The Recession’s Fat Cats: Public Employees
by Veronique de RugyLast week, the Huffington Post (here) was all over this new study showing that low-income workers got hit more severely during the recession than high-income workers (low-income workers suffer an over 30 percent unemployment rate, workers making about $138,000, only a 3.2 percent.)
The data in this study, which turned out to be quite misleading, certainly makes for nice populist headlines. But it is hiding the true debate that we should be having. And that’s not that low-skill workers are vulnerable to recession (duh) but that public-sector employees still have jobs and private employees don’t.
Look at the data:
In this chart, I compare seasonally adjusted unemployment rates across segments of the economy, dividing these segments using the super-categories designated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The chart compares the unemployment rates in January of 2009 (blue) with the unemployment rates in these same sectors a year later (yellow). (FYI, the difference would be even more dramatic if I had used not seasonally adjusted data)
In both years, the unemployment rate within the government has been small relative to the level of unemployment within the entire economy, and particularly so relative to the private sector. In the course of a year, government employment has decreased by 296,000 jobs to 4.3% unemployment; during the same period, employment in the private, non-agricultural, sector has decreased by 2.3 million jobs to 11.1%. (And if you look at not seasonally adjusted unemployment data, the lose of private jobs reached 3.1 million and the lose of public jobs is roughly 70,000. That’s quite a gap.)
From January 2009 to January 2010, plummeting employment has been concentrated in the private sector. During the time period examined, employment in the private sector decreased by 3.5% while employment within government decreased by 0.5%. Furthermore, employment has consistently decreased more quickly in the private sector than within the government (in addition to decreasing more on net). Since January 2009, employment has decreased in the private sector at an average rate of 0.3% each month; this is 6 times faster than employment has decreased in government.
Not only has unemployment been concentrated in the private sector within the past year, it has been concentrated disproportionately so. When measured as a percentage of GDP, government accounted for roughly a quarter of GDP. Conversely, unemployment in the government sector accounted for 5.9% of the increase in the economy’s total unemployment which has occurred in the past year. In contrast, job losses in the non-agricultural private sector have accounted for 81.3% of the total increase in unemployment.
By the way, public-sector employees are also the ones benefiting from the stimulus funding, not the private-sector employees. The job-creation data reveals that most of the jobs were “created or saved” in the public sector. Based on data from Recovery.gov, we find that of the 640,000 jobs the administration claims to have created with stimulus funds, only some 140,765 of them were private jobs.
Now, I would love to see a post by Ariana Huffington titled “No Labor Market Recession For America’s government employees, Private Workers Hit Hardest.”
Also, I would love to see the Tea Party Movement get jazzed up about this and expose the stimulus bill for what it is: A job creating machine for the public sector.
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90 Comments
Like Michelle Obama said..more people need to sacrifice and be public employees, the Obamas are smart
"Also, I would love to see the Tea Party Movement get jazzed up about this and expose the stimulus bill for what it is: A job creating machine for the public sector."
Joe Biden is jazzed up. Like he said, "people should feel good about paying their fair share." Love his logic.
A public job is an entitlement. Once hired, it is next to impossible to get rid of them. After working in both sectors, I can resonably state that most of the public workers I know of couldn't find a job on the private side.
I guess you guys won't be happy until the entire Middle Class is eliminated. The problem is tax dollars being paid for bonuses to Goldman-Sachs execs, not your trash man.
If the CEOs hadn't exported all the jobs there would be more private sector jobs. Go after the politicians who still support H1B visas because they say there is a "shortage" of workers. Go after those who wrote the tax code to encourage offshoring. Go after the "Free Trade" cultists in Econ departments. These are the problem, not public employees.
the definition of a job is people doing or making something, public employees do nothing except sit around getting fat and having to deal with bothersome citizens
Being a government employee, is in essence, being on the dole. The more people that work for the government, the less people you need to subjugate. This administration is working every angle possible to get their greedy little dick skinners onto and into every aspect of every single persons life. Cass Sunstein would be proud of the "nudging" we are experiencing now. Don't forget, Barry has almost 3 more years to finish his "fundamental transformation". We still have a long way to go, and even more to endure…!
