Obama Kabuki: President Freezes Pay For Federal Employees Who Make Twice As Much As Private Sector
Posted by Jim Hoft on Monday, November 29, 2010, 6:58 AM
Federal workers make twice as much as workers in the private sector.
While the rest of the nation suffered through Obama’s first year in office, government workers increased their salaries by over $30,000 in 2009.
The federal compensation advantage has grown from $30,415 in 2000 to $61,998 last year. (USA Today)
Today Barack Obama froze the pay for overpaid federal employees today.
Of course, the state-run media won’t tell you they make twice as much as the private sector.
The AP reported:
President Barack Obama will announce a two-year pay freeze for federal employees Monday, a move White House officials say is the first of many difficult decisions that must be made to reduce the nation’s mounting deficit.
The White House said Monday that the freeze would apply to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense, but would not affect military personnel. The freeze is expected to result in more than $5 billion in savings over two years, according to Jeffrey Zients, a deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget.
That would make only a small dent in the $1 trillion-plus budget deficit. But with voters voicing their anger over Washington’s spending during the midterm elections, even a symbolic gesture could demonstrate the White House got the message.
Zients said that while the freeze is necessary in order to put the country on sound fiscal footing, the president recognizes the impact it will have on federal employees.
“The president is clearly asking them to make a sacrifice,” he said. “We believe it is the first of many difficult steps ahead.”
Isn’t this long overdue?
For the record… The Number of Federal Workers Earning Over $150,000 Has Doubled Under Obama.
Still More… Obama To Freeze Government Salaries At All Time High
And, Rush Limbaugh just weighed in on Team Obama’s smoke and mirrors.
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Published May 16, 2012 at 7:37 pm - 46 Comments
Andreas K. commented:
Farce? Yes.
Idiocy? Yes.
Kabuki? Not so much. Kabuki is an art. And any kabuki actor should feel insulted over him being compared to Obummer.
johnicus commented:
This really is misleading on many levels, mainly because it does not compare sililar jobs only averages, yes government workers do make more on average, but only because most of the lower paying jobs like food service and refuse collection etc have been contracted out and are not factored into the government worker “average” Gov workers are also on the most part, older and more educated, since a lot of them are retired military members. So please, do your own research before glomming onto soundbites and busting into red faced caplock rants
Fallentree commented:
Thank you for putting this information out!! Americans are paying taxes for bureaucrats that make double than they do & probably work half as hard not to mention more benefits & no worry about getting fired or laidoff as Americans in the private sector are suffering from.
Mike commented:
Overdue? To say the least. As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with the move. At least now the civil servants will understand what many of us in the private sector have been going through.
Marsh commented:
Totally stupid decison. $5 billion is nothing and punishes the wrong people. Cutting the pay for the little guy by a few thousand dollars a year won’t do anything to fix our budget. This is nothing more than a hollow PR stunt.
Chisum commented:
BO also announced that one of his first acts on his first day in office was to freeze the salaries of his senior cabinet members. Of course, the salaries had to be established before they could be frozen.
dwd commented:
So Obama and the Dems spent a ton of money, and now he temporarily, as a show, cuts federal employees’ salaries to make a tiny dent in his and the Democratic Congress’s spending. Notice that the salaries for Obama and Congress, the ones who created this deficit, didn’t get affected. It will require broad sacrifice, he says–sacrifice from everyone but the people who caused the problem. And now Obama has ticked off the government employees union, which is great news because the more enemies he makes between now and 2012, the easier it will be kick him out. Keep up the good work, champ!
Alana commented:
I say: This makes two things Obama has done right. This and the pirate-killing thing (assuming he had anything to do with that).
gus commented:
JohnicusTARD, show us your research son. We’ll wait.
GLM In Ohio commented:
“with voters voicing their anger over Washington’s spending during the midterm elections, even a symbolic gesture could demonstrate the White House got the message …”
“Voters” aren’t going to believe the White house got the message until we see some pay CUTS. The fact that our public servants are, on average, making more than the people who pay their salaries is absolutely outrageous. How many companies can you name that pay their employees more, on average, than the owner(s) make(s)?
