Posted on 03/29/2010 9:55:51 AM PDT by Poundstone
There is a basic assumption among many of us conservatives that bothers me. Basically, the assumption is that if a person is a government employee, then he or she is lazy and shiftless, a parasite just eating up tax dollars without doing anything.
"Bureaucrats" is what the sneering expression usually is.
To put it mildly, this is unfair and not even in the ballpark of what's true.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Just because I say Stein’s point of view is idiotic doesn’t mean outstanding Federal employees are uncommon.
“The law actually requires agencies to “budget” and then “transfer” funds in a requisite amount to OPM for investment what amount to t-bills to cover later retirees.”
Sounds like you’ve got your very own Al Gore style “Lock box”....
It gives me no joy to observe that most government benefits are not going to be paid out as expected - it likely includes military retirement benefits, and Social Security, and others.....
I’m just saying that regardless of how little or how much you do as a government employee - you’re going to get equally hosed like everyone else expecting a government benefit over the long-term.
In that way you are just like state and municipal employees, who are very likely to be in the same situation as you.
Doing nothing or nothing productive. Most government employees (excluding the military) are engaged in activities that are unconstitutional. Even if they were efficient - and they are not and I don’t want them to be - they should be fired.
IF they weren’t protected by unions and were more accountable for performance there would be a lot fewer inept, incompetent bureaucrats.
Meanwhile- there are plenty of outstanding federal, state and county employees- otherwise it would all be much, much worse.
1% seems pretty low.
I once worked with a bunch of government folks who had a little saying that they thought was rather comical ... "Don't just do something, stand there!"
Yeah, it does, but that's what the FERS website says:
California: 40 years at age 63 = 100%. (pg 19)
http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/hrm/docs/CalPERS_55.pdf
“the federal pensions are essentially “paid for” by the employees as a group. The law actually requires agencies to “budget” and then “transfer” funds in a requisite amount to OPM for investment what amount to t-bills to cover later retirees. The state and local systems are mostly promises.”
Thanks, muawiyah. Great information!
When you crank in the cops and firemen (public sector workers) that’s going to balloon the sick days taken.
You can drop a billfold full of money on the floor of a USPS mail sorting facility's floor and it'll be there until it's taken into custody and accounted for.
That does not happen in other places.
You want employees like that you have to hire those without criminal records, who don't use narcotics, etc.
State and municipal employees aren’t in as good a position. Their boss does not print money.
My Dad retired at 55 YOA with 35 years of service with the City of Atlanta. He did not make 100% of his pay, but after a few years of COLAs he was making more. When he passed away in his 80’s he was making probably twice or more than his ending pay.
He worked in the Public Works department, streets, sidewalks, sewers, storm sewers, etc. Started as a laborer ended up as a work crew foreman.
BTW When he retired he was getting 13% on his CDs in 1982 and I was paying 16.25% for a mortgage. He would say he missed the days of getting that interest on his CDs and I would say I do NOT miss the 16.25% mortgage rate.
Another point: When I started work in 1973 fresh out of college, I made the same pay as him, $12,000 a year, while he had been working for 20+ years at that point. He said to go to “trade school”, but I ended being the “college boy.”
My son just graduated with his BS and he started work at about a 67% of what I make today. I wish him well, but I am afraid we are all in for some tough times.
When my Dad retired he hard worked outside most of his work years, it took a toll on him. He was not a parasite.
With experience in government hierarchies I believe govt functions can be divided into two catagories i.e. service/public utility and regulatoy/control over the public.
There are dedicated persons in both groups ;who place societal actions for worthy goals. It is in the regulatory group where there is the most danger of abuse, especially by those persons who have a desire to lay their whims on others. This is not a democrat or republican or whatever trait. It is what government up to the highest levels of appointed,elected, judicial allows people to demonstrate.
As the Founding Fathers were concernd, our Constitution and govenment is highly dependent on the honor and integrity of people, bottom to top,
>>> Mr Stein was referring to some examples of government workers, who are maligned by the term “bureaucrat.” <<<
Mr Stein did not refer to a single bureaucrat in his list. He mistook the definition of the word.
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