How's that hopey changey thing working out for you Obama voter scarifices. Told you dictators have no friends; only sacrifices.
Dhasselhoff, I'll offer you a formal challange. here is something you can sink your teeth into. You are always talking about the Jew Conspiracy, so here it is:
http://www.generationim.com/about/team.html
The above link is for Al Gores investment company. Of the 20 partners listed. 16 of them were former employees of Goldman Sachs. I do not know if they are all Jews, but they all worked for Goldman, and now are partners with Algore. Goldman has tried to corner the market on Global Warming and Cap and Trade. So there ya go, go do some due diligence on that fact, and report back………….
the hoax and chains!
That's not true! They also work very hard bullying and beating up on citizens, as aptly demonstrated by the SEIU members.
Even tho my friends and SO call me a Right wing crazy, I see that when you look at you chart that govt unemployment has risen in one year by about 45 % while all sectors rose about 25% .. True that public employees started at a much lower rate, but their increase just this last year is high. How did that happen when there has been so many new government departments and job openings?
I would agree with you on most public jobs. But Law Enforcement officers are not one of those that are highly paid (at least in Texas). For the same education (college degree) and experience, the pay is about 1/2 of the private sector. And it is very EASY to get fired from a LE job. Just look at a criminal the wrong way – out you go!
and don't forget, they'd be exempt from having their benefits taxed if the Senate version of HCR goes through, while the rest of us would be taxable.
In the Texas county where my husband is a law enforcement officer, he is REQUIRED to pay 7% of his income into the retirement plan. There is no opt-out feature hence he can't set up a 401K instead. And if he wanted to raise or lower this percentage it is forbidden. PLUS, since everyone is required to contribute, those that don't stay for retirement only get back the original amount invested. ALL the income from that investment (i.e. interest, etc.) is kept by the county. The employee gets NONE of the interest so he/she has lost the potential to provide for their own secure retirement.
I realize that it is easy to paint all government employees with a wide brush, but there are those that are contributing mightily to their communities – police, fire, military.
And the pay is not more than the private sector (especially for military). In the law enforcement field, a bachelor's degree and 25 years experience still gets you only 50% of the private sector pay. Plus you get all those wonderful hours to work , you know nights, weekends, holidays, interacting with some of the worst of humanity.
As a teacher, I can assure you that the public sector layoffs are coming. The stimulus bill of 2009 kept many local districts from having to make "apocalyptic" cuts, but those funds are gone. State governments are seeing the shortfalls, and passing the empty pockets down to counties and cities. Public employees are not only at the Federal level, and in fact local government employees far exceed the ranks of Washington's.
In Virginia, where I teach, the state is cutting funding for over 30,000 school employees. These are not just teachers, but also the people who make sure that your children are able to be safe in a well-run and organized environment. The local governments will have to shoulder the burden handed to them, or outright eliminate the positions. In order to avoid the layoffs, my district has asked if the remaining employees would agree to a 12% reduction in compensation for the next school year.
The numbers cited are currently accurate, but they will be long-forgotten once there are 10% less school employees nationwide.
It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." — Claire Wolfe
Keep their feet to the fire. The proverbial day of reckoning that I've heard all my life is now the unstoppable reality. Credit contraction is the other. Perhaps HuffPO may want to take their heads out of the sand to understand that this unstoppable contraction is leading us by the nose.
Americans, instead of fighting wage deflation, should embrace it and live accordingly. Or. Follow the Big Unions and Walk The Plank!
Exactly. You wonder why fired Postal Service drones go, er POSTAL? The can't make $65,000 plus bennys walking around getting a suntan or feeding a converyor belt.
Trained monkeys could handle many "postal jobs".
Sooooo, when the axe finally falls on one of these primates – GONZO!!
Errr…No. I was thinking on the federal level primarily. To be quite honest, I didn't even consider State and Local Governments in on that blanket statement…My bad! If we ever need a government employee/s, we need Fire, Police, and Military. They are all government employees we need, and must have! In no way are they on the take, so to say, with the grand schemes of Chief Walking Eagle.
