When the weather’s bad with snow or ice, sometimes you’ll hear on morning radio or television news that because of dangerous road conditions “only essential government employees should report to work today.”
Wait a minute — does this mean that some government employees are non-essential?
Just because someone is employed does not mean they are working. Being on the payroll is different from actually working. The State of Kansas has had for years a number of transportation employees that collect their checks at home and don’t show up for work.