The Rich Have Gotten Richer…In the Federal Government

I’d say that things are bad all over these days, except they’re not. If you work for the Federal Government, things are pretty darned sweet.

The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since President Obama took office, a USA TODAY analysis finds.

The fast-growing pay of federal employees has captured the attention of fiscally conservative Republicans who won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in last week’s elections. Already, some lawmakers are planning to use the lame-duck session that starts Monday to challenge the president’s plan to give a 1.4% across-the-board pay raise to 2.1 million federal workers.

The bullet-points are pretty breathtaking, as are the quotes from the various public sector union officials. Here’s one that pulled me up short.

Jessica Klement, government affairs director at the Federal Managers Association, says the government’s official pay analysis shows that federal workers earn less than private workers for comparable jobs. Still, she says, managers are willing to give up next year’s raise: “If it will help the country bounce back, they’re willing to make the sacrifice.”

First, she’s wrong. Federal workers make far more than their private counterparts for comparable jobs (the same is generally true for state and local governments as well). But even if that were not true, the task of government is not to achieve pay parity for tis employees. “The country” has been dealing with high unemployment, stagnant wages, and even pay cuts for the past couple of years. Federal government employees have not (pdf link). The sheer gall of this union shill to suggest that foregoing a raise for one lousy year is a “sacrifice” is stunning. But it’s also typical of the arrogance of the professional remora class we have allowed to feast on our government (pdf link).

I’m looking forward to the cuts Republicans suggest, if for no other reason than to hear the wails of outrage from the public sector officials who have been living pretty well on our tax money . I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, the first thing the ascendant Republican Party ought to do as it takes up the necessary duty of slashing our budget to a reasonable size is abolish all public sector unions. We’d find fiscal discipline a far easier habit if they did.

(via memeorandum)

Other Posts of Interest:

• Poverty, It Ain’t
• Loose Lips Sink Budgets!
• Boehner Drops the Debt Hammer: It’s a “Stand-Alone” Vote

Tags: Big Government

Category: The Economy and Your Money