Additionally they add no value to the GDP. In a company where your job is based on a contract for a product or service you produce, it is generally referred to as Value Added. Those that work for a company not producing goods or services and being paid for by the overhead are non value added. These are the ones that are most likely to not care about cost and are the first to try and take credit. We lovingly refer to them as NonValueAdded TRASH.
no (probably) there is aclear distintion. think more like waiting in line to get a renewal on your drivers licence, pay a fine, pick a bureaucracy and there ya go.
we get it, there are necessary government positions.
Think of it this way, when there's a massive snowstorm – the "non -essential" (?) employees stay home.
I am thinking that most people are talking about federal employees (not military) like those that didn't have to work for a week because of snow. Did anyone really miss them? I know that in some states like California even the state and local employees are unionized, but in Texas we are a right-to-work state. Any unions for law enforcement are joined just to be able to have reasonably price legal representation to guard against false accusations from our "misunderstood" in society.
That's baloney. What makes an area attractive for prospective businesses? Those people you label as trash. Good schools, good roads, and safe neighborhoods are worthless? They add more value to a business/residential area than any other quantifiable factor. Short of being forcibly transferred, workers will ALWAYS choose to live in one of these "TRASHy" communities.
You can blame Clinton for making China a most favored trading Nation – and you can blame Clinton for NAFTA and changing those tax codes that sent our jobs overseas. Sure – private corporations sent the jobs overseas – but – that was because the Dems made it possible. These changes are part of the reason why Republicans took control in 1994. Public and government employees are the big problem in our country. They are leeches on the taxpayer teat. More than 2 million government employees – not including the military or local governments. Local governments are bloated as well – look at how many freakin' "administrators" there are in any local or state government compared to the worker bees. If private companies managed employees the way our government does they'd be out of business. Lastly, when government started contracting with unions – they made it damned near impossible to reduce the size of government because teacher unions, police unions, firefighter unions, service employee unions, etc – won't let the government get rid of the employees. Reagan had to fire the entire air traffic controller staff to break that union. Rhode Island had to fire every single teacher in the state to break that union.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics changed the estimation(estimation because subcontractors and workers who have quite looking for jobs are not included) data in 1994. If we calculate the unemployment rate using pre-1994
methods, the rate is 17.8%, if we figure in subcontractors and those who have stopped looking for work, the number is more than likely 25%+. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Hanzo
Exactly. It's to easy to generalize sometimes, especially in todays day and age of cognitive racism. Essential service employees are some of the most over worked, under payed people there are. It's a true love of the game for those guys/gals, cause they don't make squat for what they provide. I have a few friends that have come up thru the ranks on the city force, and they are content, but not happy. I honestly thank the lord that there are still people willing to fulfill those jobs, because I for one don't want to. Essential, and under appreciated, but certainly not on the dole!
That's why I'm now contracting with a PMO. Don't have to read no freaking rights.
That's where they planned on hiding our dear leader's reeelction slush fund,
Not this year.
Out of the top 100 employees making over $100K in my city/county, almost a third are from the police or the sheriff's department, with a dozen or so lieutenants on the list. My county sheriff, city police chief and County manager all make more than the poser in chief.
I'll agree that some positions should be making more.
I think the number of less school employees should be 20%. Sorry, but the free ride teachers have had for the last thirty years has to end.
In L.A. the unions will not give an inch on their bloated pay and pensions, so it's either raise taxes or screw the kids by cutting school funding. Real Americans these union spoiled brats are.
That sounds applicable to the situations in Union-dominated states, but Virginia is not one of them. I'm not saying that the education system couldn't afford some change, it could. This situation is one borne out of panic and necessity, not a long-term strategy that being put into place to benefit its participants.
Point being, unemployment is still going up.
"dick-skinners?"
Almost forgot about that one…
Semper Fi Marine
I worked for the Federal Dept of Defense, now I work in the private sector. The private sector employee has 3X the productivity of a government worker. The government dole will sink us.
