Working in government...

[@DanOttawaPOGO]

As someone who works for the Government, it's funny that you think we can even get coffee. That's a no no.

[@julienolke]

bahahaha

[@TonyYarusso]

You MIGHT be able to get permission for it to be brought into the office, but obviously it would be out of your own pocket.

[@darthdiculous6511]

​@@TonyYarusso but only after the beverage committee completes a 6 month risk assessment study, right?

[@paulcatarino2209]

Well that explains a lot, no wonder it feels like all levels of government from the PMO to municipal puppets are "asleep at the wheel".

[@TonyYarusso]

@@darthdiculous6511 Oh, no - that has to be done but it’s way beyond the purview of the beverage committee. That’s handled by the workplace safety committee, to set limits for the maximum beverage temperature, research the impacts of caffeine intake on employee health, and consult with the group health insurance carrier about any impacts to premiums. Meanwhile, building administration will need to approve the increased risk of spills staining office carpeting and review the building bathrooms’ capacity for increased use. Of course the management and union representatives’ Meet & Confer team will have to discuss policy regarding worker breaks, and whether the bathroom stops related to the coffee count as well or only the coffee consumption itself. HR will need to address whether any marginalized groups have a genetic predisposition to coffee intolerance, if this presents any concerns of discrimination, and what alternative beverages need to be available if requested as a reasonable accommodation. The union will also discuss whether the coffee being purchased is ethically sourced and if both the treatment of workers growing it and environmental impacts are consistent with their membership’s social responsibility statement. Finance will need to verify whether dedicating any workplace office space to the coffee station is compliant with the session law funding appropriation covering that building. Why yes, I do actually work for the government…why do you ask? ;)

[@matthewcaldwell8100]

To be fair, this sounds exactly like every corporate meeting I've ever been in.

[@pvic6959]

i came here to get away from work, and yet :(

[@economicprisoner]

She is making fun of bureaucracy, or governance in general.

[@matthewcaldwell8100]

@@economicprisoner I get that. She’s not wrong.

[@dougsrepair1060]

Yawn. Glad I chose self employment.

[@kunkudunk1133]

People say they want government run like a business, not realizing that this is how businesses are run

[@michaelbishop.]

The Beverage committee has oversight only over items classified as a drink, e.g. tea,coffee,milk, and for senior executives, alcohol ; accessories such as cream,sugar and sweeteners are subject to separate consideration by the Approved Regulated Supplements Enhanced Standards committee.

[@Drnaynay]

Love the acronym!!!

[@julienolke]

thank you for clarification on this issue

[@jlvfr]

You forgot the Commitee to Reorganize Alternative Petitions.

[@mochouinard]

What about diversity and the overuse of white product ? I suggest we also add chocolate milk and limit people usage of the white product, which would also apply to the sugar.

[@michaelbishop.]

@@julienolke We apologise for any misunderstanding. It is not our purpose to bring clarity on this or any other issue.

[@stevejordan2840]

As a postal worker we had someone bringing in shelled peanuts into the break room for quite awhile. It so happens that someone thought this could be a problem for anyone with a peanut allergy. Management got involved and went to the safety people to see what they thought. Putting up signs was considered but it actually got bumped up higher somewhere for some reason I wasn't privy to. In the end it was decided that peanuts would be banned because of liability issues. I truly from the bottom of my heart wish I was joking about this.

[@djalland1]

This is pretty accurate for the corporate world as well. It's given me PTSD. I'm going to wake up tonight screaming "LOOP ME IN AND TAKE THIS OFFLINE!"

[@michaeldebellis4202]

I was thinking the same thing. This was giving me flashbacks to clients who made me want to scream “just someone make a damn decision!”

[@Noah_Entropy]

Working as IT staff in higher ed.... same same.

[@Linusrox123]

Yes this is my experience with every Provate sector company but it sure will make the MAGA crowd happy to see it labelled as government.

[@michaeldebellis4202]

@@Linusrox123 But honestly it does tend to be worse in government. Because in business the motivation is to maximize profit. So that can motivate people to get stuff done. That's why startups can be so productive and can put huge existing corporations out of business. Because a small motivated team can out perform a much larger group that is restricted by bureaucracy and people who are incompetent. In government the motivation is (more often) to cover your ass. Although part of this is also a self fulfilling prophecy. Since Reagan the assumption is that "government is the problem" which means we don't pay people in government well and tend to not give them challenging hard problems. Which means the type of people attracted to government work are more likely to be the CYA people than the GSD (Get Shit Done) people.

