[Joe Hadenuf]

At all levels of government, the rate of compensation has gone up much more rapidly than it has in the private sector and, most importantly, faster than the personal income of the people who pay for this

Remember when government workers and politicians were considered public, civil servants?

Now it's the job of choice due to the big money and generous benefits, all on the backs of the little peon, taxpayers.

Government is only growing larger.

They just built a new city hall not too far from me. It's the fanciest, most opulent building in the entire area.

The parking lot is full of near new cars, they have beautiful landscaped, secured, and guarded parking.

There are lavish fountains, landscaping, safe, secure bullet proof windows for their employees, guards, closed circuit cameras to watch for angry tax payers, and to top it off, they built one of the most expensive restaurants in the area right across the street, so the government employees don't have to travel far to those yummy, tax payer paid lunches.

[Ronzo]

Your posting reminds me of an e-mail that I sent to John Derbyshire of National Review. He was asking what the middle-class of tomorrow will look like, since so many technical jobs are being off-shored. I sent this as a reply to his column:

THE MIDDLE-CLASS OF TOMORROW will be made up of people working in these broadly defined categories:

1) GOVERNMENT WORKERS - I mean government workers at ALL levels of government, from the local dog catcher to the Pres. A HUGE percentage of our population works directly for some sort of government agency. An even larger percentage of the population is employed indirectly by the government, as contractors, suppliers, and so forth (I learned that growing up in Chicago...)

2) TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS WORKERS - We have not yet reached the day when we can out-source the job of a train locomotive engineer or that of a truck driver. Same thing with pilots and stewardesses. While the transportation industry goes through it's up and downs like everyone else, it's here to stay. Somebody has to unload the new Toyotas at the port of Los Angeles. Also, someone has to make the new Toyotas at the plant in Georgetown, Kentucky...

3) HEALTH CARE - Got to have doctors, nurses and druggists to keep all those government workers healthy....

4) RETAIL & RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT - Government workers need supermarkets and Wal-Marts like the rest of us. These guys make up the low end of the middle class spectrum, but still count.

5) TRADES - Carpenters, electricians, mechanics and plumbers will always have a job. The government workers need homes to live in, office buildings to work in, and stores to shop in. The numbers employed may fluctuate, but they can never be truly outsourced.

6) LAW - Government workers get divorces and buy real estate just like everyone else. Sadly, lawyers will always be with us.

7) EDUCATION - Government workers want to have their children to be properly educated. Some even opt for private schools. But I don't mean by "education" just those who are teachers and administrators, but all those businesses and industries that cater to the education market, like publishers and Dell and that sort of thing.

8) RELIGION - A minute amount of our population makes an earning ministering to other's spiritual needs. People like going to churches, synagogues, temples, and that sort of thing, especially here in the USA. People like being in the same room with their spiritual mentors. Outsourcing is definitely NOT an option for the religious. If anything, we export for more religion (Christianity) than we import, and that trend will continue for the foreseeable future, even though India, South America and China have all surpassed the USA in the total number of Christian missionaries they send out. (Very few people know that the USA has been surpassed by these other countries in this regard)

9) GRAPHIC ARTS INCLUDING ADVERTISING, MARKETING, ETC. It was philosophy professor Peter Kreeft who correctly pointed out that advertising is truly the world's oldest profession. ("Hey Eve, check out this forbidden fruit! It will make you as smart as GOD!") The United States, surprisingly, is unsurpassed in this regard. No way this could ever be outsourced. You've got to be a part of the culture your marketing to. Americans are, by far, some of the most creative people on earth. We rule when it comes to pop-culture, there isn't even a close second. We are just like the Borg, we assimilate everything.

10) FINANCE - People like their EdwardJones and local banks. There will always be a need to have a neighborhood money-changer.

You know, as I look at this list, I realize just how old these professions are! This exact same list is just as true for those living during the time of Christ as it is for us today. Scary thought....

You can read Derbyshire's column, "The Dismal Science" by clicking here.

http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire200402110914.asp

[SierraWasp]

What a FANTASTIC POST!!!

The great controversy between the public and private sectors is most assuredly shifting to the public sector socialistic side... ENMASS!!!