We’ve allowed the the children to take charge of the candy store, and they’re eating all the candy folks. The sooner we replace them with adults, haul their butts out to the woodshed, and punish them for their behavior, the sooner we’ll get things back on track in America.
tarpon commented:
Let’s just make it so that no federal worker can make more than average wages. Cut them back at 20% a year until it matches.
When just talking about it won’t do…
gus commented:
Hey JohnicusTARD. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm
You’re a moron JohnicusTard. I’ll await your LIBTARD COMEDY reply. JohnicusTard you have/had zero idea of what your were talking about.
Mr. Happy commented:
Shallow and dangerous thinking. Used to incite one group against another. The anger should be directed toward the private sector employers, like NIKE, that has shipped so many jobs offshore and cut wages and benefits of private employees. The writer, in his amazing ignorance, seems to want everyone to be poor and out of work. I like Gateway Pundit website but this article is just evil.
gus commented:
Mrs Happy. Another moron heard from. The TAXERS AND SPENDERS have decided to make the AFSCME type unions their VOTERS/CONSTITUENTS. Nike owes you nothing. They ASK for your business, the Government TAKES your money.
nelli commented:
Private sector workers have been taking pay freezes and cuts, not to mention layoffs, for years. Yes, it’s overdue. Because of that, this freeze should last at least 2-3 years from now.
Granny commented:
Sometimes it is best to compare apples to apples, rather than oranges. A few months back I had cause to look up the current military pay scale. Remember that most people who enter the military are young people straight out of high school who would otherwise likely be making minimum wage at McDonald’s or some-such.
Minimum wage in the US is currently $7.25 an hour, for an annual total (based on a 40 hour work week) of $15,080. Private sector employers generally do not provide any paid vacation time, sick time, personal time or insurance, either life or health, though they may provide uniforms. Very few private employers make any allowance whatever for meals or housing and usually do not provide anything in the way of spousal/dependent benefits. Disposable income? Likely not a single red cent.
Currently a member of the US military, on his/her very first day of training, straight out of high school with no skills, makes $1338.60 per month for an annual base of $16,063.20 per year. After four months of active duty service, that figure goes to $1447.20 per month, for an annual base of $17,366.40. This dollar figure does not include the value of free health insurance, life insurance, the thirty days paid leave per year, uniforms & equipment, PX & Commissary discounts, as well as 3 meals per day and free housing, which are at most non-combat duty stations about comparable to the housing/food one would find on the average college campus. Neither of these figures include the spousal/dependent benefits service members with dependents receive. Disposable income? Likely every last penny.
Do remember that military pay only goes up from here. (See chart linked above) As someone who spent a good number of years as an Army Wife, I would be the last to begrudge the military reasonable compensation. I do have to question, though, the “reasonableness” of this gross disparity – and this is just one Federal job.
bertogem commented:
That’s not enough. He should slash their salaries by 25% and their numbers by 33% each year for the two years he has left. Start by whacking TSA, IRS, DEA and ATF. Eliminate the Depts. of Education, Energy and Homeland Security, also EPA & FDA. Reboot NASA so that it actually is a space program … and this is just for starters. The axiom that that government is best that governs least applies to this out-of-control gummint more than any in my lifetime.
gus commented:
Granny that is not how he disparity is measured. It is measured APPLES TO APPLES.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm
Federal workers in comparable jobs make nearly twice what a private employee does.
This is a tap in.
Jim commented:
I work for the gov, and I don’t make more than my counterpart contractors (I know because I was one until 2 years ago). Not sure how that goes into the larger discussion on averages, but I’ll just leave if I can’t continue to improve my income. I’m sure I can make more with a contractor with my military training, gov and contractor experience, and my MS degree.
StrangernFiction commented:
Mr. Happy,
Here’s a little advice. Next time you scold someone for inciting “one group against another,” you should try to heed your own advice in the very next sentence. At least wait until the end of the paragraph.
Granny commented:
#18 November 29, 2010 at 12:44 pm
gus commented:
Granny that is not how he disparity is measured. It is measured APPLES TO APPLES.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm
Federal workers in comparable jobs make nearly twice what a private employee does.
This is a tap in.
_______
Gus, I would contend that an entry level job in the military is comparable to an entry level job at McDonald’s or Walmart, where these kids would otherwise be working. The chart that you link to is in some ways misleading, since not all federal jobs are exactly comparable to private sector jobs.
