Posted on 08/30/2010 6:15:33 AM PDT by Poundstone
As a retired federal government employee, I’m offended when I hear Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and a host of other conservative talk show hosts bash all levels of government employees. It seems the all-time favorite government employee to bash works for the Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, federal government employees in 2008 earn an average of $67,691 compared to $60,046 in the private sector. This doesn’t count the benefits all federal government employees enjoy.
Not all federal government employees make as much as their private sector counterparts, but many do. For example, a registered nurse working for the Veterans Administration might make $74,460 compared to a nurse at a private hospital making $63,780. However, a federal government optometrist makes about $61,530 compared to an optometrist working in the private sectors who makes $106,665 salary.
What people like Limbaugh and Hannity probably don’t realize is that there are downsides to working for the federal government. Employees face severe restrictions and sanctions on many things everyone in the private sector take for granted. Congress alone determines federal employee salaries and benefits, not the marketplace. Employee organizations lobby Congress, but it’s unlawful for employees to strike if they don’t get what they want.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarnational.com ...
Fact is, we’ve had 2,200,000 federal employees replaced with computers!
And contractors.
Oh yeah, and as to vacation time. New workers receive 13 days of vacation and 13 days of sick time for the first 3 years. After 3 years of service they receive 19 days of vacation and 13 days of sick. Once they hit 15 years of service then they get 15 years of service they start receiving 26 days of vacation and 13 days of sick. There are 10 Federal holidays. Not that this isn’t generous, but just setting the record straight.
That 1/3 was contracted out to the private sector. The reason the counties surrounding DC are so wealthy is because of contractors that have Congress in their pockets and lobbyists. Federal worker angst is a smoke screen most of you have no idea what is really going on. Remember when Sen Bacchus said he didn’t read the HC bill, he said we pay people to do that. He was talking about contractors, everything is actually contracted out especially in DHS and DOD, the government employees just keep track of the contractors or give the contractors work. If you got rid of all the Federal workers you would probably only cut about 25% of the of the Federal work force.
I’m a contractor for the Federal Government. I well remember one contract I worked on where I was doing technical support for an application. The app was “managed” by one GS12 who slept all day. Our COR begged us to never let him touch the code, because anything he touched got screwed up. We were instructed to gently wake him up whenever we needed to change something; he’d wake up from his 8-hour nap, nod approvingly and we’d be on our way. He’s probably retired now (it was a few years ago); I assume he did this for the duration of his government career and retired with a nice pension.
Don’t get me wrong - there ARE very talented and dedicated workers our there. Nevertheless, they are the minority. I fully buy into the charge that 5% of the government workforce does 95% of the work.
If they don't like it, they need to find other work, and stop being tax parasites. Government employees are choking off America
Only if you include uniformed military personnel.
Largest-ever federal payroll to hit 2.15 million (excluding Postal Service workers)
Federal employment has not been growing.
Government employee bureaucrats should be paid minimum wage for the privilege of serving the people, be limited to only serving 4 years, and no retirement benefits will be provided....Then back to the private sector.
If they don’t like it, they need to find other work, and stop being tax parasites. Government employees are choking off America
Fairfax County has a substantial workforce that does not work on federal contracts. Here are the TOP 50: http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/sites/default/files/pdf/largest_employers.pdf
I’m sure you’re a dedicated and efficient government worker, and at one time, I felt the way you did about government employees. But that was decades ago. Clearly, most people agree today that government workers are overpaid, inefficient, and counter-productive to our economy. Furthermore, the government doesn’t create jobs; it destroys them, witness Obama/Geithner’s current handling of the economy. So, let me suggest some fixes:
>>>I do think the number of employees and the benefits should be reduced to match the private sector, but not in one fell swoop.
Fix>benefits should be reduced to match the private sector immediately, and make retirement start its payout when worker hits 65—no double dips using federal tax payers retirement money.
>>>...the requirements are ridiculous
>the requirements include knowing how to spend this year’s budget so it isn’t taken away next year... and DON’T ROCK THE BOAT by pointing out inefficiences.
The percentage of the takings by government spending (department by department) should match the percentage spent during the late-1950s or early 1960s. Otherwise, we’ll just suffer along like the 3rd world economy that we’re fast becoming.
We can cut-back in a controlled manner now by volition, or soon when our international creditors foreclose on our spending, causing chaos to everyone’s lives.
The high-rolling government party must end for us to survive as a free nation.
Get real ~
Here's one for you, I'm a voter, a citizen, a taxpayer and a veteran. Lick my boots you loser.
>> I am not asking for thanks or appreciation. I just want the complaining to stop.
Are you implying that ALL government bureaucrats are just like you? And that we who are footing the bill have no right to ask for cost effective government or complain when it’s painfully obvious that such is not the case?
Your usual bait and switch without even looking at my links.
Your claim was that the "total federal workforce is down 1/3 since the heady days of LBJ".
As I said, that is true only if you include uniformed personnel.
Total Federal employees in 1968=6.6 million; 2009=4.4 million
When you exclude uniformed personnel, you get Total Federal employees in 1968=3.0 million; 2009=2.8.
Excluding uniformed personnel, 2009 was about 216 thousand less. A small amount considering advances in automation and the number of jobs that are off of the employment books and on the "contractor" books.
I'm a veteran, a citizen and a taxpayer and I don't have to accept schlock like that.
What is crazy is, instead of just saying someones hours are 7:30 am to 4:30 pm with an hour for lunch, and giving the individual the discretion to only take a 45 minute lunch break one day so they can leave at 4:15, instead everything has to be documented to a tee. If you have compensatory time "in the bank", you take 15 minutes of comp time to even it up. In fact, workers are encouraged to work a little more than 40 hours in a week, and have some comp time in the bank, so the secretaries can make the time cards work out.
I think the feds should dump the time card system, and the overtime system for GS (keep it for Wage Grade). Move low-end GS positions, like administrative over to WG. Pay for performance. Is someone is efficient, their time becomes their time. If someone gets things done via laptop and VPN at Starbucks on the way home, let them do that.
It is really bad if you are a uniformed military person working alongside a GS. Guess who is forced to work the late hours?
Why did this guy stay? Probably to get to retirement. He made it clear to his management he was not interested in the SES. He pissed off a lot of workers who thought the bonus budget should be applied equally to everyone, not for only those who deserved it. He hated the fact you couldn't fire people. He wanted to get rid of everyone except himself and his auditor. The rest he wanted to contract out.
But I think the real reason he stayed is he felt he could make a difference. He was running a international program which had more countries in it than any other weapons program, and four of the five U.S. military services. And GS-15 money is not bad.
Once he makes his federal retirement, he has a level of experience which will allow him to name his price at any aerospace or defense industry company. He will do well, because he was not a typical federal worker.
There are three links (two from OPM) in post 146. You replied in 90 seconds. Since you didn't hit any of the links, there is no surprise that cannot continue the debate...
You actually believe the OMB which is part of the White House, HA
I gave the first URL to point to the OPM information. Your follow up cites a secondary source ~
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