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Morning Bell: Should We Pay Government Employees More?
Heritage Foundation ^ | 11/21/2012 | Amy Payne

Posted on 11/21/2012 7:43:35 AM PST by IbJensen

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Goodbye Miss American Pie!

Reduce the number of federal employees in all departments by not less than one-third. This year. Next year, another one-third. Reduce the salaries of all government employees, including the President and Congress, to the average for the American workers. We should want it fair and balanced since that is the cry the Democrats use repeatedly. Let's force the central socialist government to follow their lead . . .

We now have a government that's easy to hate!

1 posted on 11/21/2012 7:43:41 AM PST by IbJensen
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To: IbJensen
The Federal Salary Council, an advisory body of academics and leaders of public employee unions, suggested last month that federal workers are underpaid by an average of 35 percent relative to nonfederal employees.

As a federal employee ... I know that is BS. I am an engineer who worked for a defense contractor for 20 years before moving to the government.

I make less now, but nowhere near 35% less ...

2 posted on 11/21/2012 7:59:35 AM PST by dartuser ("If you are ... what you were ... then you're not.")
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To: dartuser

Are you at work now?

I’m an over 70 retiree and at home on my own time.


3 posted on 11/21/2012 8:05:36 AM PST by IbJensen (Liberals are like Slinkies, good for nothing, but you smile as you push them down the stairs.)
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To: dartuser
In the 90’s and mid 2000’s the consulting company I had did a lot of salary surveys in both the public and private sector. Considering toal compensation(salary & benefits) federal employees made 20% more than the same job in the private sector, State and municipal employees were at plus 10 to 15% more. You can add another 10% to those numbers now.
4 posted on 11/21/2012 8:07:02 AM PST by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: IbJensen

The federal retirement from 1984 forward sucks! I don’t know why people think it is so great. Federal Government is working tomorrow ALL Day. Most private businesses are off. Most private businesses are giving great Christmas Parties and bonus’. Not the federal government.


5 posted on 11/21/2012 8:08:28 AM PST by napscoordinator (GOP Candidate 2020 - "Bloomberg 2020 - We vote for whatever crap the GOP puts in front of us.")
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To: stubernx98
State and municipal ... I believe it ...

Federal ... not in my field.

6 posted on 11/21/2012 8:13:58 AM PST by dartuser ("If you are ... what you were ... then you're not.")
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To: napscoordinator
The federal retirement from 1984 forward sucks!

You might think differently if you take a hard look at retirement plans in the private sector.


7 posted on 11/21/2012 8:18:38 AM PST by Iron Munro (Romney lost the)
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To: Iron Munro

My Grandfather retired from Coca Cola and now that is a retirement program.....Oh and it is not a government program or company.


8 posted on 11/21/2012 8:22:28 AM PST by napscoordinator (GOP Candidate 2020 - "Bloomberg 2020 - We vote for whatever crap the GOP puts in front of us.")
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To: napscoordinator

Do you work for the central socialist government?

Who is working on Thanksgiving Day besides cops?


9 posted on 11/21/2012 8:29:25 AM PST by IbJensen (Liberals are like Slinkies, good for nothing, but you smile as you push them down the stairs.)
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To: IbJensen

As a government employee, I can tell you that people don’t work here for the money. They work for the benefits. The biggest benefit is the reluctance of the government to get rid of you after 50.

Also people want more government workers. They want more people working in the DMV and Social Security and Medicare and etc etc. They just want them to work for free. Or get their dead azz off STD/LTD and go back to work.


10 posted on 11/21/2012 8:30:42 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you really want to annoy someone, point out something obvious that they are trying hard to ignore)
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To: napscoordinator

That’s annoying, because after all we all have to pay for Coca Cola pensions.

Ah no wait, we don’t. Coca Cola is a private company that doesn’t get to take money from taxpayers by force of arms.

Whereas we all have to pay for bloated Government pensions. Also: Government pensions are not subject to market forces and can grow without let or hindrance.

Two excellent reasons why all Government pensions (indeed: all conciliary to Government workers) must be subjected to dispassionate scrutiny.


11 posted on 11/21/2012 8:30:56 AM PST by agere_contra ("Government creates nothing" - Romney, 2012)
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To: napscoordinator

What world do you live in where “most private businesses are giving great Christmas Parties and bonus’????? Surely you jest.


12 posted on 11/21/2012 8:33:21 AM PST by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods.)
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To: goodnesswins

Where the usual inane comments of that nature on FR come from ... the DC bubble.


13 posted on 11/21/2012 8:37:14 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: napscoordinator
My Grandfather retired from Coca Cola and now that is a retirement program.....Oh and it is not a government program or company.

I understand that. But times have changed and Coca-Cola isn't exactly an average employer. Outside of companies like Coke or unionized jobs like the UAW there is usually a great difference between government retirement and private sector retirement.

Talk to a cross section of people working in the private sector today and compare their retirement plans (if any) to government plans.

Not only that, but government employees have almost 100% certainty that the government retirement plan will be there when they are ready to retire. Many private sector plans go belly up before employees are able to retire. Sometimes even people already retired lose their retirement when plans go bankrupt.

It's a whole different world when you work outside the government in 2012.


14 posted on 11/21/2012 8:38:46 AM PST by Iron Munro (Romney lost the)
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To: dartuser

I worked for private sector for 25 years before my company outsourced my job in 2002.

I do the same job now, for the Feds. It is, however, much more complex due to regulations.

I just now, this year, passed by 2002 salary. The benefits are non-existant, and I get 10 holidays and 4 weeks vacation, which I earn.

In my other job, I had earned 5 weeks vaca and was closing in on 6. We had 14 Holidays. I also had my yearly planner purchased for me, my home internet was paid for by the company for when I needed to work from home, and no one made a huge fuss if we had training conferences.

I’m not the one complaining...I feel like I’m serving my country. The other yahoo’s on here sound like the evious occuturds.

I am thankful for my job and I am honored to serve my country, but it’s not the pot of gold some of you think it is.


15 posted on 11/21/2012 8:40:48 AM PST by mom4melody
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To: IbJensen

This salary stuff is the wrong, and to be blunt stupid, discussion to be having

What we should be talking about are things like getting the Gvt to move away from the GS scale (with it’s automatic step increases) and into a pay for performance structure. And eliminating waste from unneeded, redundant positions. Then loosening up the laws that prevent poorly performing Federal workers from being easily fired. And finally reforming the hiring process so that the best qualified candidates get the jobs.

Arguing about salary is nothing more than a distraction. Especially since the salary numbers are dwarfed by the inefficiencies caused by not addressing the points above.


16 posted on 11/21/2012 8:43:41 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: IbJensen

The VA nurses and doctors are working. The military is working. The flight controllers are working. Firemen are working. I’m sure there are others...


17 posted on 11/21/2012 8:44:32 AM PST by mom4melody
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To: AppyPappy
Also people want more government workers.


18 posted on 11/21/2012 8:48:33 AM PST by Iron Munro (Romney lost the)
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To: mom4melody

But, of course, the 855 White Hut employees, the lousy State Department and a score of others are not only not working tomorrow, but do very little of substance during the year.


19 posted on 11/21/2012 8:49:12 AM PST by IbJensen (Liberals are like Slinkies, good for nothing, but you smile as you push them down the stairs.)
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To: mom4melody
You are absolutely right ... I have eliminated the middle-man by working directly for the govt instead of a defense contractor.

The government does much more R&D too ... we are on the cutting edge of technology development ... and for that we are willing to get paid a little less.

20 posted on 11/21/2012 9:01:06 AM PST by dartuser ("If you are ... what you were ... then you're not.")
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