[@drodgyn]

The private sector is worse. People pointing fingers at everyone else as to why nothing gets done

[@HistoryScope]

The UK has 'Yes, Minister' for political satire Australia has 'Utopia' And Canada has Julie Nolke

[@Neojhun]

"Utopia" skits in hindsight kind of hurt.

[@julienolke]

that is too kind of you

[@GrahamWKidd]

Where does Malcolm Tucker fit in then?

[@solvseus]

The US has lots of them: the Daily Show, late night broadcast comedy, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, most of the state govs, my uncle...

[@johnsouth3912]

USofA has Joe Biden😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂for a laugh

[@islandgo]

Looking around the room and it's just her... "No, we don't have a quorum." Genius.

[@runabq]

One of the best things about retirement from corporate senior management is NEVER having to be in one of those meetings again. Great portrayal of the sheer madness resulting from these types of get-togethers. Another genius video from Julie.

[@andrewgilbert4659]

"If you're gonna cream in your coffee..." Sometimes Julie is just an absolute menace 😂💀

[@JeremyBoggess]

It's scary how accurate this is. I don't know anything about Candian government but it sounds like American government. What is worse is that in France, where I am, you would need to file 3 additional forms on a website that doesn't work in order to "loop you in." - It once took me seriously 6 months to get my residency card after it was physically made, already approved for me to have it, with my photo on it, that was already issued and created, and literally 50 meters behind the counter.

[@MotionLiveEN]

It's certainly sound like the country I'm living in ^^ !

[@layliwhyteoliver7545]

I have been working in and around state and federal government for most of the last two decades, and oh my god, this could have been pulled directly from a transcript of any meeting I attend regularly. *Chef's kiss* Well done, Julie!

[@--INDIGO--]

I want to see Julie’s take on the cutthroat world of HOA office politics now

[@Beth-ju5hf]

If you want a funny one on HOA, Brian David Gilbert's welcome to the neighbourhood is definitely worth a watch

[@GlenNewsome]

Brilliant!

[@trappedkitty5335]

I always wanted to join an HOA so that I could propose every week to get rid of the HOA.

[@mariab1429]

John Oliver's video on HOAs solidified my mindset on HOAs. I'll keep avoiding them like the plague! 😄

[@vikki4now]

I thought of an HOA while watching this too.

[@Anujchauhanify]

I don't think the Budgetary Committee would approve the funds needed for looping and circling

[@ninaasf-ck]

Especially if we're talking about this fiscal year. Forget it.

[@scottie_2024]

I'm a department head in a small municipality, as well as chair of our Historic Preservation Commission. I'm all but certain that I've actually been every one of these characters 🙈

[@shia_labeouf]

I used to work for a regional development agency (arm of UK government) and no tea or coffee was provided since the department was tax-payer funded. It was suggested that we have a central fund where people pay a few quid each week and then communal tea and coffee are paid for out of that. It took 6 months and half a dozen meetings before that actually came to fruition. A fucking jar you put some money in took 6 months!

[@MB-xe8bb]

Why wouldn't the over-paid manager pay $5 a week from her own pocket to super-charge her minions and make her look good?

[@timb4569]

this skit is mind blowing how you can play all those parts and do it so well.

[@bd5289]

If you are going to cream in your coffee, do that in the parking lot. Somehow, the subtle change in phrasing there took a totally different twist!

[@donjones4719]

I had to replay that bit to make sure I hadn't misheard. I love these lines Julia slips into a conversation with no indication that they're there.

[@nurmr]

I'm convinced that the rest of the video was made just to support that line.

[@razor3535]

I've never thought to do this before today

[@greendruid33]

I almost couldn't get through this because it resembles my life on committees in academia too closely. We're a little more efficient, but not by much. I snortled at the "strike motion form".

[@katiecramer6380]

How you come up with the perfect dialogue for your skids is beyond me! Hit the ball out of the park with this one!