Like Jim, I’ve worked for the feds, as have several of my children. I did happen to make more than my counterparts in an identical position in the private sector would have done, but that was due to “hardship” pay. The feds pay a premium in certain high-demand fields, notably medicine, in order to get people to live an hour or two or more away from much of anything that resembles civilization.
StrangernFiction commented:
And here’s the kicker. public sector employees get paid more to fight the private sector.
StrangernFiction commented:
#22 should read:
And here’s the kicker. *whispering* public sector employees get paid more to *barely audible* fight the private sector.
usamopatriot commented:
Gus
Way to go man!
Granny
Leave the military out of this equation, they serve a useful purpose, unlike 80% of the rest of federal employee’s.
R. Graham commented:
A caller to Rush Limbaugh’s radio progrqam this morning identified himself as a Fedeal employee and I understood him to say that the federal pay freeze only applied to the possible Cost of Living Increases and exempted the pay raises that were already mandated by their contracts and which would be enacted on schedule.
What a farce!! Hopefully the alternative media will report this farce for what it really is — nothing!!!
Steve M. commented:
Yeah — “the state-run media” is so determined to suppress information on the pay rate of federal workers that you had to obtain this information from the brave, embattled samizdat journalists at … USA Today!
Steve M. commented:
Oh, sorry — and that other guerrilla media outfit … the Associated Press!
Granny commented:
#24 November 29, 2010 at 1:08 pm
usamopatriot commented:
Granny
Leave the military out of this equation, they serve a useful purpose, unlike 80% of the rest of federal employee’s.
____________
Well now! That is certainly a prejudicial statement if I ever heard one. The military is no more or less useful than many other federal employees. Look at all the people in medicine who work either for the military or for the VA. Just who do you suppose would care for the military wounded if not for those useless federal employees at the VA? Then there are the scientists at CDC, the Border Patrol we would like to see so many more of, the Air Traffic Controllers that keep our planes in the sky. The postal clerks that sort and deliver your mail.
I would be the very first to say that Michelle Antoinette has absolutely NO need for 26 employees and that every single “czar” TheWon has brought on board at some ludicrous salary to do the job that HE is paid to do should be fired.
80% of all federal employees other than the military are useless? I don’t think so . . . . . and neither do you if you stop blowing hot air long enough to think about it.
David commented:
Gus that USAtoday article pointed out that you could not compare the two. For one thing an accountant in the gov’t has to do a harder job with more training than your average private sector employee. You just don’t like this because Obama proposed it and you have this misguided idea that he wants a gov’t takeover so somehow this is fake. I agree it is not a large chunk of change but it is a start.
Jim commented:
Entry level military is NOT comparable to entry level at McD’s. Military requires an asvab test, a clear police record, often eligibility for a security clearance, sacrificing many of your “rights”, minimum physical requirements, a sworn allegiance to the US Contstitution, subjugation to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and a willingness to go in harm’s way. Nobody every burried the fry guy with honors for giving his life in the conduct of his duties; fry guy knows this and the military E-1 knows this.
Don’t get me wrong, there is honor in honestly working for a living and providing for yourself and your family, and in starting at the bottom at McDonald’s rather than sitting on the couch collecting government money, but it’s not the same as military.
Chisum commented:
Jim,
Not to mention the fact that fry guy is not subject to Stop Loss.
Don Rodrigo commented:
For those of you picking on johnnicus and Granny: ease up, they have valid points to make.
As a federal worker I’m expecting to be “furloughed” this coming year, on top of the just-announced pay freeze. Fine. The “furlough” will amount to ten Fridays without pay or something. I’m used to being a freelanceer from the past when I didn’t get paid for sick days and holidays, so I can ride this out. My co-workers will just have to adjust as well. I could also use them to stop taking so much leave and pick up the slack around here as well (I really don’t fit in
do I?).
Bottom line is: the government is doing too much, which means that the effective thing to do would be to eliminate certain now-federal functions so we don’t need ANY federal workers in those particular areas that are eliminated.
