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No question some government employees are worth what they are paid (although, except for the military, not a lot of them). But when those of us in the private sector (that still have a job), you know, the ones paying your salary, health benefits and pension, have gone without pay raises for five years, have taken pay cuts, have given up matching 401(k) funds and have had to pay more for health benefits than ever before, it is very difficult seeing ANYONE in goverment get a single dime for a raise. In fact, it sucks.

This right here is the issue. The ultimate CEO of this government of, by and for the people, Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer, are completely tapped out. They're unemployed and broke. They can't even pay the electric and water bills. They've fallen fourteen months behind on their mortgage, and the bank is foreclosing on their house, while the sheriff hauls what little furniture hasn't already been repossessed out to the curb.

This isn't even a case where John Q. Taxpayer had to hock a few belongings to meet payroll at the end of the week. He hocked all his stuff long ago, and has nothing of value remaining to trade, except the clothes on his back. John Q. Taxpayer, the guy who hired all these federal workers, is flat busted. His business has been ravaged by the forces of the market and exorbitant payroll costs. It's gone.

And now his employees, the public sector workers, are getting raises?

Whatever happened to that concept Barry the Boob was always talking about...you know...the one about "shared sacrifice?" Funny thing...we're not hearing much about that these days.I wonder why.

Personally, as somebody who has labored for his whole career in the private sector, I'm having some difficulty reconciling the woeful financial state of the private sector, which created, chartered, and financed the public sector, and that of said public sector, which barrels along unimpeded by the conditions that have caused its employers (the private sector) such misery and grief.

It's well past time to start "sacrificing" federal employees. We can start with all of the ones who wouldn't be required to show up to work during a weather ememrgency...the so-called "non-essential government personnel," which may be as much as 50% of the federal civilian workforce. Let's cut these expensive extras loose, and we can then (but only then) consider raises for those who remain.