Posted on 01/21/2019 7:46:41 AM PST by therightliveswithus
How many headlines have you read about the government shutdown over the last month? Considering that most of our lives have not really been affected and that federal employees will be receiving back pay, is it possible that the shutdown is not the disaster pundits declare it to be?
The minimal effects on our lives shows that our government is already far too bloated and serves as a reminder that the recipients of our tax dollars enjoy benefits well beyond the average American. Removed from the market forces at play in the rest of the country, federal employees and politicians are insulated from the effects of their own actions, while getting privileges that most private sector workers can only dream of.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Not only did they have a way better work ethic, but he had experienced people in place to move back to military leadership positions if needed.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say future federal workers could not be hired unless they had (a)10 years experience in the private sector or (b)three years experience in the military with an honorable discharge.
No more snot-nosed kids fresh out of college with an entitlement mentality of a government union and a job for life. Said requirement alone would ensure a huge quality of workforce improvement.
Years ago I traveled to Sacramento, CA to meet a filing deadline for an LLC registry. After filling out some forms in an empty office I told the uninterested clerk I was done. He told me to take it to window 'C'. Then he closed the little gate at the window where we were standing and walked around the desks to window 'C' so I could hand him the forms.
I looked at him with a sort of exasperated expression, but he was unphased. To him it was all about the process, not the outcome.
But what about the Navajo - Hopi relocation commission? We can’t do without that. You can’t just sweep it under the rug and call it unnecessary! /s
It would be interesting to see the list of non-essential parts of the gubment.
but all their union dues go to the Dem Party
60 yrs ago civil service was low pay good benifit and retirement. When did it become high pay?
Cute & conservative. My kind of gal, just like the one I married. 8>)
This is from the hill?
Here is an interesting from IBD showing the portion of each of these agencies that is non-essential. Only about 1/4 of the gubment people are not working right now. Probably more than that are non-essential.
“NASA: 95.4%
Housing and Urban Development: 95.4%
Securities and Exchange Commission: 93.5%
Commerce Department: 86%
Federal Trade Commission 76.7%
Department of the Interior: 76%
Department of Agriculture: 66.5%.
Collectively, just this sampling of government agencies spent more than $244 billion of taxpayer money last year.
If nothing else, the shutdown has highlighted how bloated the federal workforce has become.”
The publication, Government Executive, is always good for some entertaining hand wringing and that is where IBD got this information from:
https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2018/12/see-who-would-get-furloughed-christmas-shutdown/153524/
Summary:
Members of Congress
receive an ObamaCare gold plan for health care and outpatient care, and also are exempted by the Obama administration from paying taxes on their insurance plans, which saves each member $12,000 a year.
are also enrolled in the coveted federal pension, which is of course a lifelong retirement benefit of up to $139,200, again funded by taxpayers.
do not have to disclose their stock trades like the private sector thanks to a 2013 amendment (important since stock trades using legislative information is illegal).
can also leverage their political influence to sit on corporate boards.
receive death benefits of at least $174,000. That is almost double the death benefits for troops killed in service.
have a schedule of just 138 work days a year on average. and receive a $174,000 annual salary,
are afforded $4 million annually to spend on office supplies as well as $250,000 annually to spend on mass mailings.
and free parking spaces and airline travel on most trips. In 2016 alone, these flights cost taxpayers about $1.5 million for 535 members.
Those who become lobbyists can earn an average of more than $2 million annually.
Federal workers:
make wildly above market compensation. Federal workers receive pay that is 17 percent higher than private sector employees on average performing comparable work.
when taking differences in employee characteristics into account, federal workers actually earn 34 percent more than comparable private sector workers.
are given “cadillac federal employees health benefits, 75 percent of which is subsidized. These plans includes medical plus vision and dental benefits.
federal retirees are also eligible for covered health benefits at 57 years old, a rare luxury in the private sector.
are also given generous pension plans and Social Security benefits. Such payments are three times higher than private sector 401(k) and Social Security benefits.
only face a 0.2 percent chance of getting fired in a given year. That is more than 45 times lower than their private sector counterparts. In some cases, it takes the effort from four different agencies to fire federal employees, and the process often takes years, even in simple cases.
For most of those affected by the shutdown, they get most of January off with guaranteed full back pay when the government reopens.
Poor poor government workers, no wonder they are starving:
Federal Employees Earn 50% More Than The Private Workforce and Dec 21, 2015 · In 2014, the average federal employee salary was $84,153, approximately 50% more than the average private sector worker earned. (HUFFPOST)
And they will all receive back pay after shut down is over.
