It's A Good Time To Work For Uncle Sam
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Obama's call last year for "shared sacrifice" doesn't extend to federal employees, at least based on the details of his administration's 2010 budget released this week.
At a time when the official unemployment rate is nearing double digits, and 6.35 million people are receiving unemployment benefits, the U.S. government is on a hiring binge.
Executive branch employment — 1.98 million in 2009, excluding the Postal Service and the Defense Department — is set to increase by 15.6 percent for the 2010 fiscal year. Most of that is thanks to the Census Bureau hiring 102,000 temporary workers, but not counting them still yields a net increase of 2 percent in one year.
There's little belt-tightening in evidence in Washington, D.C.: Counting benefits, the average pay per federal worker will leap from $72,800 in 2008 to $75,419 next year.
Meanwhile, according to Forbes' layoff tracker, there have been 558,087 layoffs since November 2008 at large public companies; even local school districts aren't immune. That's just a sliver of the total unemployed, which government data estimate to be 8.6 percent of the workforce, or an alternate method of reckoning that counts discouraged workers puts at 20 percent.
Some of the Feds' hiring increases have been stunning. If you look at the four-year period from 2006 to 2010, the number of Homeland Security employees has grown by 22 percent, the Justice Department has increased by 15 percent, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can claim 25 percent more employees. (These figures assume that Congress adopts Mr. Obama's 2010 budget without significant changes.)
A 39-page "dimensions" document accompanying the White House's 1,380-page appendix offers justifications for each new hire. Homeland Security says its new employees will "increase border security." The Agency for International Development wants to improve "the management and stewardship of foreign assistance programs." The Smithsonian Institution wants "additional security guards." And so on.
The final evidence that it's a good time to have a .gov e-mail address? Civilian government employees are set to enjoy a 2 percent raise. Not only are private sector workers are struggling to keep their jobs, but their earnings are stagnating and pay cuts are no longer uncommon.
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Why isn't Zimbabwe or Somali (or any other African country) as rich as the United States? What happened to Russia's big collapse at the end of the 80's? Not "enough" Barack Obama, big government "stimulus?"
Spending doesn't equal stimulus nor does it equal wealth, it's debt. Debt is not an asset on the balance sheet it's a liability.
In the real world where I live if responsibilities of a particular "job" haven't increased I just don't see hiring 25% more employees.
Please explain the logic.
Posted by minnkj at 12:44 PM : May 13, 2009
Love Canal was not a nuclear incident.
In the real world where I live if responsibilities of a particular "job" haven't increased I just don't see hiring 25% more employees.
Please explain the logic.
As most retirement plans have decreases on average of 50% it seems only fair that congress and the remaining federal government reduce their salaries, expenses and staff (total government employees) 50% also!
Something has to be done and it is up to the public to start the ball rolling for fiscal reforms to government employee benefits and salaries.
Why should we pay this President and congress to make these types of mistakes?
So stop complaining and get the ball rolling! Contact your local churches, clubs, meetings, town halls, and especially your state congressmen and tell them you want to pass laws cutting back congressional salaries, staff members, allotments and expenses! Be sure to discuss this at your next tea party!
Please pass this to all of your e-mail contacts and post on as many political news agencies on the net as often as possible until changes are made!
If you are faint of heart, I would appreciate your moral support!
Quote from article
"Counting benefits, the average pay per federal worker will leap from $72,800 in 2008 to $75,419 next year."
The average pay for all workers in the US is about $45,000 and that includes the overpaid government workers.
That means the average pay for the private sector is even less than $45,000, when government pay isn't included in the average.
I do agree that executives getting on average 400 times worker pay is obscene.
--Posted by JediRockk"
Jedi, you are a fool. The reason you father could do this, is because prior to the Great Society in the 60s, the tax burden on Americans (federal, state, local), was uner 25%. Today that number is over 50%. I could support a wife and 3 kids if I could keep 75% of what I make. Sadly, there are people, like the president, who think I work to have my income redistributed to others. That is the problem, not the solution. Geet government out of the way, and people prosper.
I really don't want to work my private sector job, so government can tax it away, to make useless government jobs, for political payback.
No law necessary. Government jobs inevitably and invariably pay less than their private-sector equivalents.
Leaving aside, as specified above, the Post Office and Dept. of Defense, most federal jobs remaining under the Civil Service pay umbrella are for specialists of one kind or another, or for people who can manage multi-million dollar contracts. Such people do not come cheap.
When I worked we had trouble recruiting the necessary specialists because they could get better money elsewhere. Well, the worm has wiggled a bit and now federal jobs for white collar specialists are attractive. Probably based on health insurance alone. Which, by the way, I understand many federal contractors do not provide.
Posted by gsigas at 8:08 PM : May 12, 2009
I was recently approached by a young relative of mine seeking advice on whether to stick with his federal government position or go the private sector route. This young man has just earned his MBA and is continuing a rapid rise in his chosen field. He has been approached by headhunters from the private sector with offers that are much more lucrative in the short run. However, he has decided that because of the current economic uncertainties, he will stay put for the added job security that he currently enjoys.
Texas
Posted by vega4me at 7:16 PM : May 12, 2009
Unfortunately, I know first hand that what you have stated is true, and it has been going on for many, many years, not just recently. I learned first hand when I used to deal with several federal agencies. I made it my personal policy to always seek out the "workers" in each unit in order to have my business facilitated in a timely manner.
Jeepers, he's only been in office since January 20, 2009, and all these high payin' govenenenenment jobs are his fault!!!
Everybody done get a raise on January 20, 2009, eh? WOW!!!!
Just sayin'..... :)
In 41 months when a new administration takes over, so go these jobs with the majority of Americans blessing who don?t make half that. Obama is not doing anyone any good with this give away. He is hurting them because this simply can?t be sustained. The freeloaders will be looked upon like the CEO is now.
You elected a child people. Thank God mid terms are next year and the next election is in 38 months.
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