Toxic Workplace

By Sniffles

We cats stick around Twitter for the rumors. (And yes, we also see breaking news from reliable media outlets, which we appreciate.) We don't know Elon Musk, although what we know of him isn't very reassuring. Yet he does strike us as the kind of guy who digs on gossip.

So we expect to still see tweets like the one today that indicated the January 6 Committee was getting intel from Republican House staff members, finking their bosses out. That's appealing — and understandable.

Contrary to romantic portrayals, Capitol Hill is no dream job. The salaries are low and the working conditions cramped, with desks close together and privacy minimal. Also, Congress has a nasty habit of exempting itself from employee-friendly policies and benefits, even the mandatory federal COVID vaccine. (Reminder: working conditions, cramped.) Rents in Washington, DC, are high, so young staffers are often forced to share what scant housing they can find with three or four roommates. We even know one staffer who mostly fed himself by attending Congressional receptions. Ugh.

In fact, it's bad enough that many have tried to jump-start efforts to unionize. Don't hold your breath.

As if all that weren't bad enough, staffers of Republican House members who are linked to the January 6 insurrection have additional worries. It's obvious by now (and from the comments of members like Jamie Raskin and Zoe Lofgren) that the Committee has a ton of evidence that, once it comes to light, will rock the town. If you work for, say, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Mo Brooks, Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert, Lauren Boebert, Speaker-wannabe Jim Jordan and the rest of the merry band of 1/6 traitors, you could be worried about being ensnared — and facing tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills.

(It's also possible that they're spilling beans because they care that their members tried to destroy American democracy. We'll see.)

So, fink on, GOP staffers! We cats are cheering you along, and we PURR.