Federal workers (hiring, salaries) becoming a flash point in midterm elections

[onehandle]

Source: Washington Post

From her sixth-floor office at the National Science Foundation in Arlington County, Carter Kimsey earns $155,500 a year helping to conceive and oversee federal research grants to the nation's smartest scientists.

Kimsey doesn't see herself as overpaid. But now, the 63-year-old civil servant and almost 2 million other federal workers are in the cross hairs during this midterm election season. With 14.9 million Americans unemployed and private-sector wages stagnant, Republicans hoping to win back Congress in November have seized on the salaries and size of the federal workforce as symbols of overspending by the Obama administration.

In their campaign blueprint released this week, GOP lawmakers proposed a hiring freeze on non-security federal workers to help slash $100 billion in government spending. On Capitol Hill, they've tried to block President Obama's proposed 1.4 percent pay increase, to furlough federal workers for two weeks to save $5.5 billion, to fire workers who owe federal taxes, to shrink the pool of political appointees, to freeze bonuses and even to shut down the government. None of these ideas has gotten much traction in the Democratic-controlled Congress, but the resurgence of a GOP majority after the November elections could change that.

Democrats and unions are fighting back with a fury. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal union, has launched radio ads geared to suburban and independent voters, depicting civil servants as trusted workers who will protect Americans from terrorists and deliver Social Security checks on time. Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) routinely singles out high-performing federal employees in floor speeches.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092406370.html

[Name removed]

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[southmost]

3. middle class is always in the crosshairs

distracting from the grossly overpaid upper class (those getting $$$millions$$$)

[PSPS]

4. Only because the M$M wants it to be

This is more "manufactured outrage." The M$M would love an even more eviscerated government, leaving them unfettered to even further consolidate and fatten the already-quite-fat wallets of their CEO's (with a portion being laundered back to their paid-for congressmen as "campaign contributions.)

[sulphurdunn]

5. These are the same tired old divide and conquer

tactics that pitted union against non-union labor in the 70's and 80's. The result was that a lot of non-union labor voted Republican, union wages declined, non-union wages also declined since they were tied to union wages and benefits. Then outsourcing began and million of union and non-union workers lost their jobs because the unions lacked the political power to stop it. As a result, the last group of working people to make a decent collective living are public employees, under attack by working people who think they make too much money. Of course, these folks are less concerned about improving their lot than with seeing that other working people are as bad off as they are. Just like they were in the past. Go figure.

[bonnieS]

6. I'll tell you who to cut

Cut the salaries of Senators and Congress members by one third. They are getting the rest from corporations anyway. Cut their health care by one third as well, as they do not believe in a public option.

Also--since when do Democrats believe in lowering people's salaries because other people make less? Is it not our belief that union organizing is a great thing and one benefit is to RAISE salaries? Do we not want ALL Americans to make as much as possible, not as little as possible if they work for the government????????

I do NOT work for the government but I think this attitude is anti everything we as progressives are supposed to stand for. That is why we are losing to people who stand for nothing but the corporations but are always consistent and can be counted on never to let facts or emotions get in the way of money. Can we be consistent and FOR the universal good? Instead of being envious, organize with a union for increases! If it takes a long time, remember--people DIED for union rights and better conditions.

[Doremus]

7. So this is how it is?

Repukes are free to join DU and post their hateful talking points?

Or are we supposed to believe that reply #1 is a blue dog?

If one wishes to read repuke spew there are any number of websites overflowing with it. Just sayin'.

[GoldenOldie]

9. Privatization of our Government

Corporations along with their Lobbyists have suceeded in privatizing much of our Federal Government with the pretense that "private," corporations could perform better and cheaper than Federal Government. They submit very impressive contracts agreeing to perform all necessary and required duties that the Federal activity/agency does. They agree to each and every finite spec and cost to insure that the required activity/agency function will not be delayed, abused, etc., etc., etc.

Thus far, it has proven that Private Corporations are unwilling and unable to honor their contracts and the few Federal contract auditors assigned to monitor these individual contracts fail or have been corrupted or the elected representatives have their fingers in the Federal pie. Privatization costs have gone through the ceiling and specifications have been ignored or in many cases become extremely dangerous. We only have to look at: Walter Reed Army Hospital in DC, once the top military hospital in the Nation.....maintenance and janitorial service, etc., ...privatized. Every military hospital in the Nation has also been so affected.
Privatizing many of our military....Mercenaries hired to be bodyguards and their killing of private Iraqi civilians and becoming a threat to our very own troops.
Insurance corporations assured our Federal Government that HMO's were cheaper because the doctors wouldn't be hung-up on all the paperwork and thus reduce their staffing. It would be cheaper if all insurance and billing were performed in one or two places??? Not only did the physicians have to increase staffing but they now spend vital hours trying to defend their patient care.


Privatization and then sub-contracting out to foreign nationals, ie., poor Filipinos, etc., to perform electrical jobs which resulted in the deaths of American soldiers being electrocuted.

Privatization is never cheaper and is never monitored therefore, we have many Americans and foreign laborers working at lower wages while the Corporate Board rakes in the big bucks and never having to answer to the taxpayer or our elected representatives.

Anyone who thinks that private corporations whose only goal is profits for the Corporate Board is more beneficial and cheaper than Federal is not living in reality.

[wordpix]

13. can only guess where privatizing science grants will get us - more deepwater drilling, bans on stem

cell research, "proving" there's no global warming and nuclear power is the answer, the list goes on

[Iowa]

16. Yep...

Clearly it was a right-wing troll who posted that - which I said in one of the sub-threads that got blown away. Part of me wishes the admins would just leave such sub-threads alone, because when they blow away an entire sub-thread, a lot of good stuff can go with it. Plus the trolls usually take such a beating that anyone looking on is more likely to be swayed toward a more progressive ideology... the trolls usually do their cause far more harm than good because they're so damned dumb. Besides, I kind of enjoying seeing a troll get crushed in a public forum - and to participate in the crushing.

[cynzke]

8. Better Idea!!!

Move over Halliburton, let's privatize the National Science Foundation. See what kind of salary Kimsey is making then.

[CountAllVotes]

10. oh how things have changed!

Having spent too many years in a thankless government job (ending pay was about $17,000.00 a year) I finally managed to find something a lot better (yes, it paid more, had better benefits, and had something called "opportunity").

At the time, most Federal workers were not making anything even close to the private sector. However, many stayed in their jobs being they had many years of service in.

I worked alongside others that did the same job as I did but had much better salaries and benefits.

Now, some 20+ years later the table has turned. Now it is the lowly Federal worker that must be demonized.

:grr:

[EFerrari]

11. It's interesting that people get upset about EACH OTHER and never

the BILLIONS the the Pentagon just flat out LOSES.

Why is that?

Why pick on working people and not those NO BID CONTRACTS to HALLIBURTON?

We can save a lot of money by going after NOT TEACHERS or FIREMEN or GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES but the CORPORATE WELFARE QUEENS. But we never hear about that.

:shrug:

[Francesca9]

17. and Blackwater

[KamaAina]

12. Here in California, the repukes have demonized state and local workers

who just happen to be unionized.

[Scuba]

14. Just compare Medicare's top job with the insurance industry.

[Francesca9]

15. Some of the last jobs left are federal - and good people want them

The federal pay and benefits are leftover from another era.

[mariema]

18. Demonize any govt. or union worker making good money is their tactic

Of course the GOP wants to “ block President Obama's proposed 1.4 percent pay increase” for federal workers. It is all part of the conservative strategy to lower wages across the board. Instead of better wages for all, they prefer to have everyone be low wage slaves.