[@erroreliminator2.076]

Government employees never talked at this fast pace tbh hahahaha 😂

[@jonathonclark7340]

Thanks for this. The Australian Government uses the scripts from "Yes Minister" (a BBC Comedy) as it's playbook. You nailed it.

[@freighttrain7143]

This is like, ANY LARGE ENTITY OF ANY TYPE - speak, not just government. Never worked in government. Have been in FAR TOO MANY meetings like this, lol

[@julienolke]

oof. The worst ones are the "this should've been an email" meetings

[@freighttrain7143]

@@julienolke My personal 'favorite' are the ones where 12 people are invited and join, but the ONE person who has any idea how any of this works didn't show, so we all sit around and guess and then leave. RIGHT AFTER scheduling to do it all AGAIN. 🤣

[@solvseus]

Worked for a large corp that had mid-level managers making us work harder to justify their jobs. Spent hours making spreadsheets, updating Visio maps, physically following cables, etc. to prove that we needed to requisition another network switch to add more ports. Despite the fact that we were already physically at capacity, and they'd already added more desks on that floor to later add more people. So, you know... I could just do the math. When the guy above her realized I was costing more in hours than the switch itself so she could "supervise", he just went and bought one. Time AND $ wasted!

[@donjones4719]

Not quite any. I know of a start-up that had a rule that no more than 8 people should be at a meeting. Also, if the stuff relevant to you had been handled you were expected to simply get up and leave. Most meetings were avoided because if a low-level engineer had a problem with how his widget interfaced with a widget from another department he could just walk over there and speak to his counterpart.

[@freighttrain7143]

@@donjones4719 Fair enough. But you are describing a smart and well run company - at least in that regard. I am describing MOST companies. 🤣

[@robertpayne9009]

Thanks!

[@GLJosh]

Where was the government Wellness Authority Overseer? Who will study the impact on the additional calories from said creamer? Was the Financial Department looped in for the circle back? Don't you need to create a committee to design the study to investigate the impact of a decision such as this? Where was the Allergen Review Board member appointee?

[@RicardoMoralesMassin]

"Slow down, everyone" THE BALLS !!! hahahahaha I love Julie

[@restlessmosaic]

Checking for quorum *after* making big decisions...9 years into working with city boards as part of my job, that is too real, Julie.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Pretty darn accurate. I’ve worked a number of government jobs over the years. This video resembled one the best; working in a government research lab.

[@5my9other93half]

This.....was stressful. I can skip cardio now because this sent my heart rate through the roof.

[@MadsFeierskov]

Shockingly accurate. I once had to vehemently object when my department wanted to implement a rotating shedule for who would be in charge of opening and closing the windows on hot days. Another time I spent several months in a taskforce that was in charge of our new reception area. It included all department heads and several consultants from IT, legal and HR. In the end all that came from it was that two TV's that could run a rotating Power Point were installed.

[@Dysiode]

Who did y'all make open and close the windows for you?

[@MadsFeierskov]

​@@DysiodeSurprisingly they agreed that maybe the ones who wanted them open should just open them, and if someone else objected, they should say so. It was a rare moment of common sense.

[@samuelandrews3383]

WHOA!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! We have the same picture!! I have been using this for over 15 years and am weirdly happy to see someone else with the same thing! Even better. the animation to this picture is weirdly fitting of this sketch.

[@gptiede]

Yep, 100% true. I work for a state university. About 5 years ago we "discovered" that our class scheduling was in violation of state law. So, a ridiculous stop gap was put in place while a solution was looked for. It took a year to put together a committee, and two years for the committee to investigate solutions. A solution was finally found, one a a half years ago, and it has still not been put in practice. The last quote from our provost was that once all concerned parties have weighed in he would put the measure in practice two years later. Strangely, if I am in violation of state law I get a fine or put in prison. But if a state university is in violation of state law, they get no penalty, and as many decades as they want to stop the violation.

[@mattdespard6576]

Appreciate the good chopping form during the ad segment

[@sd.2528]

That ad read made me miss the old days of Julie's cooking content. I still make the Cinnamon Toast Crunch creme brulee.

[@leedanielson7452]

Now we're cooking with gas! Well, I haven't heard that one for a while! 😂

[@donjones4719]

Sshhh. That just slipped out. If you remind people then the Environment Impact Committee and Energy Use Committee will have to be looped in.

