Posted by
Terry Paulson on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 1:14:03 PM
The Associated Press reports that Mexican President Felipe Calderon is doing the unthinkable. He is actually proposing to eliminate three government agencies to make sure there is money to get to those citizens who really are in need. He stated, "In a country that faces serious needs, as Mexico does, the government should be synonymous with service, not privilege." Could it be that someone may actually shrink the size of a government?
With companies and citizens tightening their belts and cutting costs and employees to handle the economic downturn, it's time that the government do more than just spend. It is time for them to do more than talk about cutting fat and eliminating waste. Why not cut the department of Agriculture? There are more government employees working for the department than there are farmers left. How about eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts that subsidizes so-called "art" that no one will pay for themselves. How about eliminating everyone of the czars and let them go to Russia and apply there because of their job experience? Start cutting and wait for the public to complain and then hire back only what is necessary.
According to a report in USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2009-04-09-compensation_N.htm, "The pay gap between government workers and lower-compensated private employees is growing as public employees enjoy sizable benefit growth even in a distressed economy, federal figures show. Public employees earned benefits worth an average of $13.38 an hour in December 2008, the latest available data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Private-sector workers got $7.98 an hour. Overall, total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour — $11.90 more than in private business. In 2007, the gap in wages and benefits was $11.31. The gap has been expanding because of the increasing value of public employee benefits. Last year, government benefits rose three times more than those in the private sector: up 69 cents an hour for civil servants, 23 cents for private workers. Labor costs account for about half of state and local spending, according to BLS and Census data. Benefits consume a growing share of that, now 34%."
Are you getting the picture, it's the private citizens who are taking it in the shorts in these tough times. It's time to tighten the government belt and bring a little more balance to the private vs. government pay gap. Lower the taxes and cut the spending, and this economy will rebound. Continue to punish success and build larger deficits, and we will be in a jobless, anemic recovery for a decade.
Congrats to Felipe Calderon! Would you like to become an illegal alien and run for office here?