Posted on 02/03/2010 7:26:09 AM PST by Poundstone
Excerpt: The budget answers critics, including Scott Brown, the newly elected Republican senator from Massachusetts, who say federal civilians earn much more than private-sector workers. There's a reason for that. Federal workers are better educated.
"The Federal Government hires lawyers to tackle corruption, security professionals to monitor our borders, doctors to care for our injured veterans, and world-class scientists to combat deadly diseases such as cancer," the budget says. "Because of these vital needs, the Federal Government hires a relatively highly educated workforce, resulting in higher average pay."
Consider these stats: Twenty percent of federal workers have a master's, professional or doctorate degree, compared with 13 percent in the private sector. Fifty-one percent of federal employees have a college degree of some sort, but only 35 percent do in the private sector.
Frankie and Flo may not be smarter than other folks, but they do have more schooling, and they get paid accordingly. They are also substantially older, and that contributes to higher pay -- 46 percent of federal employees are 50 or older, compared with 31 percent of private-sector workers.
Although the section doesn't say so, comparing overall federal and private-sector pay is misleading in another way, because Uncle Sam doesn't employ many people at the bottom of the wage scale the way industry does.
Job-for-job comparisons tell a completely different story. In fact, government figures indicate that federal employees are underpaid by 26 percent compared with their counterparts in similar position in the business world.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
“Education alone does not determine a person’s earnings potential in a free society. I’m guessing that many of these highly educated federal employees hold degrees in fuzzy studies which don’t pay in the free market.”
Exactly! I used to have to work with an FDA investigator that was at the top of his GS pay scale. He had a BA degree in history, not very relevant to his job of inspecting vaccine manufacturers.
I have a special needs child so I usually meet the 7.5% of my AGI threshold for deducting medical expenses.
As soon as my son was born I knew that my employment would always have to be with big companies or the government. That doesn't make you evil, it just means you are looking out for your family.
My initial reaction to this post was that this must be satire but it is serious. So I looked through your prior posts and found that you are a federal government employee with time on your hands to be a fairly frequent flyer on
FR during business hours with a distinct agenda on this issue of government work.
The table includes all compensation, even that which is not included in basic pay. Medical, dental, housing, etc. for not only the member, but his/her family as well. What they’re saying is that “If you were on the outside, you would have to earn this much in order to maintain the type of lifestyle you’re currently living as an enlisted person.”
My Explanation of Benefits (correct term?) that I used to receive while in the service did this annually. It stated that in 2003 dollars, as an E-7, my total compensation was $55k. My base pay before taxes was about $34k.
I didn’t see where the CBO page mentioned the GI Bill benefits earned of ~ $48k, but I wonder if that’s included in their calculations somewhere as well.
Remember, bean counters find many creative ways to give the illusion that you are being either well paid or short changed. Basic Accounting gimmicks. It’s all about which column you place an entry in that makes a huge difference.
Plus, private sector finds it perfectly acceptable to employ released felons, dope users, folks without highschool diplomas, illegal aliens, and so forth.
The federal government is generally prohibited from tapping into that excellent source of analysts eh!
I was actually happy that grunt compensation has come so far since my day. I would be happier still if they returned the old GI Bill to todays fighters.
But the issue here is not the warriors, it is the leeches.
My father used to be a recruiter for Hewlett Packard back in the glory days of HP engineering. On his first assignment at a university, he and his fellow recruiters were poring over the students’ resumes in an effort to find the most attractive candidates. My father noticed that any students who had GPAs below a certain threshold (like less than a B average) were immediately withdrawn from consideration.
Being naive and concerned for the welfare of these students, my father got to thinking that the IBM recruiters, the DEC recruiters, etc., were all doing the same thing with the resumes they were examining. This made my father wonder what happened to these sub-B average students. So, he stopped his fellow recruiters, pointed to their stack of resumes and asked, “What happens to all the students in this pile?” Everyone froze, then turned and looked at my father. After a moment of silence, they responded: “oh, don’t worry about them, they’ll get government jobs.”
True story.
Having commented on a subject you are obviously unfamiliar with as a factual matter, and having insulted those who DO work for the federal government, a mea culpa would not be out of order.
Your typical airline suffered losses far beyond that, as did the majors in the construction industry.
USPS has CUT COSTS commensurate with its operating revenue losses.
Without even being there that means NO NEW VEHICLES, NO NEW BUILDINGS (and at $150,000,000 a pop, and several of those a year to keep up with the need to modernize and handle additional automation mail that's a biggy), no pay raises, etc.
USPS financial managers run the place close to the bone with revenues usually within half a percent of costs on a monthly basis.
Better educated? These people are bumblers. Tell me an IRS worker is better educated?
If my experience at the DMV is any indication of a government workers justifiable salary and benefits, then I am in the wrong business.
