printMaybe the following sobering statistics will penetrate the thick skulls of those who crave the creation of new government departments filled with workers who are free to pay themselves very generous packages, out of tax dollars, while looking forward to retiring a decade sooner than the stiffs who support them; and providing, in return, that stellar service for which the US Postal Service has become famous. Ah, for a government job!
The obscene numbers come courtesy of the “The Free Enterprise Nation”:
• When wages and benefits are combined, federal civilian workers averaged $119,982 in 2008, twice the average compensation of $59,909 for private sector workers.
• A State of California retiree gets an annual pension of $500,000
• A driver’s education teacher in Illinois gets a $170,000 annual salary and $120,000 annual pension.
• In New York, some city workers amass more than $100,000 in overtime during their last year before retirement to create a monthly pension higher than their salary.
• 420 of Illinois’s physical education teachers, 332 English teachers and 94 driver’s education teachers make more than $100,000 a year, with salaries for each position topping out at more than $160,000 a year.
• A senior citizen in Houston, Texas would find their number of police officers has remained the same for six years running, despite a 40 percent budget increase to cover higher salaries, pension and healthcare benefits.
• A small business receiving an IOU in California might be surprised to learn that in 2008, 40 percent of Vallejo’s 613 employees had salaries greater than $100,000 a year, the same year the city filed for bankruptcy.
• In Fort Worth, Texas, one police chief recently retired at age 55 with a guaranteed annual pension of $188,692. His successor retired at age 52 with an annual pension of $113,614. In the Northeast, two University of Connecticut professors are currently collecting six-figure pensions while simultaneously collecting a six-figure salary.
There are 115 million workers in the private sector, a portion of whom carry 20 million of these pampered parasites on their backs. (Yes, Republicans: Your beloved police and military are numbered among them!)
ANY PUNDIT WHO preaches, as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow does nightly, more bureaucracies, should have to hear from YOU. Flood their miserable cable station with indignant letters.
“The Free Enterprise Nation” “is beginning a national effort to unite more than 5 million businesses with 115 million employees and everyday citizens to fight excessive government spending on a bureaucracy too big to sustain.”
The Free Enterprise Nation represents the economic interests of the businesses and employees who are taxed to provide government and public education employees higher wages and pension benefits, 10 to 25 years sooner, than can be provided in the private sector. The effort launched today with a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to be followed by full-page ads in Inc., FORTUNE Small Business, Forbes, and Fast Co.
I see strong government as a “spiked club” between several strangers. Even if one would rather be peaceful, he may fight to pick up the club before anyone else can.
The story of the “tar baby” applies when it comes to government intervention too.
And also this my fellow citizens: I am offended by much of your behavior yet I recognize that I should not run to the government to outlaw your behavior. Yet some of you, in your fervent self- righteousness, have no such inhibition.
Pragmatism is the rule of the day. But that assumes either no Creator or that He is unprincipled. That seems a rather dangerous assumption so I submit that pragmatism is a foolish philosophy.
You are watching the tip of the iceberg. Civilians often have to work to 55 or 60 (even more with the newer system) but the military and cops can retire in the 40’s – and collect pensions for TWICE AS LONG as they ever worked. Discount shopping at military commissaries and unlimited golf, tennis, and swimming at the Officers Clubs (we maintain billions of $$ of infrastructure in the US and overseas to keep the Generals happy). Even better, most of them get paid even more for private contractors (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, etc.) peddling overpriced junk to the people they promoted to take their place. Nice racket if you can get it.
The other scandalous part is that it is heavily weighed to the top of the echelon. The enlisted grunts who come back with Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder from making Afghanistan the paradise it is today — they get drummed out of the service, no retirement, no fancy golf games at the officers clubs, and no Vice-President job at Northrop Grumman awaits them. Those suckers arrive home to an alcohol and drug habit and a spouse set on divorcing them.
Anna’s benefits from Linda’s 19 years as a state employee – ZERO!
[In what private company is retirement at age 55, or even 60???!!]
I suppose if one started in the private sector in their 20’s, lived frugally, had a pension plan in addition to the 401(K), and generally behaved like a sane person, one could retire by 55. But it certainly wouldn’t come as a matter of course, and I’d want a lot of inflation hedges in the retirement portfolio.
Myron’s right about higher-level military personnel retiring and getting nice jobs at high levels within government contracting firms (one does not call them “commercial firms”) that do business with the military and/or civilian agencies–because firms are looking for _contacts_ who can provide _contracts._ Abandon all notion of performance-based awards.
I’d add that the same holds true of high-level employees at the state level, who can then turn around and help firms doing business with their states win contracts.
Pretty soon, we’ll have two types of people in this country–those who work for the government, and those who do not, the former being a “favored class.” Especially with those new 600,000 positions that BHO wishes to create.
The “new” federal plan started in the 1980’s doesn’t have that same “retire at 55” stuff – it works more like a 401k with a little piece of “pension” and Social(ist) (In)security. Still, most state employees retire in 30 years – teachers in their mid 50’s – and cops/firefighters after 20 years.
And so far, the government doesn’t have to fund their pensions in advance – unlike private companies that are supposed to actually fund their plan. Yes, it is a very nice racket.
The ex-Congressmen get $150,000 pensions and then $ millions as lobbyists – like Dole, Daschle, and the rest of the whores. The ex-Generalissimos and Colonels do quite well with the contractors. Ex-cops become “homeland security” consultants – all bringing in large pensions and ripping more off the government.
The problem with Bush is he made it look like any idiot could be President.
Almost, but not quite.