Posted on 11/29/2010 11:41:38 AM PST by Zakeet
In 10 minutes the teleprompter in chief will announce that he is about to freeze government salaries for two years. Of course, government workers thank him, as this means federal salaries which have exploded in the past 5 years will be stuck at all time highs for at least two years, even as nominal salaries for everyone else (except FIRE workers of course) continue to decline. As we suggested a few days ago, in order to promote some vaguely credible idea of austerity, instead of freezing salaries, Obama needs to be cutting. Why? One look at the chart below explains it all.
And here is what we said a few days back on the topic of record government worker salaries:
For all those wondering how to cut down on government expenditures, here's a thought: cut the skyrocketing salaries! A study by USA Today, using US Office of Personnel Management data, confirms what has been widely known: that the biggest beneficiaries of government largesse over the past 5 years as a worker cohort, are none other than Federal workers themselves. The numbers are stunning: those earning over $150,000 in the past five years have grown from 7,420 to 82,034, a 1,006% increase. More shockingly, those earning over $180,000 has surged from just 805 in 2005, to 16,912 in 2010: a 2,001% increase. And it is on the background of this that Congress is planning on giving 2.1 million federal workers another 1.4% across the board pay raise! Additionally, it appears that the bulk of the gains have taken place since Obama took office. Can someone please stop the lunacy: this country is beyond bankrupt and it turns out that in addition to Wall Street (which everyone knows does nothing but transfer wealth from the middle class to a few choice CEOs and groupthinking Bloomberg terminal operators), the biggest thief is the very government itself, which has perfected the art of giving with one hand, and taking with 10, almost as well as those enclosed in glass corner offices on Park, Lexington and Broad (and now West).
The stunning comparison of what Federal workers were making in 2005 and 2010, spread by income bucket:
More from USA Today:
Federal salaries have grown robustly in recent years, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Office of Personnel Management data. Key findings:
- Government-wide raises. Top-paid staff have increased in every department and agency. The Defense Department had nine civilians earning $170,000 or more in 2005, 214 when Obama took office and 994 in June.
- Long-time workers thrive. The biggest pay hikes have gone to employees who have been with the government for 15 to 24 years. Since 2005, average salaries for this group climbed 25% compared with a 9% inflation rate.
- Physicians rewarded. Medical doctors at veterans hospitals, prisons and elsewhere earn an average of $179,500, up from $111,000 in 2005.
Federal workers earning $150,000 or more make up 3.9% of the workforce, up from 0.4% in 2005.
Since 2000, federal pay and benefits have increased 3% annually above inflation compared with 0.8% for private workers, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Members of Congress earn $174,000, up from $141,300 in 2000, an increase below the rate of inflation.
Jessica Klement, government affairs director at the Federal Managers Association, says the government's official pay analysis shows that federal workers earn less than private workers for comparable jobs. Still, she says, managers are willing to give up next year's raise: "If it will help the country bounce back, they're willing to make the sacrifice."
And just to make sure you get really angry, here is how one Federal Union views the fact that government workers as a whole are now the second best paid group after Wall Street:
National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley counters that the proposed raise "is a modest amount and should be implemented" to help make salaries more comparable with those in the private sector.
Once again, we get confirmation that Americans always get nothing more or less than the thieves in control they deserve, and elect.
I hope you stupid Freepers realize our poor government bureaucrats are still overworked and underpaid
And this one's a doozie.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of fed workers are nonwhite.
they need a 50% pay cut.
Regardless, even ELIMINATING federal pay would be a drop in the bucket...wanna really do something, repeat after me:
ENTITLEMENTS
I don’t give a good damn if they’re purple or green- I’m looking at the graph and I want to know WTH we’re paying these kinds of salaries to anyone when we can’t even pay the interest on our debt. It’s outrageous.
Well.....keeping our national secrets secure is expensive....…
Oh. Wait.
Patronage jobs. More redistributin'.
A real leader would have insisted on an across the board, 10-20% pay cut 18 months ago.
And 30% for all Congresscritters & Presidents.
A pay freeze now is really too little, too late.
It’s a dumb idea because it treats every employee the same. The govt should set objective metrics for every valid line item, pay employees more if they beat that metric and pay them less or consider firing if they under-perform.
You will see more exemptions from this “freeze” than for Obamacare.
Heard a GOV worker just on Rush saying that this “freeze” was only freezing inflation COLA increases and ALL other increases were not affected.
More smoky mirror, slight of hand from soros, I mean nobama.
And don’t forget
BUSHES FAULT!!!
That makes more sense.
It really depends on the job, anyway. There are jobs where they pay less than private sector, some more, and some that don’t have a real private sector analogue at all.
I’ve browsed usajobs.gov many times. They routinely post job listings requiring a law degree and EXPERIENCE at 80k - 120k...(GS-12 - GS-15) any lawyer worth his salt in DC or any other major city could make a lot more than that.
Maddening, BUT:
You have to consider that in Federal jobs, there are no $8/hr Wal Mart clerk type jobs, and that makes up a big chunk of the private sector.
Yikes ping.
If Obamao makes it impossible to cut the salaries, cut the jobs, all the way back to 2000 levels. Start with Homeland Security. When the federal government is down to 2000 levels, tell workers they will need to take voluntary pay cuts, or lose their jobs. Blame it on Obamao for gluing this turd to the floor. Now it has to be ripped out.
All the faults are belong to Bush.
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