NationStates Jolt Archive


Lee Myung-bak's stance on government workers

The Alma Mater
10-03-2008, 15:24
SEOUL (Reuters) - If South Korea's bureaucrats are playing golf, chances are they are not working hard enough, President Lee Myung-bak's spokesman quoted him as saying on Monday.

Lee, a former construction boss, is a widely known workaholic who has started work at 7:30 a.m every day since his landslide victory on December 19 election.

Bureaucrats in his government, which was launched just two weeks ago, have been showing signs of burnout.

"We're starting a meeting at 7:30 a.m. so you're thinking maybe it'll be like this for the next five years," Lee said on Monday before a briefing from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. "Government workers are supposed to be servants.

"Servants are supposed to get up before the masters, who are in this case the people of this country. When you have servants getting up later than the masters, you're not doing your job right."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031000366.html


So, dear people of NS general... after you are done chuckling.. is the guy right ?
Dododecapod
10-03-2008, 15:35
Workaholics like him may be able to handle that sort of load, but the average person can't. Civil Servants should be required to work a standard workweek (whatever that is in each country), but no more.
Peepelonia
10-03-2008, 15:42
Workaholics like him may be able to handle that sort of load, but the average person can't. Civil Servants should be required to work a standard workweek (whatever that is in each country), but no more.

Nope they should work whatever hours are required of them. It's the same with any career, and he is right Civil Servants!
Nanatsu no Tsuki
10-03-2008, 15:44
Go Pie Cat!
http://www.bibi.org/box/2005/fevereiro/pie_cat.jpg
Kryozerkia
10-03-2008, 15:45
While he has a point about bureaucrats needing to be in the office during work hours, he is overboard on the time issue. As long as people all work the same number of hours a day, in the standard time frame, it shouldn't matter if they start at 7:30 or 8:30.
Skgorria
10-03-2008, 15:53
Generic rant about lazy and corrupt politicians, followed by proposal of implausible alternative government, closing with revolutionary slogan
Rambhutan
10-03-2008, 15:53
In my experience the best work is rarely done by those who work the longest hours; nor are those who work longest the most productive.
New Manvir
10-03-2008, 16:05
Generic rant about lazy and corrupt politicians, followed by proposal of implausible alternative government, closing with revolutionary slogan

Generic rant against implausible alternative government, labeling of Skgorria as Comunist/Fascist etc. Closing with sentence on how awesome Country X is.
Skgorria
10-03-2008, 16:08
Generic rant against implausible alternative government, labeling of Skgorria as Comunist/Fascist etc. Closing with sentence on how awesome Country X is.

Generic retort with thinly disguised flaming, statement that all other are too blind to see the inevitable truth, followed by statement along the lines of "the world will be better off without people like you", ending with a gun smiley
Kryozerkia
10-03-2008, 16:10
Generic retort with thinly disguised flaming, statement that all other are too blind to see the inevitable truth, followed by statement along the lines of "the world will be better off without people like you", ending with a gun smiley

Generic thread hijack, with excessive use of meaningless smileys, as well as a statement about how as a poster I am morally superior because I believe in XYZ, and something about the Jews being responsible for it all.

;)
Mirkana
10-03-2008, 16:22
Generic thread hijack, with excessive use of meaningless smileys, as well as a statement about how as a poster I am morally superior because I believe in XYZ, and something about the Jews being responsible for it all.

;)

Generic response explaining how the Jews couldn't be responsible for anything due to constant disagreements, closing with calling you an anti-Semite.
The Alma Mater
10-03-2008, 16:22
Pre-emptive mentioning of Godwin.
Serca
10-03-2008, 16:27
Generic hippie rant on why people just can't get along followed by nice summing up to make everyone seem right finished with a statement about how all participants are good people.
Hobabwe
10-03-2008, 16:37
Comment about the sophisticated level of the discussion. Side track about politicians blathering on about nothing. Full reading of the New York phone directory.
Rambhutan
10-03-2008, 16:41
Blames Bush.
Kryozerkia
10-03-2008, 16:57
Blames Bush.

There. Much simpler response.
Sanmartin
10-03-2008, 17:14
Come see the typical US government worker.

It's an endemic problem.
Skgorria
10-03-2008, 17:17
Come see the typical US government worker.

It's an endemic problem.

Generic comment about the fall of western society, followed by over-optimistic appraisal of China becoming a superpower very soon
New Manvir
10-03-2008, 21:58
Generic retort with thinly disguised flaming, statement that all other are too blind to see the inevitable truth, followed by statement along the lines of "the world will be better off without people like you", ending with a gun smiley

Generic rant about how stupid your argument is and how stupid you are for believing in it, Flame, Flame, up yours smiley, Gun Smiley, mp5 smiley, gundge smiley
New Manvir
10-03-2008, 22:02
Generic comment about the fall of western society, followed by over-optimistic appraisal of China becoming a superpower very soon

Generic retort about China becoming a Superpower, Rant about how great the USA is, Praise for GWB, Rant on how bad CHina is, labels Skgorria a Communist.
Sanmartin
10-03-2008, 22:09
Generic comment about the fall of western society, followed by over-optimistic appraisal of China becoming a superpower very soon

I don't recall mentioning China, but they have an underperforming lazy-ass idiot bureacracy just like every other country on the planet...
Call to power
10-03-2008, 23:20
Generic retort about China becoming a Superpower, Rant about how great the USA is, Praise for GWB, Rant on how bad CHina is, labels Skgorria a Communist.

Jingoistic rant on what would happen if the US went to war with China
Neu Leonstein
10-03-2008, 23:22
Of course he's right. During my recent experience working for the Brisbane City Council I learned that government employees are lazy and have no idea what they're doing, but get paid decent money nonetheless.
Sumamba Buwhan
10-03-2008, 23:32
completely off-topic post regarding Obama that was meant for another thread but was posted here by accident because I had two tabs open resulting in me looking like an idiot once again
New Manvir
11-03-2008, 01:01
Jingoistic rant on what would happen if the US went to war with China

Pro-American Mega Rant, Makes fun of Brits for having to be saved by USA during WW2, Insults and Flames.
H N Fiddlebottoms VIII
11-03-2008, 02:51
Full reading of the New York phone directory.
Complaint that you skipped my name. Everyone always does, you bastards.
Turquoise Days
11-03-2008, 04:47
Complaint that you skipped my name. Everyone always does, you bastards.

Retort that after reading the other VII out, we get a bit bored.
Brutland and Norden
11-03-2008, 04:51
Generic senseless post.
Tongass
11-03-2008, 05:24
Maybe it's just a step toward reunification with the north?
RomeW
11-03-2008, 06:03
Well, considering The Washington Post doesn't state how many hours the civil servants are working (I think Lee has them confused with "slaves" or "butlers", since "civil servants" aren't the same thing) it's hard to say just how far Lee is going...but if it's true that there's not enough time for golf Lee needs to cut back...some time off is actually a good thing.

I have to wonder what a guy like Lee would do here in Canada...our politicians seem to take too many "breaks"...