“The Sunday Morning Bray”, by Bray!
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to WORK in his vineyard. Matt 20:1
Since the public sector unions want to raise taxes on everybody it is time to take them up on it. Congress needs to double their tax rates so they can be more patriotic like they want the producers to be. This would immediately solve two major problems, eliminating part of the deficit and weed them out of the gummit. Since we are basically throwing money down a rat hole why don’t we tax them to get some of it back to subsidize their own porky jobs? Ideally we would lower the private sector taxes to help stimulate the economy more as well as give them more incentive to leave the public dole.
After Romney is elected and we bring a large batch of our candidates into the fold we need to raise the minimum tax on Federal workers up to 40% plus to disincentive their jobs. There needs to be a stigma for being a public employee and this would be a step in the right direction. We need people to want to be private employees rather than gummit workers. The fewer public workers we have the less chance of destroying the economy like we are seeing now. They are a burden on the economy so if we raise their taxes we are essentially having them help pay for themselves or quit which is the goal.
The gummit worker is no longer an asset to the economy and needs to be weaned off of the public dole. It would be far better to do it through an incentive to nudge him to think about looking for work elsewhere than to just fire them and they get to participate in the higher taxes they and their union are always promoting for others. They would still enjoy the largest benefit package on the planet with full healthcare, pensions and generous vacation time. Even at the higher rate many would rather have a job which doesn’t require results or production than having to actually go out and work for a living.
Until we lower our public sector workforce we have no chance of getting the deficit under control. Shifting these people over to private sector would be a way of solving this problem while helping to bring more productive jobs to the economy. The private sector would need some adjustment time as they assimilate non-productive workers into their workforce, but after a transition period these people could learn how to actually earn a paycheck. It would be a shock to many that they would have to show up on time on a regular basis and have to work more than ten months per year, but the personal satisfaction would eventually make it worthwhile to them.
Their new bosses would be the ones who would need the most patience. Having to teach someone to not only be productive but to have to listen to all the bellyaching and continual asking where the affirmative action officer is would drive sober men to drink, but it could be done. If it were a non-union shop the attempts to organize would be a bit disruptive although the fellow workers could alleviate much of this problem through the wrench head adjustment technique.
These are not going to ever be the most productive people in the world. Anybody who has ever worked with them know they are creatures of habit and have a bovine type of mentality rather than the eagle mentality most private workers enjoy. Unless they are properly motivated they are going to be less than the hard workers the private sector expects so there are going to be conflicts. This is why you double their taxes to match lower wages for lower productivity on the outside. Some actually will turn around and begin to understand the concept of time and money, most won’t.
In many states their pensions are paid state tax free while Social InSecurity is taxable. This is complete corruption of the system by the people who are scratching the backs who have access. Why do the producers get punished while the non producers are rewarded? This is another drag on the state budgets as people who often are getting six figure retirements are exempt from taxes the guy who is paying that retirement has to pay. This is as unfair tax and another reason we are heading down the Greeced skids.
Since we pay for the salaries of these non-producers and they vote in large majorities for the Party that will protect them and raise taxes on the producers it is time they put their taxes where their mouths are. It is time they do their patriotic duty and pay more taxes to pay for their cushy jobs. If they are so fired up about raising taxes on everybody else for the greater good then it is time for them to do just that. They need to have their Federal taxes doubled immediately and let them understand what the Tea Party and every other conservative group have been saying.
Is this tough love, you bet! It’s time we got serious about our fiscal situation. We have an out of control Federal Givamint that has no accountability or incentives to reduce. This would be an immediate incentive and voluntarily begin to shrink. Who is going to leave a job that the most simple skills will get you around $100K in salary and benis while the private sector is averaging around half that. The ones who make even more are never going to leave or have any interest in leaving thanks to their inability to find similar pay elsewhere. By raising their taxes we would bypass much of the attractiveness of the job and political issues with lowered salary while bringing back more tax revenue. We have heard their lectures for decades about not paying enough taxes or doing your fair share so here is their opportunity. Rather than overtaxing the producers let’s tax them.
Pray for America
Note: The above opinion is not necessarily mine, but FReeper Bray’s. If you wish to discuss this, please ping Bray.
Going to Tuscaloosa this morning to see daughter and SIL. Going to church at The Highlands of Tuscaloosa. Looking forward to.
Blessings.
I think you’re giving government workers too much credit. There are usually a few competent workers is each office but from my experience the vast majority of government workers are incompetent. They could never find a job in the private sector because their skills are lacking.
I don’t mean just the agencies we all deal with either. A friend of mine worked as an attorney for the Denver City Attorneys office a number of years ago. He was new to Denver and didn’t want to start a private practice again. It seemed that many of the attorneys in that office were there because they could not do as well in private practice and more than a few were really strange and weird.
I did some volunteer work in our election office a few years ago. Of the thirty to forty full time workers there only a dozen really did the majority of the work and ran things. The rest seemed to be on coffee breaks or going around the office to visit with others there.
My wife used to work for the state Oil & Gas Commission. Of the twelve people in her office, three really knew what they were doing or experienced in Oil & Gas.
Heck, just think of the times we need to renew our drivers license. How many people there knew what they were doing? Less than half has been my observation.
I would bet there isn’t one state or federal agency that could not reduce staff by 20-30% and not miss a beat in their efficiency.
Taxing them would be good. But firing them and eliminating the mountains of worthless or destructive programs would be better and healthier for budgets, both present and future. That way we save money on ongoing useless or destructive programs and don't need to pay retirement benefits to our union slug tormentors.
Unfortunately for them, a lot of them would have a hard time finding work in the private sector. Slugs don't do very well unless they land another union gig, and the commies aren't appreciated (and there aren't enough jobs in academe). But in that case, their jobs are usually gone in a little while anyhow when the companies go out of business.
Well, well, well..Bray!
This is the first time I am not in full agreement with your post. With all due respect, let us not paint the reduction in govt workers with a total vast brush.There are “govt workers” and then there are “govt workers”.
I agree that the vast number of “beaurocratic” govt workers at federal, state levels need to be weeded out,their pensions cut and excess “departments” eliminated (EPA, TSA,EDUC, etc).
However, there are many government workers who work at the ground level and work very hard and do not have luxurious pensions. They contribute to their retirement and the matching amount is a very small percentage of their contributions. They do not receive salaries that are outrageosuly out of line compared to the private sector.
The example I would use is the front line VA workers (nurses,therapists, etc.).
NOT the mid and top VA management, but the actual govt workers who provide services to our veterans and who are overworked due to staff shortages at that level. We need MORE of these workers, while cutting the beaurocrats.
Brilliant as usual bray.
I have a different take on public employment although I like your ideas and if implemented they would work very well and may be more doable than mine. Although most anything "we"(anyone from FR) would suggest would be far better than what passes for govt. "service" today. We need to put back the "service" in govt. workers.
My idea that I voiced here some time ago is to go back to public employees who are retired workers who are willing to work for nothing or very little,with benefits that are paid by them 100% simply because they care for and love the country.
Put in enough of them and sublet or outsource to the private industry most govt. jobs that are absolutely necessary. That would create an even stronger private industry in the country instead of constantly increasing the size of a govt. that produces nothing but more and more debt in each and every way.