PassiveAggressiveNotes.com » the government http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com funny (if not necessarily "passive-aggressive") notes from pissed-off people Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:51:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny.” http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2008/07/16/when-the-people-fear-their-government-there-is-tyranny/ http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/2008/07/16/when-the-people-fear-their-government-there-is-tyranny/#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:07:11 +0000 Kerry http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/?p=9297 “This morning we were reminded via an office-wide email that we must comply with the official timekeeping rules,” writes an anonymous federal employee in Colorado. That means recording the correct times time sheets, not being absent during core hours without submitting a leave slip, not being off campus except for lunch hour or approved leave — you know, everything short of requiring hall passes to use the restrooms. (Really, would you expect anything less from the United States government?)

Later that a day, a print-out appeared on the bulletin board for a training called “dealing with difficult people.”

 'when the people fear their government, there is tyranny.'

This follow-up note was posted soon after.

'when the people fear their government, there is tyranny.'

Adds our submitter: “As far as I know, no one has actually been fired or threatened with firing for not complying.” (Again, this is the federal government we’re talking about.)

related: four approaches to ice-cube maintenance
extra credit: “the audacity of government” [thisamericanlife.org]

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