BOO HOO HOO.
Some of those are wrong.
The 138 work days is wrong. That is based on the number of days Congress is in session. It does not include time in the District when they hold town halls, meet with constituents, etc.
My Congresscritter had to pay for most of his travel to and from the District.
The $139K pension is misleading. That is only for members with long tenure in Congress and ranking committee or leadership positions. If they had been in the private sector for 20+ years as a CEO or other corporate leader, they would likely receive a similar benefit.
I am not saying they don’t get a sweet deal that is just ripe for corruption, but please don’t damage our cause by promoting “lies”.
All I read in the liberal media since this government shutdown is the "woe-is-me" stories about furloughed federal employees down on their luck and in dire straits financially.
But I have not seen one story, any reporting at all for that matter, about how much more federal employees make versus their counterparts in the private sector. Federal workers make significantly more income with more benefits than the private sector workers do.
The latest figures I could locate were for 2014. Here are the results of a Cato Institute study based on figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), sourced from a Washington Free Beacon article dated October 8, 2015 (linked below):
".... Federal workers pay and benefits were 78 percent higher than private employees, who earned an average of $52,688 less than public sector workers last year.
The study found that federal government workers earned an average of $84,153 in 2014, compared to the private sectors average of $56,350....
.... But when adding in benefits pay for federal workers, the difference becomes more dramatic. Federal employees made $119,934 in total compensation last year, while private sector workers earned $67,246, a difference of over $52,000, or 78 percent....
.... Federal workers earned 43 percent more, on average, than state and local government workers, as well...."
And we're supposed to feel sorry for these folks? Cry me a river indeed....
Local news here in Jax, FL is all in for Team Democrat. They refused to break in to regular programing for Trump’s speech on saturday and have been running hysterical shut down news adverts during prime views NFL playoff games.
Bookmark
It should be no surprise that kids fresh out of college with an entitlement mentality abound in gov. and education etc. when under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program the remaining debt of qualifying student loans are forgiven after 10 years of full time employment in government organizations at any level (federal, state, local, or tribal) or secular work in 501(c)(3) non-profits and some that are not 501(c)(3), all of which includes workers in teaching, non-partisan social work and public defenders, state-regulated child care, pre-kindergarten, Head Start. nurse practitioners, and who make their 120 on-time monthly payments in their repayment plan.
Bloated beyond belief. From D.C. to these corrupt local government fiefdoms. You look at many of these cities and the first thing you notice is how extravagant and new all their facilities and vehicles are as they scream and demand more and more tax payer dollars.
Ask any honest realtor in S. CA, if you can find one, who are buying many of these expensive homes...It's always teachers, fire department personnel, cops, judges, water and power employees etc etc. They're come right out and tell ya, most middle class Americans can no longer afford them.
My brother(who works in the Federal Prison system) had almost half of December off. He was taking every other day off because he has 6 weeks of vacation after 29 years with the govt. He can only carry over 6 weeks from year to year. Anything over that he looses. He is considered essential. So he is working with pay. However, I was surprised to find out that the actual prison guards are not considered essential. Don’t worry they are still keeping an eye on the bad guys.
You are onto something there with the needed experience to begin work there. I recall I took a pay cut to work for the feds because I wanted to do the work the job entailed. It was a LEO position, loved it, and found most all of those I began with did it for the same reason. Yes there was a decent/excellent retirement system so one did not complain about pay. Unfortunately that changed along the way when the politicians realizing this was a huge voting block decided to make payroll comparability an item. IMO the result was the pay plus benefits overwhelmed what one would make in comparable work outside the G. It was evident when hiring when applicants would be concerned with these things in order: Pay grade, how long between grades, journeyman level etc. Few inquired what the job entailed. In my first office, most all of my coworkers were veterans. When I left 30 years later, fewer than 5% were vets and those in top offices had no military experience. Pissed me off big time.
“”What will happen, is that a considerable number of these Federal employees will simply take retirement “”
Priceless was the story of a woman who is 75 years old and CAN’T AFFORD TO RETIRE NOW - had worked for several different federal agencies all these years. I guess it was her plan to retire RIGHT NOW and by golly, Trump made that impossible. What a sad, sad story - I nearly cried!
The day Government Employees were allowed to form Unions was the day the term Public Servant vanished from the lexicon.
Northern VA and Maryland are now one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. During the Great Recession the federal government grew. My brother in law sells one of the biggest home builders in northern VA. They continue to build houses out in horse country now. The real estate growth around DC is recession proof.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.