[@leedanielson7452]

@@donjones4719 🤣

[@jeskoumm]

“The addition of crème for coffee at the snack bar is going to cost taxpayers 1.7 million and shan’t be available until the following calendar year”

[@badger9156]

Yes, nobody discussed budget, so they probably didn’t invite Finance. I have previously removed almond milk from the drinks order for our company, so I can see why they’d be the last group invited 😂😅

[@aaroncooper4237]

missed an opportunity to use the term "fiscal year" but lol yeah you can't just evaluate the cost of the cream now, it has to be amortized!

[@jeskoumm]

@@aaroncooper4237 “Amortised every two weeks, but the spirit may fly sooner than sunrise.”

[@jasonhaven7170]

At least it's democratic

[@jeskoumm]

@@jasonhaven7170 “If it’s not Devon, it’s not worth waking up….it’s what it says on the poll.”

[@sjzara]

There’s a government project to restore a broken bridge near me. There are public reports on progress. The first report was the manager saying how proud he was of how well the workers set up the temporary site offices.

[@julienolke]

stawp! that's nuts but also I'm not surprised

[@simond.455]

Sounds like they _do_ have coffee already.

[@Dysiode]

What did you expect the first report to be??

[@sjzara]

@@Dysiode The result of research into a good local place to eat lunch.

[@catsupchutney]

Like private industry in a large company: "move the needle", "action items", "circle back"

[@Norrieification]

Liked, subscribed, looped, circled, and reached consensus that this was a banger!

[@brendandrislane4560]

This is what progress looks like. Its the fine reason why we used to take a year to build a bridge but now we can knock it out in 2 decades.

[@Dysiode]

The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge began it's planning and funding in 1923 and didn't start construction until Sept 1938 and finished construction in July 1940. That's a 17 year lead time with almost 2 years of construction time. The replacement took 2.5 years to build. But yeah, it used to take a year to build a bridge 🙄

[@survidmt]

Problem is when they run out of The Request forms for Request forms. A request can be requested, only when requesting and only if requesting is the requested manner one must request with, at least that is what they're requesting.

[@ezekieldaniels5846]

“If you are going to cream in your coffee, we suggest you do that in the parking lot”

[@LMacNeill]

This is **ABSOLUTELY** 100% accurate!!! If you've never worked for or with a government agency, you now know *exactly* what it's like! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@falseprofit9801]

"Please do that in the parking lot." I'm dead

[@CraigKyle-ne4hm]

This is why the transcontinental railroad was built in 6 years, and now it would take 6 years to agree on the name.

[@Anon54387]

Indeed. California's High Speed Rail is a prime example. Also, in the 1920s and 1930s the built the likes of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings in 18-24 months. Now it takes 7 years to build a comparable building. I shudder to think how long it'd take to build the Golden Gate Bridge.

[@DiustheZ]

Great job! I'd say this was actually a successful meeting! Stuff actually almost got done! Makes me kinda maybe but not really miss working in the office. Meanwhile I can fill out the standard like paperwork and confirm with HR that my Subscription info is still up to date.

[@noneya3635]

That response to Oatmilk though...

[@iaincameron8056]

Have to add another comment - Julie is just fantastic, always love everything she puts out, so clever and sarcastic whilst pulling reality down, because that's how it works!! Awesome!

[@michelleb3096]

I love how she can portray so many individual emotions and personalities

[@ivanheffner2587]

“If you’re going to cream in you coffee…” *spit take* lol wut

[@admiraljamster]

In ASTAR Singapore (the peak scientific research agency funded by the government) we have to email a hoard of upper management just to get air condition running so that we can work after working hours. There they argued about the negative environmental impacts against productivity etc. It is ridiculous how much effort it takes to flip a bloody switch.

[@ashleyzinyk399]

I love the "Beverage" character (the one with the barrette). Her mannerisms and costume really stand apart in the range of Julie characters.

[@JohnWilliams-cr2sz]

As a government employee, can confirm this is 100% accurate. You would not believe the headache I go through just to get some new pens for my desk.

[@captainobvious8037]

I used to work at the municipality and i can concur.. this is everyday life for those people. Sometimes they couldn't get shit done, so they simply said "we'll figure this out on teams" before they dispersed within a second.

