Out-of-control government wages

Obama and the news media like to get worked up into a frenzy over a handful of corporate CEOs making huge amounts of money. Yet, they have nothing to say about out-of-control union wages and, especially, government civilian employee wages.

The Commerce Department recently announced that personal incomes fell in metropolitan areas throughout America last year -- except those with higher concentrations of federal jobs. Private wages fell 6% in 2009 while federal government civilian pay rose 2.6%!

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, federal civilian workers now earn double their private sector counterparts! For 2009, federal civil servants’ combined pay and benefits averaged $123,049, compared to the private employee average of $61,051 in total compensation! While workers in the private sector watch their jobs disappear and their salaries stall, privileged federal bureaucrats (taxpayers support one over-paid bureaucrat for every 100 taxpayers) enjoy earnings that reach twice the size of the very workers in the private sectors who pay them.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis noted that, since 2000, overall inflation-adjusted federal civilian compensation has grown 37% since 2000, compared to 9% for employees in non-government jobs.

The problem isn't limited to wages nor is it limited to the federal government. In many States, just the lucrative union-demanded retirement plans for government civilian employees exceeds the taxpayer's willingness and ability to pay.

Over the past two years, the US economy has lost 7.3 million jobs while the government sector added 98,000 civilian jobs!

Has anyone in government considered who ultimately pays the bill for all those bureaucrats? As far as I've been able to learn, only one -- US Congressman Roy Blunt of Missouri recently said, "Government jobs don't pay the bill; they are the bill!"

Government does not create wealth. Never has. Never will. It does not create jobs that create wealth. Never has. Never will. It only taxes the wealth created in the private sector. Always has. Always will. When those taxes are used for essential government functions such as national defense, life is good. When those taxes are used to pay bloated salaries in bloated, unconstitutional government agencies, life becomes a struggle.

Congress and each State's legislature must immediately adjust all government wages (including those for congressional staff to match wages for comparable jobs in the private sector.

Congress must immediately enact legislation to phase out and sunset within 10 years all federal agencies, programs, regulations, and laws for which there is no constitutional authority or mandate.

Related articles:

It's Time to Freeze Government Wages

Comparing Pay in the Federal Government and the Private Sector

Why We’re Boiling Over: Federal Salaries Now Twice That of Private Sector