I went to DMV for license renewal. One requirement is passing the eye exam.
The very nice young lady, who was originally from Vietnam, asked me to read the 5th line on the eye chart.
she then asked if I wear glasses. Of I laughed and said “No, why?”
“Well you didn’t pass that line” she said.
I said “you are kidding right?”
She said she wasn’t but we needed to proceed with the left eye and again she asked I read the 5th line.
No problem.
I was then informed I had not passed the eye exam and would need a doctors prescription or a note from Epstein’s mother or something. I didn’t understand her broken English but I knew I had passed it and was re-reading the lines while she told me this.
She insisted on my getting glasses or whatever and I told her in no uncertain terms I would not be wearing glasses and I had read the lines again while she was explaining their requirements.
There is no way I failed and I could clearly see the letters.
She took a stand and I asked for supervisor, at which point she took offense to my challenging her.
Supervisor came up and immediately took sides with her underling. I told them it was unacceptable to ask me to take a test, which I passed and then insist I need glasses as a requirement to renew my license.
She said that it was a safety issue. At this point I made it clear I wasn’t coming back and that someone needed their head examined. I then repeated the lines with each eye closed and demanded they change the requirement.
They both dug in and I said I have had it.
“I want to see the most senior person here today, now” I demanded.
Some real nice lady came up and each side explained our position. She asked to me read the line again, which I did.
All of a sudden a confused look came across her face and she said I was not suppose the read the 5th line I was suppose to read the 4th line, which of course has even bigger letters.
I pointed that out and said “Great! Now can I have my license?”
She said “No you’ll need to read and pass the 4th line”.
I politely gritted my teeth “Are you serious? Obviously if I can read the 5th line I can read any line above it”.
The other two idiots had their mouths open realizing they had asked me to read the wrong line and it didn’t add up to their “DMV for Dummies” template.
The “real nice lady” took me aside and said “It’s obvious you have no eye problems” “And could I beg you a favor?”
“What, like making me waste a couple of more hours?”
“I am not going to wear glasses because I don’t need them, I just had my eyes checked and the Dr. said I have better than 20/20. Moreover, I don’t want to wear them!”
“If I where in your position I would feel the same way” she said.
“But, I work with these people and they are not from the same culture and they lean on union representatives for all kinds of invented grievances” “I will deal with them later, I promise you, but if we could give them a win....?”
“Better be quick” I said.
“You are in a private fast lane” “You will be out of here with your renewal in 5 minutes” she said.
I went back read the lines real quick so they had to keep up with me and the nice lady hand walked my results and the process to the next two stations. One of them said “Oh, you are very fast. Could you slow...”
I cut em off and said “Deal with it”
I was done in 7 minutes. Real nice lady.
Dumb Government workers and not worth whatever they are paid.
Possibly, but if it’s your personal letter of complaint to the Cabinet secretary I think it should be burnt in public and stomped on by large animals.
Just learn to work the system and keep your mouth shut about your tricks. You’ll get in and out even faster in the future.
Federal workers don’t have bottomline responsibilities, performance is ignored within that environment, retirement benefits are outrageous compared to private industry - we are being ripped.
Uh, yeah that is Cadillac. Most companies barely match with withheld amounts and usually it goes in the other direction i.e. WE would be paying the $650.00 and the company would be paying $100.00.
I wasn’t sure if it was understood. I tried to backtrack through yours and KCtankers posts to see. I decided to post that info for anyone who may not have understood.
I don’t qualify for the “new” GI Bill. Got caught up in the VEAP BS and because I had enlisted through a Career Advisor overseas, all of my paperwork was jacked up from the beginning.
Do I have some sour grapes about that? You bet. I’m one of a very small percentage that the DoD and Congress has refused to make redress for.
As for the current folks in uniform, it’s good to see them receiving good pay and benefits. Although, many still feel it’s not adequate. There are jobs that have extra compensation for risks involved, but IMO, it’s not enough.
Paying an E-1 or any other rank the same amount across the board is not right. An admin clerk should not receive the same as an infantryman getting shot at. I know they get hazardous duty pay, etc., but they are voluntarily taking on extraordinary risks that the REMF is not and should be paid accordingly.
I’ll answer this one.
I’m a federal employee, with a MA in American Government from Georgetown University, Phi Beta Kappa, and I chose federal employment because I can work flexible, part-time hours while I raise my 4 young children.
Great benefits and stability too (although since I was hired in 1994, I only have a tiny pension, not the bloated ones of old).
Those things always over estimated the value of the benefits.
But, who am I to question the CBO?
No argument there.
“Possibly, but if it’s your personal letter of complaint to the Cabinet secretary I think it should be burnt in public and stomped on by large animals.”
I’d expect nothing less from an apologist for the federal monster.
sitetest
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