Government jobs to keep. Department of Defense, FBI, DEA, CIA (under new management). Everyone else. Clean out your desks. You are fired.
I agree, however you need to read this story.
http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_9639a...
If we keep it local then we will have a better chance of monitoring our own back yards. I cannot comment on Virginia, but I can and will comment on Munster, IN and it is disgusting.
Every board member needs to be replaced to allow this to happen.
Personally, I don't begrudge the salaries of the 10% of public employees who actually work a day. Just make it possible to fire the 90% who don't!
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
I cannot comment on Virginia, but I can on Munster, IN
http://nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_9639a...
Read this story and let me know if these people are at the very least over paid and dishonest.
If the recession continues, and the retirement systems of these government employees fails, then maybe they will see what it is like to have the retirement that those of us in the low-income workers category have–NOTHING!
We are rapidly becoming that way.
Overpaid? For sure. Dishonest, not so much. They freely admit to gaming the system. There is no reason why a pension should bar you from employment, however they do not NEED to receive their pension when they are in the top percentiles of earners. I am glad to see that the loophole has been closed, but it is a shame that it cannot be rectified. Virginia definitely makes you leave the schools system when you retire, otherwise my father would probably have tried a stunt like this. The worst part by far is that it seems to be only the top-earners and other "people in high places" who are receiving this advantage. That show GREAT leadership to the students.
I once had a public sector job there Liberty.
The first two years, as a 10%er, I tried to implement some changes to make things run smoother, which would have…entailed less Federal funding for our agency.
I thought I was on my way to the top,.. but instead the powers that be…
put me in a 90% position for the next four years….
Never could escape back to the 10% side,… so I was outta there.
Yeah, I get it, man.
I see dishonesty. The school board members had to rehire these people after only 30 days. They could have put a stop to this, now we we will replace them this November. Just because the bank vault was open, doesn't mean you have a right to take the money.
There's quite a controversy going on in the county my newspaper covers. The county Board of Supervisors recently voted to raise taxes in order that county employees could continue to have 100 percent of their health insurance paid for and so that no one could be laid off. Those that voted for it argued that county employees already had their wages frozen and having them pay for a portion of their insurance would be akin to a pay cut.
Well boo freaking hoo, I say. A lot of people aren't getting raises, if they're holding onto their jobs and sometimes, yes, even taking pay cuts. So guess what a tax hike is like? A pay cut. Not to mention that the city is raising taxes and the school district will likely raise taxes too. But I guess it's better to give a pay cut to tens of thousands of people instead of just several hundred, by their logic.
Veronique, can you help me to understand the exclusion of non-agricultural data? The reason I ask is that, among other stuff, I follow agricultural groups and have noticed a LOT of grants (i.e. our tax dollars) going to this sector under this administration and it's all about "sustainable" stuff and there's just a ton of what I see as "collectivizing" activity being (as I see it) funded via big gvmt. programs (candidly, my gut begs me to consider the idea that it wouldn't be hard to de-privatize agriculture that is all "lock step" as a kind of network system, sometime in the future, with all doing things the same way, per requirements under government grants …like my dad used to say, you live under my roof, you play by my rules… a creepy thought, but it's there). I'll check in tomorrow to see if there's a reply to this, thanks!
FYI, this administration is using regulation like CPSIA and food industry "safety" regs to basically put a wedge between us and our liberty to "pull ourselves up from our own bootstraps." Before, if you were out of work, you could bake scones and take them to a farmer's market and make some money to get by – now, you have to use a commercial kitchen and follow new barriers to entry that make that near impossible for someone who actually has enough pride to be the "tough" that gets going. If you don't know about CPSIA, that's another gem – go to http://www.amendthecpsia.com or whatisthecpsia.com and view the hearings that Waxman refused to attend (last April I believe it was) – outrageous nonsense that uses "the children" to destroy small business (like mine) all across this country. The handmade industry has been particularly badly hit. Anyway… it's ugly…I'll spread the word about this article, for sure!