Granny commented:
Jim, these days most private entry level positions require some kind of basic skills test, a psych profile, a physical exam, drug testing and a background check, especially if you are working in a position where you will be around children. Many of them also require that the potential employee be bondable and have no criminal record. More than a few have specific physical criteria – the ability to lift 50 or even 75 pounds is fairly common. One does not “give up ones rights” exactly but exercising them can put you out of work and the UCMJ provides the employee with many more rights than they otherwise have on the open market in many states.. And one thing that is all too common in many parts of the country is the demand by employers that you have “open availability” – by which they mean that the employee will be available to work every hour of every shift that the store is open. (Makes it impossible to acquire a part-time job.)
I did not say that it was “the same” – I said that entry level service jobs are the alternative to the US military, which pays substantially better.
Granny commented:
Chisum, there have been at least two times that I can remember when the US military was cut wholesale, putting thousands of career service members out of work with little or no notice. The private sector isn’t the only place that gets pink slipped.
Chisum commented:
Granny,
What does pink slipping have to do with Stop Loss?
Btw, your exact words were:
Gus, I would contend that an entry level job in the military is comparable to an entry level job at McDonald’s or Walmart, where these kids would otherwise be working.
Granny commented:
Chisum, comparable is not identical to “the same.”
Stop loss is the involuntary extension of a service member’s duty commitment. It is exactly the opposite of the wholesale early discharge of the military, also beyond the individual’s control. Over the long haul of the last 50 years, members of the military have been subjected to early discharge a often as stop loss, either of which nullifies the employment contract.
bg commented:
++
there’s more..
pardon if a repeat..
Labor Union Health Fund Drops Children’s
Health Coverage, Blames ObamaCare
i don’t see how this is a “down” for Unions, i mean,
they’re in favor of PUBLIC OPTION FOR ALL, no?? /s/
oh yeah, not only that.. but they can collect money for nothing and
chicks for free via enlisting in Michelle’s boot camps, uhm, colleges,
er, get paid to join Obama’s mandatory, civilian army services, ah,
forces, yep that’s the ticket..
==
Chisum commented:
My point was that fry guy can walk away from his job without notice and cannot be compelled to stay. Unlike a soldier. Still not getting the pink slip connection.
Chisum, comparable is not identical to “the same.”
No? So now comparable means “alternative”?
Forgive me, I must be a bit slow.
Fallentree commented:
Where is the outrage?? There should be layoffs of federal bureaucrats as we find in the private sector. I don’t hear of any bureaucrats losing their homes or even their jobs.
There once was the Intolerable Acts (5 in 1774) when Americans took a stand against tyranny (patdowns/body scans). Need to read a new book out where Americans do take a stand against the federal’s intolerable acts against us.
It could be that history is now calling on each of us to fulfill our true destiny in life. It’s a thriller & must read. I recommend it.
http://www.booksbyoliver.com
bg commented:
++
Granny #29
hmmm, another who came first ‘the chick or egg’ conundrum.. how’s
about a compromise.. if not for the MILITARY, about 80% of the rest
of the work force wouldn’t have a job?
It Has Always Been The Soldier
It is the soldier,
not the President who gives US Democracy.
It is the soldier,
not the Congress who takes Care of US.
It is the soldier,
not the Reporter who has given us Freedom of Press.
It is the soldier,
not the Poet who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It is the soldier,
not the campus [community] Organizer who
has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag;
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
that allows the protester to burn the flag.
~ Father Dennis O’Brien, US Marine Corp. Chaplain
God Bless America!
God Bless Soldiers everywhere for putting THEIR
lives on the line to protect us ALL from terrorism!
==
bg commented:
++
Chisum #39
i agree with comparable not being identical to the same..
ie: Judaism, Christianity & Islam, insofar as being religions with
shared beliefs, are comparable, yet none are even close to being
the same, never mind identical to one another..
==
walt commented:
Pay is alittle short because the healthcare the Gov. workers have to pay.Look at the past 15years of healthcare cost.That is were all the money is going.Need to let out side medical people and meds be imported in and watch the cost go down HEY Its a world e com!!!Except for medical care.I also say we should contract the house and senate jobs out with no healthcare.What is good for the goose is good for the gander. SAVE money contract out..Its beats Gridlock and special medical interest for the past 20 years
sirknob commented:
Okay, so lets pick on ‘all’ the federal workers over an unfair, bias and tilted analysis of pay. 1st, it is bullcrap. They take the average pay of a federal employee in a high cost of living area and compare it to average pay accross the private spectrum (not including white collar jobs such as wall street). They use compensations such as how much the government pays into the employee’s ‘medicare’ tax and ‘social security’ tax. Two items any current employee may never benefit from.