It's reaching "critical mass," with government being the largest employer in my county, as well as the fastest growing employer!!!

This has got to be turned back... somehow... If they're afraid to tax more to support it, they just borrow more while pretending to be "fiscally responsible!" It's attrocious!!!

[Fledermaus]

The local, state and federal government could run massive surpluses and give us our tax money back if they just fired 5-10% of their employees.

And I'd bet 20% could be accomplished since most of these "workers" do nothing.

[East257]

I happen to work (and I do mean WORK) for the Postal Service. I can understand frustration with "Big Stupid Government" in all forms but what I can't fathom is the unbridled hate I see from some posters on forums such as this. Expressing frustration with conditions is one thing, but blanket condemnation of large groups of people is something else. The people I work with are a typical cross section of working class Americans. Some are lazy drones who take advantage of the system while others would be an asset to any organization. When I hired on at the PO twenty years ago I wasn't looking to take advantage of my fellow citizens; I was simply taking the best job available to me at the time. It wasn't until I began reading libertarian writers on the Internet that I came to realize what a vile creature I must be, the Scum of the Earth.

[m18436572]

bump for you

and

ping for qam1.

I think one key to this issue is getting younger Americans involved.
Turn the rock over!

[Ciexyz]

Big Guvamint has been buying votes for years.

[nkycincinnatikid]

bump

[ought-six]

I'm getting faint whiffs of revolution in the air. A great American once said that the main difference between conservative and liberals, and Republicans and Democrats, is that the conservatives and the Republicans believe in the supremacy of the People, whereas the liberals and the Democrats believe in the supremacy of the State. The example shown in the article re: government employees gettin gricher and fatter while the rest of the People struggle just supports that conclusion. Yep, it's getting near the time when the People will rise and take back their country.

[Xenalyte]

"There has been a wealth transfer. It has gone from the citizens to the people in government."

[Joe Hadenuf]

This this is tax season again, I think this article should be bumped all week. Some real good posts here.

________________________________________________________

Remember when government workers and politicians were considered public, civil servants?

Now it's the job of choice due to the big money, generous benefits, and top of the line benefits, all on the backs of the little peon, taxpayers.

Government is only growing larger.

They just built a new city hall not too far from me. It's the fanciest, most opulent building in the entire area.

The parking lot is full of near new cars, they have beautiful landscaped, secured, and guarded parking.

There are lavish fountains, landscaping, safe, secure bullet proof windows for their employees, guards, closed circuit cameras to watch for angry tax payers, and to top it off, they built one of the most expensive restaurants in the area right across the street, so the government employees don't have to travel far to those yummy, tax payer paid lunches.

[k2blader]

Good post.

"There has been a wealth transfer. It has gone from the citizens to the people in government".

This should be shouted from mountaintops by conservatives everywhere.

I generally have little admiration for "civil servants" at both local and federal levels. They too often forget who's putting the bread on their tables and paying for their overgenerous leave, retirement, and health care benefits.

[bc2]

Every year, the government performs more and more functions that are outside of the bounds of our origional intent of government. These functions should be left up to the private sector because 1- they are not legitimate functions of government, 2- it is far more efficient to have them in the private sector and 3- they are costing us too much!

And, every year, taxes go up and up, more services get added and some services get cut while the media and some advocacy groups scream "not my pet project!"

But, it never occurs to anyone for government to DO LESS, to TAX US LESS, to EXPAND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, or to make people responsible for their own healthcare, retirement, or education.

My solution:

VOTE LIBERTARIAN

[The Mayor]

Erie county new yorks largest employer is the government..

The Tax Foundation recently released a report showing that New York State continues to have the highest combined state and local tax burden in the country. According to the report from the non-partisan tax analysis group, New York has held this distinction for 14 years. Contrary to popular perception, New York’s state taxes by themselves are not the highest in the nation - the top honors comes when state taxes are combined with the local burden. While only shocking in a Casablanca way, this information should probably be taken in the context of New York receiving less federal largess than most other states - New Yorkers essentially subsidize federal spending elsewhere. So aside from however you may feel about the state’s multi-leveled governments, budgetary practices, and state and local programs, we also have to make up for what the feds dole out to others.