An updated questionnaire and new data collection methods were studied for six years before being implemented in 1994. They conducted parallel tests of the old and new collection methods for several months and found less than .1 percent difference attributed to the change in population controls. You can read about it if you like: http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/cp940030.pdf
The new data collection methods updated the technology that had been relied on since just after WWII. And changes in the questionnaire reflected the growing trends we had seen in part time and self employment.
An updated questionnaire and new data collection methods were studied for six years before being implemented in 1994. They conducted parallel tests of the old and new collection methods for several months and found less than .1 percent difference attributed to the change in population controls. You can read about it if you like: http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/cp940030.pdf
The new data collection methods updated the technology that had been relied on since just after WWII. And changes in the questionnaire reflected the growing trends we had seen in part time and self employment.
The government takes care of its own. Not only are government employees booming in number, they also are making 50% money than comparable private ssector jobs. And the benefits….
From last year to now some things have not changed at all. Those that were receiving free or next to free housing are still living in their free housing. Those that were receiving food stamps are still receiving food stamps. Same for healthcare etc…. Federals and state employees are still employed. It's the rest of us that own our own business and work for small companies that are losing wages and jobs. The bail outs were then and are still not the purpose of creating jobs or saving jobs in the private sector. Those with functioning brain mass know this are fed up with this perpetual lie fest.
Don't you mean public service? Oh, you were trying to be funny.
Thank you, for your common sense.
I guess you guys won't be happy until the entire Middle Class is eliminated. The problem is tax dollars being paid for bonuses to Goldman-Sachs execs, not your trash man.
If the CEOs hadn't exported all the jobs there would be more private sector jobs. Go after the politicians who still support H1B visas because they say there is a "shortage" of workers. Go after those who wrote the tax code to encourage offshoring. Go after the "Free Trade" cultists in Econ departments. These are the problem, not public employees.
"I guess you guys won't be happy until the entire Middle Class is eliminated."
Do you insinuate that we are all lower class, or upper class…?
not only are they not sharing the burden in terms of unemployment – they are often overpaid (compared to the market rate of their "skill set"), under-worked (union rules, ya know) and beneficiaries of ridiculously generous benefits – early retirement, pensions & healthcare with little or no employee contribution. Things that continue to bankrupt cities and states. And we all know what this type of job security & entitlement results in – workers who perform badly (but just good enough to not get canned), with horrible customer service, and no incentive to do otherwise.
I agree with the first part about Clinton, but the real issue is corporate welfare, I will give you a few examples.
Big Business breaks-Tax avoidance by transnational corporations 137 billion a year.
-Lower tax on capital gains, 89 billion a year.
– Accelerated depreciation, 85 billion a year.
– Insurance loopholes, 23 billion a year.
– Export subsidies, 1.8 billion a year.
-Military waist and fraud, 224 billion a year.
I can go on, and on but I think you get the point, so tell me why should all our anger be spent on middle class public employees?
Are you including firemen, policemen, and military members in the "on the dole" statement?
After reading a bit more on the story, I have to agree with you. They knew that their jobs were being held for them, and they exploited the program. I hope your community can get some results from the pressure they are about to face. God bless.
Hey, when the business environment is such that it's more cost-effective to send jobs overseas than pay domestic labor costs, companies will outsource. If you want jobs to come back, take a look at taxes, over-regulation, and labor costs. When those things come down, jobs will return.
If you look at the amount of money spent at the state and local levels and break it into a per pupil amount, there is far more money spent to each single child than you should ever need. So where does all that money go since we can often tell it doesn't make any difference in a child's education? My guess is that most gets swallowed into the education bureaucracies to pay for unnecessary employees. Companies have to trim the fat on occasion in order to maintain efficiency; school systems are no different in that respect.
The worse things get, the more likely we are to see a thriving gray economy spring up where the "tough" can get going with the scones they make on there own. Gray economy is pay-by-cash or barter only and the government will lose out on those taxes while the rest of us benefit by keeping all of what we earn.