[@OSUBeaver03]

Oh my god! I work at a hospital in the US and this is how all of our meetings go!

[@floob3rdoob3r]

I'm gonna need an After Action Report on the Incident Response Plan for any requisitions post-quorum by EOD. Also get me some creamer.

[@daveba5649]

OAT MILK :DDDD OMG, What does she think where we are? Glad that got stopped before it could mess with efficiency.

[@timbuktu8069]

The oatmilk really would have started a whole new chain of meetings. And you also need a scrabble set for the names of different departments and/or agencies.

[@stevein.]

Your good vibes know no bound Julie. Love it

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

the filming and acting is pretty good. not only is it accurate but she also portrays the different personalities well

[@Boccaccio-ii1fl]

The committee decision should be passed to the executive department and implemented in a 6 month time frame ! As a government employee close to retirement age I do not believe I will be still active to see the cream in the coffee, but one can only hope !

[@DanielleWhite]

Years ago I worked for an R1 public university in the US during a time when that decision came down to remove employer provided coffee supplies.

[@FuzzyStripetail]

The landmark Creamer vs. Creamer decision looped me in and circled me back to drinking coffee from the recently installed coffee station.

[@bradkirbey1560]

Such a wonderful video. Having set through countless meetings with similar results, I think you have captured the essence perfectly. And if you have subjected yourself to any of the U.S. Congresses sessions in recent time (my apologies as an American) you are spot on. Of course you did forget name calling and wild conspiracy theories!! LMAO

[@peterharvin5650]

I work in government and that’s a pretty standard example of getting anything done. I remember when I first started I suggested doing something which I thought would be simple and got the oat milk response. Everyone was like yeah that’d be great but it’s never going to happen because of committee a, c, e and j

[@Ignitionite]

"If you're going to cream in your coffee..." Pfffft.....wahahahahahahaha!!!!!

[@mtre232]

You need a few more acronyms and this is spot on!

[@chiarardn2401]

This is scarily accurate!

[@carriescherbert8608]

Could not be more spot on and hilarious!!👏👏👏

[@kevind369]

These are the important conversations we need!

[@trynda1701]

Love your Julie Nolke videos! 👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎 The use of the time consuming corporate buzzwords and form numbers was spot on! 😂😂😂😂

[@TomSmith-dq9gp]

Yea that says a Lot !!! On how things go work!

[@ilovefunnyamv2nd]

To be fair, its a slippery slope. Today you're adding cream to the coffee station, next week its bagels and sweet cakes. In a couple mouths you're ordering a thousand dollars worth of complimentary snacks every month and wondering why your building's operating expenses have bankrupted the agency

[@ziggystardog]

Wasn’t expecting the origin story for powdered non-dairy creamer, but I take my government black

[@KelD-tb8ji]

Coffee conversations aside, I swear every decision made in a professional setting feels just like this: ten different committees to vote, assess, implement, and analyze what should be a simple thing!

[@JDHarsh]

As someone transitioning from a blue collar job to a government job, this is something I’m not looking forward to. Red tape can be such a headache!

[@CraigKyle-ne4hm]

Good luck, I transitioned from a small family owned machinery builder to a 500 employee multi-location business and it's been a nightmare.

[@JDHarsh]

@@CraigKyle-ne4hm my job change is a little rough. Hoping I don’t end up switching back in a year!

[@heighRick]

Thanks Julies, helps a lot.

[@robhall3311]

The skit gave me waking nightmares, but I really enjoyed the sponsor plug at the end! Ms. Nolke came through as a genuine person we care about....

[@denniswman]

Diane shows so much initiative. She had to have worked in the private sector before this, and hasn't had her soul crushed by the bureaucracy yet.

[@GrahamWKidd]

I thought her name was Beverage!! 🤦‍♀ Also, hella accurate!! But where was Finance?

[@julienolke]

episode 2 when everything gets postponed to 2027 due to budgetary issues

[@OmegaSparky]

Lack of Finance representation was why they didn't have a quorum.

[@avenger219]

This is just like weekly corporate meetings online. "Can you loop me in on that?" Makes me flinch

[@StephenJones2]

My gosh this is so accurate it's actually painful

[@waywardmind]

Oh god. As someone who works for Parliament . . . this is so on point that it hurts.

