doesn't, and eats quite a bit, so I really still don't know how close to the end we are in this journey...I am certain, however, sadly, that we are fairly close to the end.  I'm guessing a couple of months, but I've never been through this before, and I really hope I'm wrong.  Even though I really can't talk with her any more, beyond telling her "it's raining out" or "was there any music today?" I already miss her so much....I'm not ready...

So the shutdown would be beneficial in that regard....but the uncertainty is stressful, too.  What if I got laid off and the unemployment office was closed, too?  What if I didn't, for whatever reason, get called back?  What if a shutdown lasted quite some time?  So I would be very ok if the shutdown doesn't happen.  Right now it's not looking like that'll happen, but there are four more days where they could come up with something....I guess we probably won't know for sure until Thursday, the 30th of June, whether there will be a shutdown or not, and whether my job will be affected or not.....

4 comments:

Miss Kitty said...

Oh, dear. This kind of waiting and uncertainty is hell on a person's digestive system and psyche. Been there, done that with state budget cuts for higher ed. [sigh]

Sending thoughts & prayers your way, and hoping for the best. You've made it this far, and I don't think you've been brought through all your trials and troubles just to [plop] go back to Awful-Land.

(((hugs)))

iambipolar2 said...

I'm sorry about your situation but try living on disability not even $800 a month and the part of the rent the state pays won't get paid, there will be no food stamps and the rides you get to medical appointments won't exist. I live in a rural area so grocery costs are high because of trucking them into rural areas. Trying to figure out if I'll be able to eat this month!

Anonymous said...

Take a look at Greece today, if we're lucky, that's the USA's future. It'll be as good as it will get. If we're not lucky, well... do you feel lucky? Exactly.

perphila said...

Here's hoping everything works out for you today. Still, even if you get some time off I know you will make good use of it. This is one of those things that is out of your control so worrying and stressing about it only hurts you. I will be thinking of you.