[Questions] Public sector employees in the United States

[Hezam]

I want to know if the employees in the puplic sector in the united stats can buy or own companies or stores or markets or any commercial establishments ?

 

[Grandpa Frank]

To the best of my knowledge.......

if you have the money or good credit to get a loan , you can buy or start a business of your own.As long as you obey the law and pay your taxes , you can do almost anything you want for a business.
If you mean like police , fire, post office employees who work for state and local government owning a business on the side , it is possible , but there are rules they have to follow.

Uncle Frank

 

[Hezam]

Thank you very much Uncle Frank for information, I was wondering what it's like in the US because i was shocked when i read the Saudi rules !
In Saudi Arabia the non-Saudi people can't own houses or any commercial establishments, only Cars and bank accounts and also their personal stuff ( well they can buy sheep ).
But what shocked me is that the Saudi government employees can't start a business for their own !
Im sick of the stupid rules here and sponsorship system.

 

[Petaris]

Maybe they are worried about an employee setting up some sort of shell company and sending government money to it. That is just a wild guess but I could see it happening. I work in the public sector and you can have your own business if you want, though you are not allowed to do work for that business on public owned equipment or during your normal working hours.

 

[Hezam]

Maybe they are worried about an employee setting up some sort of shell company and sending government money to it. That is just a wild guess but I could see it happening. I work in the public sector and you can have your own business if you want, though you are not allowed to do work for that business on public owned equipment or during your normal working hours.

I think your right, But it should not be a big problem to have a business for your own at least under some conditions !

 

[ewww]

I work in the public sector and you can have your own business if you want, though you are not allowed to do work for that business on public owned equipment or during your normal working hours.

There is Ethic Commision in the place where I am working. That means, You should take aproval for any business You are planning to do. Even if You are going to school for teaching for free. BTW, that is very serious, and I know precendents when people were sued for a business which was not aproved. However, You are virtually free if You are contractor.

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

There are different public employee rules on this in the US, usually focused on actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Different departments of the US government, different states, and different local governments all have different rules.

I once had a case where I was actually hired by our city to bring a court action to invalidate a contract awarded to the mayor's son. When I presented evidence that the mayor had loaned money to his son to start his business, the judge ruled the contract invalid.

When I worked at the state Attorney General's office, they had a rule that we could not practice law outside that office (i.e., privately on our own). This rule was based not only on avoiding conflicts of interest, but on the principle that professional employees aren't limited to a 40-hour workweek, and should be giving all their professional efforts to the state.

If I'd wanted to start a business selling gasoline or hamburgers, though, I suppose I could have done so, provide that it didn't interfere with my workload for the state..

 

[noyhauser]

^That's an excellent explanation. In many ways the perception of an conflict of interest is seen as a strong deterrent against someone working to jobs.

 

[KIRAA]

Thank you very much Uncle Frank for information, I was wondering what it's like in the US because i was shocked when i read the Saudi rules !
In Saudi Arabia the non-Saudi people can't own houses or any commercial establishments, only Cars and bank accounts and also their personal stuff ( well they can buy sheep ).
But what shocked me is that the Saudi government employees can't start a business for their own !
Im sick of the stupid rules here and sponsorship system.

The reason for that, that the saudi government don't want any non-saudi to get money from the wealth of the country and transfer it outside to their homeland as they believe it is bad for the economy .

 

[Hezam]

The reason for that, that the saudi government don't want any non-saudi to get money from the wealth of the country and transfer it outside to their homeland as they believe it is bad for the economy .

I would like to know your opinion about this point KIRAA