Want an example of how out of touch many government workers are? Here you go.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced today that two research agencies would be relocating to Kansas City. This makes perfect sense given that it puts the researchers much closer to the center of the industry they are supposed to be regulating. It also means the cost of living goes down for lots of these employees, which helps with wage adjustments later for the department. The overall cost of facilities and operations will drop as well.

This has apparently really upset the rank and file and they decided to stage this protest.

American Federation of Government Employees members from NIFA snd ERS turn backs on Agriculture Secretary Perdue at session on their unwanted relocation from DC to Kansas City area. #USDA pic.twitter.com/40JlVtuXFl — Jerry Hagstrom (@hagstromreport) June 13, 2019

They are welcome to go find a new job if it’s that much of a hardship. I mean that sincerely. The job market is good and these people all likely have a college degree.

The simple fact is that federal workers are not entitled to live in D.C. and there are thousands upon thousands of others throughout the heartland already. If your lifestyle desires include living in a metropolis and paying $2K a month for a loft, that’s fine, but it’s not the taxpayer’s job to provide that for you.

There is simply no logical reason that so many federal departments need to be located in a city as expensive as Washington D.C. while being so far away from the industries they are involved in. Yes, there’s some farming in VA and Maryland, but nowhere near the amount in the South and Midwest. In this case, it’s just two research facilities.

This entire protest also comes off as nakedly elitist. It’s as if their lives are over because they might have to survive among the rubes outside of the North East corridor. Kansas City is not a 3rd world country. They’ve got internet, those color TV gadgets, and I even hear cars are a thing there now.

All over the country, relocation at the behest of an employer is reality for private employees. You know what would happen if they turned their backs like this on their boss? They’d get fired. Time for these people to grow up. Be a team player or go find another job. That’s the beauty of living in a free country. You’ve got choices.

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