Posted on 12/06/2010 3:14:22 PM PST by Getsmart64
Federal workers are America’s new favorite target. Last week, President Obama proposed freezing their pay for two years. “Getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifices,” he said, “and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government.” Meanwhile, the president’s bipartisan deficit commission endorsed a three-year pay freeze and a 200,000-person reduction of the federal workforce. But are federal workers really the problem behind the struggling economy and the bloated budget? To answer, let’s first dispense with some widespread misunderstandings about our federal workforce.
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In my township or local government is unpaid. Our two postal workers make more than our entire government.
The real fundamental problem is the ponzi scheme known as SS/medicare.
My straw-man alert is flashing bright red.
Nearly every sizeable company could run efficiently with streamlining and fewer employees. It’s amazing the caterwauling that goes on when anyone suggests the federal government could do likewise.
Hmmm... whatever.
It is about time this corner of the working world gets to feel some pain. The EPA and the Labor Dept. and the Education Dept. contribute so much to the gross domestic product... NOT.
Full disclosure: I'm employed; however, my 401[k] match was nixed 2+ years ago... haven't had a raise in 3+ years (but funny how inflation keeps a-going).
Obviously, your post office is understaffed.
I can’t speak for all govt. agencies, but DoD is already running on a skeleton crew. Defense has been RIFfed, force-shaped, and BRAC’d to death. Most workcenters that had 20 people running things 10-15 years ago have 3-4 people today. Couple that with no budget and you have a serious problem. Zero dumped a trillion dollars on his fair-haired-boy agencies while DoD continues to get told, “There’s no money, there’s no money...”
So I guess I’m one of the ones caterwauling about downsizing. It’s because I give a fat crap about the defense of our nation and realize that freedom isn’t free and defense isn’t cheap. Do you know what we get when we run the military on the cheap? We get what we have now: our superiority in military jets and naval ships is gone, the Russians have caught up and the Chinese are hot on the trail. We’ve gutted our nuclear forces while China is building up radically. Russia and China are flying shiny new jets while our best are 15-20 years old. Our premier bomber, the B-52, is 60 years old.
China is planning a war with us. At the rate we’re going, they will murder us when we’re finally weak enough. Wanna live in a concentration camp while your country is carved up and gutted by communists? Keep right on supporting this crap.
A government job is a job program for high school D average grade high school grads and people with useless liberal arts degrees that are trained in hating America.
But the worthless departments they work for and the unsustainable employment packages negotiated on their behalf by their unions definitely are.
“Nearly every sizeable company could run efficiently with streamlining and fewer employees.”
Not only that, but 7 of the wealthiest counties in the US surround DC and the number of employees who earn three figures has doubled in the last two years and the average worker is paid more than the average private sector job. The employees make more than the employers. It won’t be long before the roles are reversed and the pay disparity is even higher.
The top 10 list of wealthiest counties:
1. Loudoun County, Va.
2. Fairfax County, Va.
3. Howard County, Md.
4. Morris County, N.J.
5. Arlington County, Va.
6. Montgomery County, Md.
7. Nassau County, N.Y.
8. Somerset County, N.J.
9. Calvert County, Md.
10. Charles County, Md.
Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds.
When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000.
Oh, I’d cut nothing from DoD. Defense work should be, after all, the first and best mission of our government. But I think if you did a little trimming (with a big ol’ trimmer) in the Departments of Energy, Education, Interior, Commerce, etc. etc., you’d reduce the monolith considerably. And nobody’d probably notice the difference.
Those are amazing stats. Many thanks for posting!
Here is a fact, not a myth, about Federal employees:
THERE ARE FOUR TIMES AS MANY AS WE SHOULD HAVE
Since federal workers keep getting raises, from taxpayers monies, and the private sector is either frozen or being cut, I would say they deserve to be targeted. In fact, whole bureaus need to be eliminated, and not just to save money either.
When people talk about federal workers, they are not complaining about the DOD. They are talking about the dept of education, the EPA, IRS and other useless agencies that suck up dollars and do nothing for the country.
I don’t disagree with your premise but China is caught in a vise. They have to make a move before 2025, or they are simply, done.
MOST federal functions need to devolve to the States which are already doing them anyway.. ALL OF THEM..
Federal oversight of State functions IS WASTE OF RESOURCES...
Always were, are now, and would continue to be..
The federal government needs to gutted like a fish and the meat dehyrated..
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