The public sector cancer will continue to eat away at the private sector until it collapses ending American liberty. We need someone in government (lots of someones) willing to make the tough choices and take an axe to the federal bureaucracy trimming the fat and entire departments as necessary. At the same time, they need to be willing to actually free the private sector rather than stymieing it with more taxes and regulations.
I don't think anyone here believes police/military are a problem (although it's certainly possible for LEO to abuse overtime). We're thinking of the Milwaukee City Hall employees videotaped by local news taking 12 smoke breaks between 9 and noon.
CPSIA had the added bonus of getting all children's books printed before 1984 destroyed, lest children be exposed to the subversive values of the greatest generation…
dingdingdingdingding
aharris wins.
· less than 1 minute ago
Why have Glen Beck and Bill O'Reilly both recently tried to warn against the "fringe lunatics" in the Tea Party movement? Why have they both spoken very derisively about "birthers" completely ignoring the fact that a very large percentage of the American People have serious questions about Obama's past and his eligibility to be POTUS? Whose side are they on? Are they trying to set the agenda for the Tea Party Movement? Who do they work for? Wanna know then follow the money. As it so happens, both Glen Beck and O'Reilly are living in a glass house, as they are both on the Saudi payroll via Fox News and have therefore been seriously compromised. To find out more click on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZdDkHQ38zw&fe...
TB,…………you'd make a good blood hound, keep on that thread, follow your instincts. 'Pie in the sky'
ideals of everyone buying all food related items from LOCAL producers will cause many hungry, mal-
nourished citizens. Since food can't be produced 7 months of the year, in most of the US, will we all be
traveling to Florida to purchase a box of oranges monthly? Multiply this times every food item that cannot
be produced in 'just any' geographical local & you get my point.
I am a government worker, and have been for about a decade now. I am a Civilian Mariner currently assigned to an oiler that is now deployed and providing logistical support to the warships and military facilties on and around the waters in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean regions in support of our diplomatic and military missions there. My job involves long hours of hard work in the ship’s Engine Room in very hot (even at this time of year) and humid weather. I write this post to let people know that not all government workers sit in air conditioned offices and twiddle their thumbs all day long while trying to figure out ways to harass people and deprive them of their liberties – that there are some government workers who actually do something for the Country and its people. As for the Tea Party, I support them in their goals of limited, fiscally responsible government. I was very fortunate in that I was able to march with the Tea Party on 9/12 in Washington, DC (so I am one of those people Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have designated as angry racist nazi corporation controlled mobsters).
I am a government employee. I have a job working nights, including weekends, and holidays, for a state institution for mentally retarded adults. Now I mostly supervise, but I spent years working with people who are often blind or in wheelchairs or incontinent or hitting, biting , and scratching, or all of these together. Even with high employment, a lot of these jobs remain hard to fill. People will actually become homeless rather than take one of these jobs. Often people quit their first day on the job.
The majority of these jobs are now in the private sector, but private sector agencies that do this work just inflate management salaries, and cut pay and benefits for the rank-and-file. As a consequence, they have much higher rates of abuse, sexual molestation, accidental deaths by choking etc. than government employee caretakers.
I am a government employee because the private sector has been doing a poor job of providing decent jobs and benefits at a living wage.
Not feeling like a fat cat
What a dumb article and even dumber comments. When the economy slows down there’s less demand for discretionary products and services. Fewer goods being sold equals less need for as many retail outlets which results in fewer orders to factories and the demand reduction cycle goes on. However, there is no demand reduction for government services; just the opposite actually.
This sentiment is just the lazy manifestation of a long standing American tradition of hating government just because. It’s utterly irrational and thus impervious to an honest assessment.
Go easy on me because I was a public employee over 30 years in 3 states as a Certified Behavior Analyst and now I'm recently retired, as I'm hearing about treats to take away my retirements that I actually put money into! However, I do have to agree with your premise! I worked as a Behavior Analyst always for the adult MR population and they tended to be happy and display no real dangerous problem behavior until a "Job Creation Program" started by the governor, I believe, in New Jersey as a "make work program." Now, I never worked for New Jersey, but we followed pretty dam close to them where I worked in New York State, Bronx, New York, North Carolina, finishing in Florida. While I do have pensions from 3 states, I'm not able to live any higher then low end of middle class, I assure you!
