As a friend of mine, also then a government employee, these are "people who can do no other work."
Not many private company managers would hire a former government hireling, especially in this economy. They are damaged goods. The longer and more recent the government employment, the lower the odds they could ever get out.
They can always come join us at-will employees in the private sector! Of course, morale isn’t much better out here either, mostly because of them....
Cut 50% of all Federal union jobs.
LLS
I’ve worked in private sector ...I have worked Federal.
I worked for a private organization that made the Federal government look like a model of efficiency ...but the private organization could not sustain itself (virtue of free market!!!) - and got bought out and it was streamlined and downsized and fixed to become more competitive.
I have seen parts of the Fed work force that work hard and earn every penny they get paid ...while other areas could be totally abolished and no one would notice its absense (except for the overpaid and underworked employees there.)
In the Washington, DC area (the belly of the best) - the working level is WAY HIGH ....some GS-13’s and -14’s doing jobs that elsewhere in the country, would be a GS-9 or GS-11. BLOATED and INEFFICIENT!!
And management tends to be typical Dilbert-type - never make a decision until there is total consensus (to avoid possibly making a bad choice) ...so it can take YEARS to make productive/beneficial changes. I work at a Naval Shipyard - and am frustrated when I see it take 5 - 7 years to make simple changes that are logical & rational “good engineering” -because it takes that long to get “consensus”. I repeatedly tell my boss ...”If it is good engineering, it doesn’t need consensus, and consensus doesn’t necessarily mean it is good engineering.” I am told that I need to be a better “salesman” to convince others of my point (as opposed to being a very good engineer??) It is frustrating.
But - I do agree that we should down-size the FED. No Dept. of Education, no Dept. of Energy, HHS, Commerce. Make the other departments that are retained more efficient.
BUT - at least the FED saw the high costs of retirement (CSRS) and in 1984, went to a lower cost retirement system, unlike many state and local governments that have much more “golden” - highly expensive retirement programs. (But - if there are many millions of Federal workers, the volume, even if cheaper, can still be a big cost!!)
I have been in DOD government contracting all my life. Here's a candid perspective:
All agencies could do with a 10% reduction in force and there would no impact on effectiveness. Zero.
Most middle and senior managers at DOD would prefer less staff and more contracting dollars. Contractors get things done vastly more efficiently.
Certain, ahem, "minority" groups are attracted to federal jobs. Placement counselors tell them that the Federal Government never lays off people. [Time to change that.] So, with job security and a crappy work ethic that comes from their, ahem, "minority" subculture, Federal buildings are filled with overweight people who get nothing -- repeat nothing -- done.
Don't get me wrong. Some of the DOD program managers and R&D engineers are some of the hardest working people I've ever met. But the support staff? In general, they are mostly worthless.
Gee, with an average annual salary of over $82,000, with over 82,000 earning over $150,000 annually, I think a cuts between 10 and 50% are necessary and should be ordered immediately.