Federal employees face a long overdue reckoning – IOTW Report

Federal employees face a long overdue reckoning

CFP: Give this some thought: We are a nation based on a system of federalism, which means that largely sovereign states are united under a limited federal government that performs only certain essential functions – those enumerated in the Constitution – and leaves all functions not so enumerated to the states by law.

That is the idea. So how did we get to the point where a federal government supposedly so limited has 2.1 million employees? And how did that group of federal employees become such a privileged class that they’re almost impossible to fire – even if they’re demonstrably incompetent – and they enjoy pay and benefits that would make most people working in the private sector blush?

Well: We got to this point because of an unholy and completely corrupt alliance between politicians and federal employee unions. The latter fills the campaign coffers of the former, which makes sure the latter gets rewarded with cushy compensation packages and a virtual guarantee of lifetime employment. It is not only Democrats who have perpetrated this scam on the American people, but to the extent any member of Congress is interested in attacking it, you can find the attackers just about exclusively on the Republican side of the aisle.

This situation has persisted for years because the GOP has never had the numbers to change it, and they’ve never had a president who was really interested fighting the fight. Ronald Reagan was to an extent – the firing of the striking PATCO members being the most awesome example – but even he didn’t fundamentally change the relationship between the federal government and its employees.

Today, it appears Donald Trump is prepared to go much farther, and congressional Republicans are not shying away from the fight. Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who chairs the Government Operations Committee, is offering some hints about what the changes might be:    read more

23 Comments on Federal employees face a long overdue reckoning

  1. Federal intrusion into the states with the threat of withdrawing funds could also be curtailed by using that same force for conservative ends. The liberals would then be more likely to impose limits on this practice.

  2. I work as a government contractor. I get paid about 80% of what a government employee does simply to do the job of government employees who don’t have the proper skill sets. They don’t lose their job. They just hire my company to do their jobs for them. I can’t get a federal job because I don’t live in DC and I’m white. But I do get to do their job for them at reduced pay. That’s called a “democrat economy”.

  3. “We are a nation based on a system of federalism…”

    When I first saw that, I read it as “…based on a system of feudalism”. Now that I see what it really says, I’m beginning to wonder if I was right the first time.

  4. So, combine the Federal employment with all other levels of government. Then, add all the entitlement payments for EVERYTHING to 110 million people. Combine that with our huge, chronic imbalance of trade. The result? We’re printing money just to keep up demand for products produced globally. People here PRODUCE very little.

    The U.S. is just one giant check writing machine. Reduce entitlements, cut Federal employment and scale this beast back at a predictable rate. If we do it too fast, the economy collapses.

    Like Barry Goldwater suggested in 1964: eliminate Social Security over a 20-year period. Had we just done that. Sigh.

  5. “This situation has persisted for years because the GOP has never had the numbers to change it”

    To that I call BULLSHIT! Replace the word “numbers” with balls/will and I totally agree.

  6. Federal bureaucrats: The Real One Percent
    – Unlike the 1%ers the Left likes to bash for having “too much money”, this 1% really does impact my life negatively, through higher taxes and bureaucracy

  7. I would offer that Trump, the worlds greatest businessman, knows overhead and how to slash it.

    overhead = too many employees

    Federal gov is going to look a lot different next fall. Maybe for once, i’ll be driving a nicer newer vehicle than the ones the feds drive.

  8. I was a gov’t plumber working side-by-side with Davis-Bacon plumbers who made over twice my rate. Yeah, we had some (about 60%) employees who were completely worthless pieces of shit, but they didn’t get paid more than the completely worthless Davis-Bacon pieces of shit. The FedGov is a scam – but it’s not the fault of the guys who are trying to make an honest living – it’s the fault of the swindlers who hold political power – the Representatives, the Senators, the Executive Agency heads, the Public Employees Unions.

    I’m pretty sure that whatever solution rises to the top of the septic tank that is Washington, DC; it will be bad for employees, bad for America, and feather the nests of the politically connected.

    I was in that shit for 36 years, through the Administrations of the Great, the Near-Great, and the Miserable. Nixon was in office when I was hired.

    izlamo delenda est …

  9. Since Trump is sending out mixed signals on prosecuting the Clintons, climate change, the EPA, trade and a few other things I will believe he will reduce the federal government when I see it.

