Dec. 19 Tom Udall on LANL job cuts (Podcast)
He also points to how the lab might diversify its scientific work.
or
Dec 19, 2007
Dec. 19 Tom Udall on LANL job cuts (Podcast)
He also points to how the lab might diversify its scientific work.
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23 comments:
He sounds nervous.
Duh!
we all knew, the minute bechtel got the contract and UC was pushed into the shadows, that there would be job cuts.... it's the bechtel mentality (better business practice) regarding PROFITS. Why is anyone surprised about job cuts now that the lab is FOR PROFIT? And why was LANS so surprised about GROSS RECEIPTS TAXES?
DUH is right.
I understand there is a new PAC forming - Democrats Against Udall.
Buy a dildo, go home. Will be a more productive act.
Second, Vote Udall out. He does not meet the minimum on competence. Let alone human.
Udall wants LANL to follow the SNL model for diversification. That will never happen. Just look at the LANL internal web pages posted by LANS that went up today on the subject of Complex Transformation.
These web pages make it clear that LANS believes that pit production and weapons research *is* diversified science. They will never make the difficult choices required to follow the SNL model. That would mean less money for the bloated management and support staffs. If anything, they appear to be taking us down the path of becoming even more devoted to the world of weapons research and production, even though the budgets for this area are clearly headed for decline. MaRIE is a clear sign of continuing in this direction.
There are no signs of leadership coming from LANS because there are no true leaders in our new "for-profit" LLC.
Udall is so full of crap. He claims that he urged the voluntary program. Like it was his idea. Right. He had nothing to do with it. I'm not sure he could find Los Alamos on a map.
Then he blames the Bush administration for privatizing LANL. WTF? That started with Richardson and the Clinton White House, and had nothing to do with either Clinton or Bush. It really has nothing to do with party lines. Some issues really are more complex that D's are good and R's are bad, or R's are bad and D's are good. Those are the shadows of the small minded.
Then he claims that having a University consortium running us would help us diversify? UC ran us for 60 years. How'd that diversification work out during that time?
Then he talks about what Sandia did to diversify. That is fine and they did do a good job and deserve credit for it. We can learn from them. But it is not quite as easy as "copy Sandia." What Udall does not understand is that LANL is responsible for 80% of the Nation's stockpile. We don't completely control our own destiny here. We cannot take NW money and use that to grow into TR programs without NNSA approval. They watch this much more closely with us than they do a place like Sandia. Udall says he is "pushing" Anastasio to diversify and he will "hold the lab accountable to diversifying" and acts like he will spectate -- watch to see how we do. Guess what, Tom? You need to actually help with this. We are entirely under the thumb of the non-science parts of DOE and the NNSA and what they want us to do. We are hamstrung by their actions and their deliverables and their policies. Yes, SNL has similar issues with DOE but they do not bear the same level of responsibility for the stockpile that we do and they do not have the same impact at an engineering laboratory as they do a scientific laboratory. It makes a difference. You want us to diversify? Get in the nickers of DOE and straighten that mess out. Get rid of NNSA, get some real leadership in DOE and force them to do their jobs as stewards of energy , security, and science for this country. Force them to execute that entire mission outside of the current stovepipes in the complex. That would make it easier for us to diversify. Do your damn job, which does not include "watching" how we do at Los Alamos and issuing a series of incoherent and simple-minded sound bites. Be an enabler for positive change. Be thoughtful and analytical about the real causes for some of the issues and apply visible and fearless leadership to solve them. That is what you were sent to Congress to do.
Watching the disruption LANL brings to his constituents is a part of Udall's job and consumes a large portion of his staff's time. How about giving him less to watch.
Most of the listeners of this radio show will have no idea about what is really going on. They'll believe what Udall says and vote him into the Senate come November. Scary, huh?
If Tom Udall wins the Senate seat, he'll vote with the Democratic majority and reduce LANL's funding.
If Heather Wilson wins the Senate seat, she'll vote with the GOP minority, so we'll still end up seeing reduced LANL funding.
Either way, the trend for employement at LANL is rapidly headed downward over the next few years. We'll be reaching NNSA's target of 20% to 30% staff reductions way ahead of time and attrition won't be part of the solution.
Be careful who you elect.
Domenici again pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Even with frontal lobe failure he is more effective than McNerney, Tauscher, Miller, Feinstein and Boxer combined (are women politicians weak?).
LLNL thought we'd finally get consideration for the things we did well and the things we didn't do, but - "Hats off to the old horse trader" -- Pete conceded LANL's RRW loss during budget reconciliation to preserve LANL and Sandia funding. Quite a tour de force and a lesson too.
If you elect someone, elect a winner.
LLNL still hasn't figured out that a godfather in the right place is better than all the accomplishments and compliance that 9000 peons can produce.
Fuck you Sam Bodman!
10:25 PM, " We don't completely control our own destiny here. We cannot take NW money and use that to grow into TR programs without NNSA approval. "
Do you realize that many, if not most, national labs use their LDRD to grow their portfolio in new areas? They use it to make tactical and strategic investments to help diversify and grow the current lab funding base. I do not believe you need NNSA to give you permission to use the LDRD for anything, and I don't believe they prevent you from then applying to other agencies or offices with DOE for funding using the LDRD-discovered results as a basis for these proposals.
