Lifetime Los Alamosans

Last Sunday, a friend suggested that there are two classes of people who work at LANL.

The first class consists of people who are here for a while, a few years, and then often go somewhere else.

The second class consists of people who are, essentially, here for life. They will leave but only if they can no longer be employed at all here. They will suppress their ambition, their need for income, and their desire to be treated well at work in order to stay in Los Alamos.

They may complain about how they are treated, but they will not effect change nor will they leave Los Alamos as long as they can work, in any capacity, at the Lab and live in Los Alamos.

I would appreciate comments on whether my friend might be right about these two classes of people. Hugh Gusterson in "People of the Bomb" seems, by a different route, to come to the same conclusion.

Thanks,