  10. In the past, I have done years of work for the County of Dallas that was already contracted and being paid for regularly with another company.

    These few buildings, in particular, wanted the pest work actually done.

    These entities – Family Gateway, et al – never met the other company or any worker for it. The other company never even posted for the dates of service like required by state regs.

    I found out I was charging 5 times what the other company contracted and I am one of the less expensive legit businesses – less overhead.

    They couldn’t afford to show up, just send billing. Years of fraudulent billing.

    A couple of years after I had moved on from performing for them, I was asked to sit in on the bid meeting for the county – the regular avenue for getting those accounts I had already experienced plus another 52 buildings.

    There, I heard the truth I already knew. We were told lowest and highest bids will be tossed, but also an eye to what they now knew was a pricing a company could afford to actually do the work. During the whole meeting, there was a guy off to the side shuffling through papers, head down. Obviously a pest guy in his company uniform.

    The manager conducting the meeting went on and on how the previous contract holder never showed up for these buildings and only submitted invoices. The disgust the manager had was evident. I nodded my head knowing what I knew – the guy never showed up where I worked for them. He stressed how it is more than a one-man job and we would need to hire one or two people just for this contract if we were a one-man company.

    Then he turned to the guy off to the side and said: “Isn’t that right Mr Lady Bug Pest Control?”

    Holy shit! That’s the company that was supposed to be doing the work I did the last 7 years and the fraud was sitting there the whole time listening to the damning speech about his fraud!

    The fact the government let this go on for so long is exactly how waste is everywhere. No real oversight or caring about it.

    This is also why the private sector can bring better results with less cost – accountability.

    I say contract out to the private sector if you want to bring something in at it’s lowest cost.

  11. OD – it’s the media sending out the mixed signals. Trump’s still sending coded messages to the media. They think he’s theirs to play with, Trump thinks the other way around.
    Not everything will go the way we want it to, but a hell better sight than what Hillary would do.

  12. @Ohio Dan: “Since Trump is sending out mixed signals on prosecuting the Clintons, climate change, the EPA, trade and a few other things I will believe he will reduce the federal government when I see it.”

    Be careful were you get your news and who you listen to. Rush had a pretty good explanation on this topic today.

  13. Trump needs to shut down dozens of Federal agencies we cannot afford, do not need. We’re going to face bankruptcy boys and girls, gonna happen in our life times if the damn government does not quit borrowing and spending. WAY past time to start paying off the National debt.

  14. The interesting thing is that the government isn’t uniform in it’s various divisions etc. My daughter works for one of the government owned National Laboratories, has a 401K but no other pension, my nephew works for the federal bureau of prisons and it’s an entirely different deal.

    In other words; it’s a damned mess.

  15. I read that unionizing federal employees was an executive order JFK signed which can be rescinded just as easily.

    …on January 17, 1962, Federal employees first obtained the right to engage in collective bargaining through labor organizations when President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988, “Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Sector.”

  16. @Page O’Turner – Kennedy’s EO was mostly superseded by Nixon’s Executive Order 11491 in 1969.

    But your point is right on target. Any prez can cancel any prior prez’s EO. The problem will likely be subsequent legislation or regulations based on the EOs – that will take a bit more work, unfortunately.

  17. I’d be more inclined to believe the BS spewed by Chaffetz if his focus would begin first with the pension/benefits packages of the House and Senate members and THEN work his way down, but he’s not going to even glance over his shoulder at that, so I’m not buying into it. I think the word I’m searching for is disingenuous, followed closely by bastard.

  18. Canada has an overblown and overpaid bureaucracy today because of what Pierre Trudeau (the father of Justine Trudeau Canada’s current PM and a chip off his fathers block except only half as smart) did over 40 years ago.

    Back then the government was much smaller then today with fewer departments which oversaw fewer functions. The staff had an unwritten agreement with the feds. They were paid less than similar jobs in the private sector but they had far greater job security and a comfortable pension when they retired.

    When Trudeau was elected it became quite clear he was for a strong central government with greatly increased powers and employees. In addition since he felt that only the best and brightest should work for government he raised the salaries and perks for government workers to the level of the private sector (in some cases more so) but continued the job security and generous pensions. He then allowed the federal government employees to unionize which made way for collective bargaining and grievance procedures which made it almost impossible to fire someone. Canada has been paying the price for this idiocy ever since.

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