Am I incorrect in this? At our lab that is part of how LDRD decisions are made; a proposal needs to include a listing of what agencies or "pots of money" (or IP that could be sold) would be interested in funding that work when the project is complete.
The fact of the matter is LANL should have been paying its fair share of gross receipts taxes from day one. Duh!!!
But the island of special treatment, as usual, can't seem to understand the concept of "fair.". So what else is new?
What Udall doesn't seem to understand is that we're the center of the universe! That's the problem.
Domenici is like the pusher who keeps the addict addicted. LANL is the addict and Udall is the doctor trying to ween the addict off drugs. Who do you think the addict is going hate? Enough said.
5:21,
Let's not take 10:25's comment out of context.
"What Udall does not understand is that LANL is responsible for 80% of the Nation's stockpile. We don't completely control our own destiny here. We cannot take NW money and use that to grow into TR programs without NNSA approval."
10:25 is more optimistic than most to even suggest that DOE can be changed. "Get rid of NNSA, get some real leadership in DOE and force them to do their jobs as stewards of energy , security, and science for this country. Force them to execute that entire mission outside of the current stovepipes in the complex."
DOE is a bureaucracy that can't be changed. It would be necessary to completely remove DOE (all its bureaucrats) from any association with LANL to get any meaningful change. At one time the "sort of pure" science was able to ride on the coattails of the weapons budget. Now that budget is decreasing. This is now not the place to put money for "pure science" unless it is a completely separate operation with no association with DOE. It's hard to imagine how that could be done. Perhaps pull B division out as a start? If weapons money wasn't needed to pay its electric bill, LANSCE and medical isotopes could be pulled out. Any other candidates?
It would all be a little easier if so much national debt was not being created by squandering blood and treasure in Iraq.
"At our lab that is part of how LDRD decisions are made; a proposal needs to include a listing of what agencies or "pots of money" (or IP that could be sold) would be interested in funding that work when the project is complete." - 12/20/07 5:21 AM
This will never happen at LANL. Too many LDRD insiders at LANL would protest that this takes away their funding and would sully the name of pure, pristine science.
The systems at LANL will never change because they are incapable of changing. That's one thing you begin to slowly realize once you been around here for awhile.
12/19/07 10:25 PM says: "Yes, SNL has similar issues with DOE but they do not bear the same level of responsibility for the stockpile that we do and they do not have the same impact at an engineering laboratory as they do a scientific laboratory."
What??
Sandia is responsible for the militarization aspects of 100% of the nuclear stockpile. Our physics package amounts to little more than a paperweight without the delivery system, radars, arming fuzing and firing, safing, etc designed by Sandia engineers.
To imply that Sandia has been able to diversify more quickly by putting stockpile issues on the back burner is a serious cop-out.
We're very good about cop-outs around here, fella, so back off. LANS has told us that plutonium science and pit production are the future for LANL and that this mission sets us up to become a well diversified science lab.
If you can swallow that one, you can swallow just about anything. It's the Mother of All Cop-Outs.
"Sandia is responsible for the militarization aspects of 100% of the nuclear stockpile. Our physics package amounts to little more than a paperweight without the delivery system, radars, arming fuzing and firing, safing, etc designed by Sandia engineers."
This is all true, but the issues that arise are not at the same level and are easily tested as engineering devices. The same is not true for the physics package.
"To imply that Sandia has been able to diversify more quickly by putting stockpile issues on the back burner is a serious cop-out."
It is neither a cop-out nor an implication. It is a fact, but not as you stated it. I did not say that they put such issues on the back burner. I said that they were able to diversify easier because they are not the NNSA bat phone for every pimple found in the stockpile. LANL is.
I love watching how people come up with creative excuses as to why LANL cannot modify its mission to emphasize things other than nuclear weapons related work. The real reason is as follows.
When the world around you comes crashing down about your feet, it is far more comfortable to ignore what you see and hear and to retreat to the past. That is exactly what LANS is doing right now. Of course, in the end retreating to the past will only bring about defeat.
Regardless of words that LANS and Mike may say to help staff feel better about our dire situation, the world has radically changed but LANS has apparently decided to let the world pass us by. How sad.
"Pete conceded LANL's RRW loss during budget reconciliation to preserve LANL and Sandia funding.
LLNL still hasn't figured out that a godfather in the right place is better than all the accomplishments and compliance that 9000 peons can produce."
What a complete load of bullshit. LLL's record of security compliance is a disaster.
And they lost the competition phase of RRW by a mile. NNSA gave them the award in flat out defiance of the DOD.
"LLNL thought we'd finally get consideration for the things we did well and the things we didn't do, but - "Hats off to the old horse trader" -- Pete conceded LANL's RRW loss during budget reconciliation to preserve LANL and Sandia funding.
LLNL still hasn't figured out that a godfather in the right place is better than all the accomplishments and compliance that 9000 peons can produce."
What a complete load of bullshit. LLNL's record of security compliance is a disaster. Their transgressions don't get press because that info is classified!
LANL won the competition phase of RRW by a mile. NNSA gave LLNL the award, and the DOD said,"Thanks, but no thanks!"
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