The Sweet Gig of Being a Bureaucrat, The average federal
worker’s compensation is worth$119,934, nearly 80% higher than the average in
the private economy. 11/19/15, By Max Zimmerman
Here’s a story that is emblematic of life in Washington,
D.C.: The Department of Veterans Affairs—a well-known sinkhole of
mismanagement—handed out more than $142 million in bonuses last year. Taxpayers
stumbling across this news might have been surprised by these rewards for
bureaucratic incompetence, and perhaps they also got the sense that working for
the federal government is a sweet gig. They’re right.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/11/veterans-affairs-pays-142-million-bonuses-amid-scandals/75537586/>
A review of the nation’s capital turns up ample evidence: In
a report released last month Cato Institute budget analyst Chris Edwards
calculated that the average federal employee earned $84,153 in 2014—roughly 50%
more than the average worker in the private economy. When you include benefits
like health care and pensions, the average federal worker’s compensation rises
to $119,934—nearly 80% higher than everyone else. “The federal government has
become an elite island of secure and high-paid employment,” Mr. Edwards wrote,
“separated from the ocean of average Americans competing in the economy.”
<http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/federal-worker-pay>,
Pay for federal employees has grown significantly faster
than for private employees. The percentage difference between the two has
doubled in the past 25 years. Federal work is more lucrative than the average
jobs in finance, information and professional fields.
Moreover, the number of federal employees salaried at more
than $100,000 has grown by nearly 10% in the past five years, to more than
300,000. The 1,000 best-paid federal workers make a minimum of $216,000 with
most of the highest echelon working at Veterans Affairs. Employees of
little-known agencies such as the National Credit Union Administration and the
Farm Credit Administration also top the list.
<http://www.wikiorgcharts.com/stats/top1000/agency_0/perpage_1000>,
The total cost to taxpayers of federal wages and benefits
clocks in at $260 billion. Much of this is concentrated in and around
Washington, D.C.—and it shows. Six of the 10 richest counties in the country
surround the nation’s capital, according to the Census Bureau. The median
household income in these counties ranges from about $98,000 to $118,000,
excluding benefits.
It is nearly impossible to get fired from a job in D.C. A
2011 analysis by USA Today found that at many federal agencies—the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, among others—you’re more likely to die on the job than lose it.
Thankfully, there’s no waste, fraud or redundancy in the federal government,
right?
<http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-18-fderal-job-security_n.htm>
Now compare the plush life of the bureaucrat with that of
the average American. The median household income in September hovered a little
above $56,000. That is only 1% higher than in 2009 when the recession
officially ended, and 0.5% lower than before the recession began. Meanwhile,
consumer prices increased 10.6% over the past six years. Small wonder that 62%
of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a January analysis
by Bankrate.com.
Yet Washington’s success has no doubt contributed to
America’s troubles. The Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that last
year the ever-growing regulatory burden cost $1.88 trillion. This translates
into about $15,000 a household. No one is spared from these hidden taxes, which
lead to higher prices on everyday goods, fewer jobs, slower growth and more.
In other words, Washington, D.C., strides ahead while the
rest of America falls further behind. The $142 million in bonuses at Veterans
Affairs are only the latest reminder.
Mr. Zimmerman is director of policy at Americans for
Prosperity.
Comments
Closing
all unconstitutional federal departments, agencies and programs is the solution
to this problem. Under the 10th Amendment, these activities would be
assumed by the States. Current State
activities that are better suited to transfer from the State to the Counties
and Cities, like education and transportation, should be implemented.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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