[@lastmanstanding2622]

OMG, this actually hurt my head! You nailed government at it's finest.

[@BooksForever]

I’m so glad the beautiful dark hair was approved and implemented.

[@Lewkis01]

Love me some beverage bureaucracy. The parking lot compromise was mighty lenient of them.

[@herberthutchinson8237]

I just want You to know that your range in facial expressions often makes my day 😊.

[@WraithAllen]

Kind of gets at decision making buy committee, but it should be noted that in some states, government agencies can't use any funds for food/beverage that isn't connected to official work activities (like a strategic planning meetings or training that spans an either day where a box lunch may be provided). Even staff appreciation picnics have to have the food paid for "out of pocket" by staff on their own unless it is tied to training and/or other official work which makes it something different from a "staff appreciation" event. In the State of Washington, State funded organizations can't even provide coffee using public funds - employees have to pay for that themselves often forming voluntary "coffee clubs" where the staff pool their own money to buy a coffee machine, coffee, creamer, sugar, etc. Contrast this to the private sector where employers often provide coffee/tea, hold annual events for staff appreciation paid for by the company, etc. Big difference.

[@WraithAllen]

@@topherthe11th23 Private companies giving perks that are not based on salary isn't a bad thing, and coffee and the occasional free meal is appreciated when the jobs otherwise pay well - and these aren't really very high dollar amounts in the grand scheme of operating costs as they are things that employees would pay for out of pocket to have anyway (so really, for those who drink coffee, having it provided for at work at no cost to them is likely costing them less than if they got a small raise and bought coffee themselves). Public sector is really paranoid about misuse of public funds and that's why such perks aren't legal to offer (at least not in Washington State.) Believe me, if my director could provide coffee/tea at no cost to employees, she would. As is, our annual departmental picnic is cost-shared among the upper level managers and directors to cover lunch for about 70 people, with all staff doing a potluck to supply sides, deserts, etc. As to supplying food that some people can't consume, that's management not being sensitive to their needs. We do an "ice cream social" that we chip in cash for but the person who makes the purchases buys a variety of novelty "ice creams" some of which are dairy, some of which are non-dairy, some of which are fruit based so there's something for everyone. It's not hard to be accommodating.

[@WraithAllen]

@@topherthe11th23 Coffee, tea, hot chocolate were all offered at the bank office I worked at, and there were soda and juice also available. So, there were choices. Whatever. The amount added to paychecks by not providing these things would be miniscule, but as I said, those businesses that do this often already pay well enough that an extra pay wouldn't make much of a difference. Whatever, though. It's kind of interesting that you phrase it as "discrimination" though/ It. Kind of extends the concepts. No place I've ever worked where coffee was provided had any non-coffee drinkers ever complained about it nor expressed the sentiment that they were being discriminated against. Just didn't happen.

[@WraithAllen]

@@topherthe11th23 Funny thing, no choice is being taken away from an employee... by offering free beverages of any type. Might as well say that supply water coolers are problematic, too, for the same reason. Might was well take the money being spent on those and give it to the employees who can then choose to bring water to work or not. Also, providing water to employees discriminates against those who don't drink water but something like Gatorade instead to stay hydrated. And I'm being "illogical"... that's a laugh.

[@WraithAllen]

@@topherthe11th23 Might as well an employer not offer any non-direct-to-paycheck perks... or benefits... because, by your argument, these take something way from employee choice, are discriminatory towards some employees who would "spend" the money differently if they had it, and takes way that opportunity to decide how to spend it differently. Funny.

[@BV35]

SO SPOT ON!! Fantastic!! Hilarious- thank you for Videos , they always make me laugh!!

[@beckyconner6615]

This was spot on. You are a brilliant comedy writer.

[@mike9512]

Our Canadian tax dollars may not be hard at work, but luckily our comedic talent is. Well done 👍👍❤❤

[@RuskePerson]

The bureaucracy in government is definitely hellish but sometimes it is preferable to other situations when they act too quickly and you get things like thalidomide being approved for mass market without proper testing.

[@ExpensivePizza]

In theory yes, in reality even with all those checks and balances you get things like thalidomide being approved for mass market without proper testing. Unfortunately.

[@gamerdweebentertainment1616]

it do be like, important stuff fk it, we'll allow it. non-important stuff... we need to think this through, this might take months or even years.