2nd, they are comparing apples and oranges. A 20 year professional engineer in government will make between 50 and 150 thousands dollars less than a comparible engineer in a competitve industry. That is an apple to an apple. You cannot make the same comparison using unskilled labor as compared to skilled professionals. Esp not at a time we have 10% unemployment.
Now, the flip side. Government is too big and needs to be reduced in size. They have their hands in too many places they do not belong.
This administration increased the size of the EPA by around 25%. Our water and air are cleaner than they have been in a hundred years. Yet the EPA, with nothing else to do, will double down on success, increase the requirements and drive what little industry we have left overseas. That is plain stupidity.
They have hired over 100,000 government workers in DC. The majority of them attorneys, with 6 figure incomes, that only serve to slow down government progress, decrease ouput and increase costs. Attorneys are running the federal government and calling all the shots with their own interests in mind. They have no desire to serve the public interest, they work only to increase the wealth and power of attorneys in general.
With 10% unemployment, our federal government needs to be lean, mean and cost effective, but more importantly, it needs to respond only to those issues that the states cannot take care of on their own.
I am 100% for smaller, less expensive, less intrusive government. However, I refuse to beat up on the professional working people in government that perform necessary functions and are forced to kowtow to a legal system that is only out to serve in its’ best interest. The DOT and the USCG can go far into getting the country back on its’ feet if we could remove the legal and environut barriers that prevent them from working with industry and allow them to perform as they desire.
Fire the majority of the 6 figure paid attorneys, over educated leftist know nothings and 80% of the environuts, do a fair and balanced survey, and you will see equilibrium in pay. Not only that, you will see a huge increase in savings, and a federal government that can actually serve the people’s interest.
Dee commented:
I have to agree that many federal, state and local government employees ARE overpaid. I can say this because I have functioned in jobs at all those levels in my career. The caveat is, it really does depend on the job classification. For the most part, professionals and para-professional classifications (medical, accounting, engineering, technology) are slightly sub-par to private industry, however, the “perks” (medical, accrued leave time, pension) more than make up for the pay. Other classifications are way overpaid. There are too many clerical, “aide” and management types. My experience in the agencies I worked with was two to three workers for each manager. Contractors made up more than half of the workforce in the last state agency I worked with. Finally, once one has met their probationary obligation (usually six months) it is almost impossible to fire a government employee without going through much administrative paperwork hoops.
dunce commented:
Obama is a very creative guy, this is a new way to vote present. Now he is looking for somebody to thank him for this minumalist gesture.
liberal oif oef vet commented:
As a federal employee, at least I can look forward to hearing the heartwarming stories of big Wall Street bonuses over the next few weeks….
nobama commented:
I wonder who in the fed gov’t is making $150,000. Is it patronage workers? I have a relative a CPA who left private industry taking small cut in pay to work for feds. That person does not even make $80,000 and has many years experience. Pay freeze is in order though as we all need to tighten our belts.
Marybel commented:
Please, PLEASE!! Look at the pay for a GS-7. Most of us are barely getting by. PLEASE differentiate between Federal civilian workers at Grade 11 or below and elected officials.
We are not the bad guy. We are consumers, taxpayers. We don’t get special perks or extraordinary benefits. Please report responsibly. Cutting our pay, which is what a pay freeze amounts to in an inflated economy, will only hurt the economy. We are scared, too, for what this administration brings.
Georg Felis commented:
Where in hell is USA Today getting their salary numbers? $80k before benefits would be a GS 13-14 position, roughly what the Director for a whole state would be paid. Do they somehow think everybody in Civil Service makes that kind of money? Maybe in Washington D.C, but not out in the other 57 states….
http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/html/gs.asp
JimR commented:
By the way, there’s another key point that seems to be missed here. Our gov “CEO” has run the “company” nearly bankrupt, and so there’s nothing left for raises for the employees. As with non-gov organizations, the best will now leave, some will linger a while to hit key milestones such as the 20 year retirement eligibility, and the dead wood will hang on for years out of fear of the outside world.
In a few years, we’ll be trying to figure out how to fix civil service again and make it more appealing to valuable employees.