Posted on 12/12/2007 11:51:49 AM PST by Graybeard58
As he did in 2001, President Bush is giving most federal workers Christmas Eve off with pay so they may have a four-day holiday weekend. It was wrong then, and it's wrong now. Yes, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon and Carter did the same thing when Christmas Eve fell on Monday, but they did it because federal workers at the time were less handsomely paid. That age, however, is a distant memory.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average federal salary is 48 percent higher than the private-sector average. When the value of fringe benefits (pension, health and life insurance, etc.) are added, the disparity grows to 100 percent, says the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Federal workers already get more paid time off than most in the private sector, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Each year, they get 10 paid holidays, plus 13 sick days they may accumulate to infinity. Their vacation-day allotment rises from 13 in their first three years to 20 through Year 15 and to 26 thereafter.
Government workers have much greater job security that folks in the private sector. Their jobs are recession-proof, and their employer has no competition and will never go bankrupt. When the government runs low on cash, it just prints or borrows more money or finds ways to "enhance revenues."
So despite a budget deficit of more than $100 billion, a national debt of $10 trillion and unfunded entitlement liabilities of $90 trillion, the president spends gobs of other people's money to give his people a day off with pay and makes private employers who can't afford to follow suit look like Scrooges.
If federal employees want Christmas Eve to be a paid holiday, let them negotiate it into their contracts. Otherwise, make them use a vacation day, just like America's working stiffs.
I'm over paid and not worked at all, so I probably shouldn't be throwing stones.
The above statement is similar to hearing a member say, "I'm a poor marksman" or "my kids go to public school and it's a great school" or heaven forbid, "my kids are average" or....... Aw you get my drift.
I bet you're loads of fun at Christmas. LOL!
I always though it was a holiday to celebrate my wife’s birthday...
lol, not that I’m aware of.
They’re not his employees. We’re paying for the lazy useless bastards.
My wife's b/day is Dec 27, our anniversary is Dec 5 Chirstmas on the 25th--- Triple whammy.
I pity your poor wallet.
Bush is just trying to make the Dimocrat controlled federal employees union happy. Keep is RINO label safe and sound, his big spending of tax dollars safe. He could have used these bucks on a border fence, however, that would have cut down on the number of future dimocrat voters that he has allowed to come into the country. Bush has done more to recruit future dimocrat voters through the illegal alien free visa program than the Marxists can recruit through the dead voter act.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
In direct contradiction of my previous remarks, I am coming around to that way of thinking. If that were the most wasteful example of gov spending, I'd be very happy.
Me either.........but.........I just LOVE to yank people's chains.
My only sibling/brother worked for the feds until he retired a few years ago. The thing he hated the most was when I'd tell him that he worked for me, and that I paid his wages. Talk about yanking someone's chain. It took that expression to a whole new level. LOL
More journalistic hackery. Actual work (which is too much trouble for the writer) discloses the seemingly paradoxical fact that feds are both significantly overpaid (the ones in useless buraucratic drone slots) and seriously underpaid (the ones in positions requiring technical or legal skills and/or willingness to put up with crap working conditions). The Democrats find both of these problems to be convenient (the former lets them hand out plum sinecuress to their consitutents, the latter lets them blame the President for difficulties keeping recruitment up for the armed forces, FBI, etc).
Well, duh. The federal government at least doesn't hire illegal aliens itself (and is thus insulated from their wage-depressing effects).
This “lazy useless bastard” was called into the U.S. Mission in Havana many times at 0200. I had to drive through pitch black streets, because we lost the power to the mission building. I had to go in and reset everything. Never got one cent in OT or Comp Time. So, yes, I took these minor bennies when they were offered.
If we used that as a criteria the majority of them would never be paid the first dime.
“You must be very important.”
You bet I am — I’m a FR member!
Yeah. From Thanksgiving to New Year it is a rat race.
Lovely.
The gardener who mows the lawn at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a lazy useless bastard? The engineer who designs bridges for our interstate highway system is a lazy useless bastard? The spy who keeps tabs on Muslim extremists is a lazy useless bastard? Think for second before you type. These guys deserve a Merry Christmas more than you, I'd say.
I hate to break the news to this writer but federal employees don’t negotiate contracts - they aren’t union - ergo, don’t work under a contract....I spent 36 years as a federal employee and believe me, I worked my a$$ off....I for one am sick of jokes at the federal employees’ expense....there are bad/lazy workers in every arena of employment and the majority of federal workers do not fit the stereotype! Ok, I’ve vented now....and Merry Christmas to all!
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