Are you being paid $119,982...
"The government is spending money like it is going out of style," groans one justifiably disgruntled reader. "Part of reason is huge pay to government employees and corruption by Congress.
"Data from Cato Institute of Federal Pay Vs Private (i.e. taxpayers) shows federal pay and benefits in 2008 of $119,982 vs. $59,909 private industry. Twice as high! And, the gap is growing fast. A decade ago, the average federal civilian employee earned 66% more in wages and benefits than the average private taxpayer. Today, it is double. In 2009 Federal Government budget for wages is up 3%, while private employees are losing their jobs and pay is being reduced. And, state and local town employees are paid about 35% more than private taxpayers.
"Is that fair for taxpayers to be supporting Federal pay double their own?" the reader goes on to ask. "The federal employees are now the elite, upper class - like in Russia. It is the reason why Washington and suburbs are the highest priced housing in the country. Right now most people in USA do not know about the high government pay. But, they need to be told!"
And that's tellin' 'em! Actually, USA Today ran an article recently about just that. Our colleagues over at The 5-Minute Forecast first brought it to our attention last week. Here's the gist...
"The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA Today analysis of federal salary data.
"Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession's first 18 months - and that's before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.
"Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time - in pay and hiring - during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.
"The highest-paid federal employees are doing best of all on salary increases. Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available.
"When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000."
How will the government arrest its deficit by paying their own bloated bureaucracy more money, you ask? What? Haven't you been paying any attention at all? There is no plan to reign in the nation's spiraling debts. They're voting to RAISE the debt ceiling, not REDUCE it. But we wouldn't worry too much. They're only paying themselves in US dollars, and when they eventually do kill the currency, the men and women who rely on the strength of those dollars will be at their doors with pitchforks and kerosene...
"Data from Cato Institute of Federal Pay Vs Private (i.e. taxpayers) shows federal pay and benefits in 2008 of $119,982 vs. $59,909 private industry. Twice as high! And, the gap is growing fast. A decade ago, the average federal civilian employee earned 66% more in wages and benefits than the average private taxpayer. Today, it is double. In 2009 Federal Government budget for wages is up 3%, while private employees are losing their jobs and pay is being reduced. And, state and local town employees are paid about 35% more than private taxpayers.
"Is that fair for taxpayers to be supporting Federal pay double their own?" the reader goes on to ask. "The federal employees are now the elite, upper class - like in Russia. It is the reason why Washington and suburbs are the highest priced housing in the country. Right now most people in USA do not know about the high government pay. But, they need to be told!"
And that's tellin' 'em! Actually, USA Today ran an article recently about just that. Our colleagues over at The 5-Minute Forecast first brought it to our attention last week. Here's the gist...
"The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA Today analysis of federal salary data.
"Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession's first 18 months - and that's before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.
"Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time - in pay and hiring - during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.
"The highest-paid federal employees are doing best of all on salary increases. Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available.
"When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000."
How will the government arrest its deficit by paying their own bloated bureaucracy more money, you ask? What? Haven't you been paying any attention at all? There is no plan to reign in the nation's spiraling debts. They're voting to RAISE the debt ceiling, not REDUCE it. But we wouldn't worry too much. They're only paying themselves in US dollars, and when they eventually do kill the currency, the men and women who rely on the strength of those dollars will be at their doors with pitchforks and kerosene...
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