[@cherryjuice9946]

Luckily, thalidomide was not marketed in the USA. Some was sold for other purposes. It was held up in the US by Dr Frances Kelsey of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She didn't prevent it from use because of birth defects, because that side effect wasn't yet know. She simply didn't like some other side effect it showed evidence of. Thus, the FDA (government), did indeed keep us safe, even if they saved us from the wrong side effect.

[@Dysiode]

@@ExpensivePizza That assumes without all the checks and balances thalidomide would be the only thing approved for mass market without proper testing. The number of disasters quietly being prevented would astound

[@ExpensivePizza]

@@Dysiode My point is that even with hellish government bureaucracy these problems still exist. I'm not saying we have a better solution, it's possible it's still the best way but there's no doubt there's room for improvement. The real question... which is much more difficult to answer... is there a better way? I'm a big believer that humanity hasn't yet achieved it's peak and the way we'll be doing things in 50 years will be very different to how we do things now. It's always worth questioning the status quo and asking these questions.

[@strokesdogs]

That's a like and I'll loop you in and circle back to you.

[@julienolke]

Thanks for the like loop and circle.

[@sharpie660]

The Assistant Deputy Minister is missing from this meeting because they got called into something else, so the committee couldn't have made a decision anyway without the ADM asking why they weren't involved 🙃 Also, love the Honest Ed's rep in the background!

[@Dan007UT]

Was a safety evaluation done on the temperature of the coffee? Is the the coffee maker UL/NRTL certified? Is there an auto shutoff?

[@j_b_9381]

Well look at you with your proper knife skills and utilizing the claw method!!

[@woodlandwonders6887]

This gives me flashbacks to so many useless meetings I've attended. Seldom did anything get accomplished. Endless rescheduling, then it would get dropped for the next big issue that came up.

[@tirsden]

I did a summer IS internship for a US government uniformed service at their HQ complex some 20 years ago. It was high stress and nothing to do. I mostly played The Realm on my PC and chatted with my friends on AIM. The two other tech guys would play Starcraft at insane volume after the boss lady left for the afternoon. I honestly felt like my position existed to fill some weird requirement, not to actually be useful.

[@Roy-jj6hk]

As a long retired former civil servant, this brought back my ptsd triggered by interminable meetings discussing irrelevant minutiae.

[@JonSanders]

Comment Committee Chair: "Alright, folks, as the Comment Committee Chair, I want to address the process for submitting a comment about the government's inefficiency in adding creamer to the coffee break room." Comment Guideline Inspector: "Do we have a designated form for submitting such comments?" Funny Comments Advisor: "I believe it falls under the 'General Government Gripes' category. But we might need a sub-category specifically for 'Coffee Conundrums.'" Comment Committee Chair: "Let's not forget the mandatory 30-day waiting period for submitting any comments. We'll have to table this discussion until next month's meeting." Comment Guideline Inspector: "Wait, do we need to conduct an impact report on the potential hilarity of our ironic comment?" Funny Comments Advisor: "I'll need at least six months to survey and analyze the comedic impact of our comment on the office morale." Comment Committee Chair: "But do we have a quorum to even discuss this?" Comment Guideline Inspector: "No, unfortunately, we don't have a quorum. Let's defer this decision until our next scheduled meeting in June." Funny Comments Advisor: "So, that's a no on submitting the ironic comment for now. How about we just stick to discussing the creamer issue for the next six months?" Comment Committee Chair: "Agreed. And don't forget to fill out the Strike Motion Form for the comment submission." Comment Guideline Inspector: "But who's responsible for filing that form?" Funny Comments Advisor: "I believe it's under the purview of the Office of Redundant Paperwork. I'll make sure they handle it." Comment Committee Chair: "Excellent. Remember, slow and steady keeps the bureaucratic wheels turning." Comment Guideline Inspector: "Or in our case, slow and steady just keeps us endlessly stuck in committee meetings." Funny Comments Advisor: "Exactly. Let's adjourn and reconvene in six months to discuss the possibility of actually submitting that comment." • via chatGPT

[@Reaper-3000]

So many beautiful Julies all in one place!

[@samhavoc1066]

Having worked for the government for 41 years, in and out of uniform, I second this portrayal....