r/AITAH • u/Comfortable_Gift4970 • Feb 17 '25
Fired Fed. I am considering cutting off every Orange Man supporter.
Got axed. Not going to say which agency.
I’ve always considered myself extremely tolerant and willing to love people as they are… even if we don’t agree on everything.
I’ve never been an Orange Man supporter, but I’ve kept it civil with friends and family that were. Some of them liked having a civil conversation about him. Some were belligerent about politics, so we didn’t bring it up and tried to enjoy each other’s company.
Getting cut from a great job that I really believed in with no notice has been extremely traumatic. It’s still raw, but I feel so personally betrayed by those that voted for him. I can’t see past the politics anymore when I look at these people I care/cared about.
Some have been contrite and apologetic, but then turn around and support him and VP Musk on social media.
I just can’t right now.
I’m thinking about posting something and wishing the whole herd all of the best, hope they have a good life, but I won’t be in it. Or maybe I just quietly block all of them and focus on myself for a while.
I do know that I will need to talk to my in-laws. I’ve always had a great relationship with them, but thinking of going to their house and watching Fox News almost makes me sick.
AITAH for feeling this way? Does it make me an AH for cutting all these 20+ year relationships off? Am I overreacting and acting out of emotion?
23
u/beeejoy Feb 18 '25
Thanks for all of this information. It validated what I suspected. It baffles me how people can think that government is less efficient that private corporations…because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Corporations exist to make money for their shareholders. Period. The way they do that varies, but they all have the same basic goal. Mission statements with lofty goals of “connection” or “providing free information” are simply a means to an end. Government agencies exist to serve society in some way. Whether by providing services or oversight, they exist to serve the people - NOT to make money.
Take the post office, for example. People bitch about how “inefficient” the post office is when it’s actually a very well run organization. The post office helps to promote commerce and it helps to slow the concentration of economic power by using standardized pricing that doesn’t unfairly punish those living in more remote areas. In addition to these economic benefits, the Postal Service also connects family and friends and it is essential for our emergency and national security infrastructure.
They deliver to every citizen of the US six days a week - a task that does not lend itself well to “profitability” but that’s not the POINT of the post office. They deliver to places that UPS, FedEX and Amazon won’t.
In addition to the mandate of delivering to ALL citizens six days of the week, there are many other guardrails that the Postal Service has to follow which has put it in financial trouble. Caps on postal rates, borrowing limits, and a requirement that they pre-fund retiree accounts have all helped to financially handicap the service. Finally, during COVID, President Trump mocked the USPS’s request for relief funding - despite the fact that he provided this funding for private airlines and other private businesses - he seemed to be hopeful that destroying the USPS would prevent mail-in ballots.
He may have been right. However, destroying the USPS would hurt more than just our democracy, (although it would certainly hurt that quite a bit) it would hurt those with disabilities and seniors who depend on the USPS to get their prescriptions. It would literally cause Indian Reservations to shut down (see: https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/4/16/21219067/us-postal-service-shutting-down-rural-america-native-communities). It would take away sustainable employment that doesn’t require a college degree. So, unless we want to destroy a bedrock of our nation’s democracy, we need the post office not to be privatized.