Means-testing Federal Bureaucrat paychecks

self | 29Jan2021 | self

[asinclair]

I propose that the paychecks for Federal elected officials, non-military appointed positions, and Civil Service schedule jobs be means-tested. Model this after the COVID stimulus calculation. One possible implementation:

1. For all employees in a family, add up the annualized paycheck amounts paid by the Treasury
2. Multiply by two
3. Subtract the above product from the Adjusted Gross Income line on the latest tax return(s)
4. If the difference is positive, for every two dollars of AGI above the doubled annualized paycheck amount, deduct one dollar (annualized) from each paycheck.

Some families have multiple Federal employees on the payroll, which is why the calculation could involve multiple paychecks.

[asinclair]

The Democrats feel that means-testing is so wonderful for us little people, that it should be applied to the non-military people paid by the US Government. If they are getting significant income from other sources, they don't need to be paid by us.

Could their paycheck drop to zero? Of course.

When you consider that many of these workers get the pensions that ordinary people don't get, their need for excess payments from the Treasury is unnecessary.

[MSF BU]

How about putting the civilian federal workforce on social security?

[Manly Warrior]

How’s about they just stop this stupid dangerous and licentious deficit spending mess altogether?

Oh, it’s for the unborn gay trans pagan whales....

Never mind.

[John Milner]

They have been since about 1983

[BlueLancer]

How about putting the civilian federal workforce on social security?

Well, they took out social security taxes on my civil service paycheck for the 15 years that I worked as a court stenographer at Fort Hood. Are you telling me that they weren't supposed to?

Boy, do they owe me some money ...!

[Harpotoo]

In 1976 I was guaranteed medical care for life according to my dd214. Somewhere along the line it became means tested and that promise is no more.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Very soon the civilian workforce is going to be radically smaller. Very soon.

[MSF BU]

So they can’t retire with a full pension until they are 65?

[John Milner]

I believe the earliest they can retire with any kind of a pension is age 56. But must wait the same as anyone else for Social Security benefits.

Those who started with Fed before 1983 were on the old Civil Service plan. They could retire at the earliest with 30 years of service and minimum age 55. Pension was approx 55% of highest salary. But not Social Security unless qualified outside Gov’t Employment. In which case benefits reduced at least 60%.

[MSF BU]

They need to be on the same system period; no special retirement gigs with health care and annuities beginning at age 55 or 56. I understand why the system should be different for some public safety personnel and the military but your average guy cleaning a building or doing accounting shouldn’t be retiring any sooner or with any greater benefits than his private sector counterpart, in my opinion.