Great Response and sadly, very true!
Lower tax on capital gains can help even poor people if they spend some money to buy shares of stock. Also, lower taxes here are a complete boon for the middle class since they are the ones most likely to use it but not as rich to hire a good tax attourney to find all the loopholes.
Accelerated Depreciation is not a real problem, just adjust the penalty for sale of equipment over its depreciated value.
Insurance loopholes will always exist and are hard to plug, so I wouldn't expect a lot here without infringing on customers accidentally.
Export subsidies and import tariffs should definitly be stopped they impact us all negatively indirectly at best.
Military fraud is pretty bad, but it serves 2 purposes. One is militaries do a needed job and two fraud here can hide spending on secret projects.
But our anger is justified against public employees because they (right or wrong) are portrayed as being inefficient and lazy; they are continually looking for ways to get more funding (i.e. our taxes); and they are continually looking for ways to regulate what we as private citizens do. i.e. they get in our face and steal our hard earned money. And for that we get nothing in return.
You see, Cap gains can help me and my neighbors, so can depreciation, and the military. Insurance laws need changing but I fear the change our lawmakers will try. Even Republicans can't understand the consequences of their actions here. And yes, export subsidies should go.
I am glad you inspired me to think out why I don't like faceless bureaucrats, and I hope this answers your question adequately.
what tax dollars you tool ??? the Tarp funds were paid back by Goldman … they didn't pay one dime in bonuses with tax dollars …
thanks for your service Matt … but you shouldn't just quote your Union reps talking points about private sector providers … since you have a vested interest in them appearing incompetent and cruel your motives are open to question … cite a study or 2 then you've got a leg to stand on … otherwise it sounds like a unionized government worker claiming that they can do a better more efficient job that the private sector when the evidence we see everyday just doesn't support that …
living wage ??? how about an earned wage … oh, right you've got a Union …
Boy, you aren't kidding. I've been trying to get a guy fired since last August. Actually, that's when he got his proposal letter. He's still on roll, doing nothing because it takes more effort to review him than to just do the job yourself. Meanwhile, his proposed firing is now on the third level of review. This system treats a federal job like it belongs to the employee rather than the government. You can thank Jimmy Carter, although the problem was there before he made it worse.
But you have your 10/90 backwards, at least at the federal level where I work.
Don't forget that when the taxes go up, the public employees pay them, too. That's not to say that something shouldn't be done. I'd say that what should have happened is that the Board should have transitioned all of its employees to High Deductible plans, with health savings accounts.
LOL…… you don't really believe that load you just shoveled do ya? Nah you just thought you would troll in and not get slammed because its an old article. By the way the American worker is whats gonna save us in the end not Washington. Washington can only pass legislation that hurts the American worker. Don't worry sugar britches the time of big government is coming to an end. People like yourself will be forced into the real world (thank god I'm self employed). Government workers are over payed and under worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Marxist Rot….House of Kennedy 1962
SEIU, NEA, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, NEA
Take down the publiic (Soviet) unions and the country will flourish again.
(the other Army of Davids might be leftist Astroturf)
i've said that for years. when you get fired from the post office you are officially unemployable anywhere on this planet. as a govt job, it's damn difficult to get canned in the first place, so when it happens you gotta figure it's only the lowest of the low that ever get axed. no surprise some of them snap…
Q) What does it mean when the flag is flying at half mast at the Post Office?
A) They're hiring.
lol!! they're hiring! I'll tell my brother in law that one!
He actually pulled it off – getting canned from the P.Service! He's a capable guy, I think he quit rather than fight 'em. His Dad was a wheel and and when he retired the politics got him, I think.
He's making a mint in Austin now as a contractor.
Most of them are schlubs.
How can there be a self-employed unemployment rate? More broadly, how can unemployment be measured within sectors? It seems that unemployed individuals don't have a sector.
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Sooo.. the news here is that government jobs are more stable than private ones? Thanks for stating what everybody already knew.
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