The Conspiracy Against the Taxpayers (Why public servants live better than the public)

City Journal ^ | Autumn 2005 | Steven Malanga

[neverdem]

You're quite welcome. The numbers are appalling.

[truth_seeker]

later

[Loud Mime]

I'm one of the 60 who will ping this for later reading....

[dennisw]

Public unions, government unions are the real threat. Not the fading UAW etc. Forbes has reported for years that union growth is in the public sector

The outrageous bills for public employee pensions and health care are coming due. These are commitments that states and counties can only meet by sending taxes through the roof.

[Hank Rearden]

Public unions, government unions are the real threat.

They're next, the parasitic dolts.

[dennisw]

Again, there are numerous flaws in the system and I will be the first to lead the charge in public service scrutiny. But please remember that there are millions of public servants who work their jobs with the idea that the public deserves the best possible service for the hours worked.

 Bottom line is your pensions, health and bennies are way out of line compared to the private sector. Was not always like this but years of pressure and collusion with hack politicians has made it so. You all have made your big score but want more more more  The feds are the worst

I have made a very general statement because we have fifty states, thousands of counties, one federal government, all with different policies

[dennisw]

Public unions, government unions are the real threat.

They're next, the parasitic dolts.

In your dreams. Your taxes will go up instead. THROUGH THE EFFIN' ROOF, BABY!!!

You UAW bashers, Toyota lovers and industrial union bashers are clueless. The real union rip off is going on in the public sector. Forbes Magazine has reported this numerous times.

[endthematrix]

Re: almost like the Mafia

Actually, government, unions and the mob work hand in hand to exploit free enterprise.

[SDGOP]

Lol thanks for the second ping, i had forgotten i'd pinged this some time back and was having a hard time looking for it.

[djreece]

Public-employee unions have so successfully used their political muscle that whereas public-sector compensation once lagged the private sector, now the reverse is true. Astonishingly, the average state and local government employee now collects 46 percent more in total compensation (salary plus benefits) than the average private-sector employee, according to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Wages average a hefty 37 percent higher in the public sector, but the differences in benefits are even more dramatic. Local governments pay 128 percent more, on average, than private employers to finance workers’ health-care benefits, and 162 percent more on retirement benefits. Although the private sector’s heavier concentration of low-wage service employment accounts for some of the wage and benefit gap, public-sector employees do better these days even when you compare similar jobs. Total compensation among professional workers in the public sector is on average 11 percent higher than for similar jobs in the private sector, for instance.

Thank you for this article. I live in an area full of government workers and retirees and have often thought they have no clue about the real world of the private sector. The irony is that many still think they make less but just have more security than the equivalent employee in the private sector.