Anonymous said:
Scooby,
Thanks for the work you do. I appreciate it. However, I do not truly believe that opinions expressed in this blog are representative of people who are still working at the Lab. I'm still very proud to be a lab employee. I feel valued and fortunate to be working at LLNL. Everything I read here is so negative. There are a bunch of "chicken littles" here. Yeah, things are tough all over the country, not just at LLNL. I honestly cannot see our country going forward and staying strong without a healthy science program at our national labs. Anyone in congress or in the senate or in the executive branch of our government would be totally ignorant to think otherwise.
Reading this blog has no value for me. It just provides the chicken littles with a podium for expressing their negativity. Yes, the lab has changed. Yes, we are no longer UC employees. That is very unfortunate. Get over it!
Let's discuss how we can promote research and science. Let's talk about how new technologies can save ten times as much energy through conservation than oil drilling could ever contribute toward US oil independence. Aren't we a department of ENERGY national lab? On the day, year, decade when we can thumb our noses at the Saudis and say your oil is worthless is when we will, through our technology truly be the superpower of the world.
Just my rant and two cents here.
Scooby,
Thanks for the work you do. I appreciate it. However, I do not truly believe that opinions expressed in this blog are representative of people who are still working at the Lab. I'm still very proud to be a lab employee. I feel valued and fortunate to be working at LLNL. Everything I read here is so negative. There are a bunch of "chicken littles" here. Yeah, things are tough all over the country, not just at LLNL. I honestly cannot see our country going forward and staying strong without a healthy science program at our national labs. Anyone in congress or in the senate or in the executive branch of our government would be totally ignorant to think otherwise.
Reading this blog has no value for me. It just provides the chicken littles with a podium for expressing their negativity. Yes, the lab has changed. Yes, we are no longer UC employees. That is very unfortunate. Get over it!
Let's discuss how we can promote research and science. Let's talk about how new technologies can save ten times as much energy through conservation than oil drilling could ever contribute toward US oil independence. Aren't we a department of ENERGY national lab? On the day, year, decade when we can thumb our noses at the Saudis and say your oil is worthless is when we will, through our technology truly be the superpower of the world.
Just my rant and two cents here.
Comments
1. Corporate types intent on making a buck for just themselves.
2. A large number of demoralized workers who are grimly hanging on and hoping they make it to retirement.
3. A small number of people who have lost touch with reality and believe that the "Good Old Days" will be back.
The sky is not falling. But LLNL is dead and no amount of surreal optimism is going to change that.
As far as blog value. News about health care changes, hints of criminal investigations, contamination lawsuits. All very useful information. I say keep it going Scooby.
10-beam
Now repeat after me, Mr. Weaselly Little Yes-Man:
Yes, sir! (Whack!)
Can I please have another? (Whack! Whack!).
Now, kiss the ring and crawl away in shame, my precious little worm.
Is there "brown nosing" taking place to get ahead at LLNL. YES! Have there been poor management decisions by the Director and AD's? In my opinion, they have not made the best decisions or shown the best fore-sight (planning). Can this laboratory change the destiny of this country? YES. But, not with a group of workers who have given up and claim that it's spent.
This statement alone says you know of moral problems within the system.
Go over to what used to be Bio, Chemistry, CAMS, several divisions in physics and talk to people. Bad management, poor leadership choices, lack of leadership and misuse of power, decimation by the layoffs, a continuing brain drain, lack of sustainable funding, scientist looking for non-scientific positions within LLNS, LDRD projects doled out based on friendships and not merit. Sorry, but I don't have examples in engineering or NIF.
The lack of sustainable funding speaks directly to the decline in novel science and the level of scientist capable of building fundable programs. Its not just the high overheads that are keeping new programs from developing. it has more to do with the decline in well mentored scientist and the lack of internal support for developing scientist!
I will admit that there are also glimmers of hope out there, but even the most successful scientist I know are worried and not very optimistic about how the next year will under LLNS.
I am a valuable worker but I took my SKA/Clearance and retired early under UC rather than play the Lab's new Chair Dance; the game where a chair is removed, the music is stopped, and the players fight to find a remaining seat. What a shame. Like my household though, there is only so much money. What I see is similar to AIG and the bailout. The Lab is taking what money they have and either burning it on committees or taxing each other to death (AIG's variation is spending the taxpayer bail-out money on expensive retreats in order to figure out what they will do with the bail-out money. What's wrong with this picture?)
Again, my thanks for this BLOG. I would like to see more positive contributions as well. The BLOG does help keep me informed as the Lab's Newsline isn't what it used to be.