How do you know the government is too big and expensive? When public workers are earning more than those who are paying their salaries. Another way to determine its largesse and swelling price-tag? When a partial government shutdown has very little impact on the population’s day-to-day lives. Yet, we’re hilariously told by the left how integral civil servants are to society, and that they’re selflessly sacrificing themselves to serve the public.
Because of this dubious reasoning, we are told to weep for the 420,000 federal workers clocking in without pay and 380,000 furloughed employees during the shutdown. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]…despite earning enviable compensation.[/perfectpullquote]
According to a new report from real-estate firm Zillow, these civil servants owe about $438 million in rent and mortgage payments. Ostensibly, they were unable to set aside money for a rainy day, despite earning enviable compensation. As a result, there are reports that many of these workers are using crowdfunding platforms to raise money, while federal agencies are urging affected workers to negotiate with landlords, mortgage lenders, and creditors to avoid having their legs broken.
The same situation unfolded during the previous shutdown. There were numerous reports of government workers on the cusp of filing for bankruptcy, losing their homes, and taking out loans just to survive for two weeks.
Suffice it to say, if these are the people handling your tax dollars, then no wonder there is so much waste, fraud, and abuse occurring on your dime.
Federal Compensation
To kick off 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to freeze pay for federal government employees, except military personnel. He also removed the annual adjustment of paychecks based on the region of the nation where workers are situated. But the move isn’t as horrific as critics suggest, considering that the U.S has some of the highest paid public servants in the world.
Every year, compensation for federal, state, and local workers costs U.S. taxpayers nearly $2 trillion, amounting to a little more than $15,000 per household. The nation’s 2.1 million civilian workforce earns approximately an average of $55,000 per year, receiving an immense buffet of lucrative benefits and generous pension plans. Thanks to the powerful unions, they are still able to squeeze every cent from private sector employees, who rake in an average $48,000 a year.
But that $15,000 must be generating a stupendous return on investment for you and your family, right? Well, think about the last time you needed to visit a government office. An entire day was wasted waiting in line trying to renew identification, file for a permit, or receive a passport. What’s worse, it was a crapshoot as to what kind of clerk you were going to get: that surly person who just finished his three-hour coffee break or that miserable individual filing her nails and loathing the public.
The only way these employees can justify their positions is by spending your hard-earned money on producing documentaries about North Carolina’s best fiddler and studying what bugs do near light bulbs. When they aren’t participating in these projects, they are maintaining egregious red tape, harassing the little guy, getting very little done, and logging 12% fewer hours per year than their private sector counterparts. Is it any surprise that 65% say job security is far more important than serving the public?
It is certainly a case of the servant becoming the master.
Who Notices?
Liberty Nation recently reported that businesses are maintaining Yellowstone National Park by restocking washrooms with toilet paper, emptying trash bins, and even compensating staff. LN also reported that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffers are calling in sick or considering new jobs because their paychecks are being delayed.
To paraphrase your typical progressive, if it weren’t for the government, who will throw out a park’s garbage? Who will inappropriately touch children and disabled seniors in the name of security?
Anytime the government shuts down, we are told that the sky is falling, the economy is collapsing, and people are dying on the streets. Despite the pearl-clutching, normalcy persists. The coffee is being brewed, the children are heading to school, the cows are being slaughtered, and leftists are still screaming at the clouds to protest the president. Nothing has changed; society is functioning quite well.
While President Trump’s aim for the partial shutdown is to garner funding for the border wall, he is also successfully proving to the nation that many of these federal workers are superfluous and unnecessary. Once a deal is struck and government reopens (let’s hope not!), many Americans will ask: What the heck are we paying for?
Here is a question: If the government closed its doors for a week, a month, or a year, would you notice?
