Being a federal worker myself, I feel the federal pay freeze does not save the government any money. We were used as scapegoats for the state of the economy and the Congress and everyone else involved should hang their heads in shame for working against us like that. Being rich themselves, they cannot imagine the hardships that a GS-9 or below has to go through every month. They have spouses that worked for private industry that had been laid off recently and it is the federal worker’s income that is paying most of the expenses plus the little unemployment that the spouse receives.
To me, this states how little our government officials that are elected think of us. They buy into the stereotype of what they think a federal worker is and then in turn, feed the American journalists and the public a lie that we make more than the private sector which is far from the truth. The American public has bought into these lies and feel that we should sacrifice as well. We didn’t cause the economy to collapse. If anything, the oil industry started it by raising the gas prices and making people look for alternative ways to get to work. Entertainment places suffered because people were not going out to eat or to the movies. They had to choose between groceries, entertainment and filling up their gas tanks at above $50 a pop. I know. I have a Ford Mustang. Businesses small and large closed over time.
Second is the mortgage industry. They could deny it all they want, but they gave the American people mortgages that they could not afford for houses that were way beyond their means with the promise that they could turn a profit on that house within five years before the interest rates went up. This in turn destroyed the banking industry.
Third, the jobs went overseas without the government regulating them. How could an American get a job if the jobs are gone? How could anyone call them lazy when the jobs are no longer there? How does the government expect these people to live? Should we enter the “Star Trek” era where money is obsolete?
Then the top three car makers were in trouble and caused a further economic collapse. All but Ford took a bail out. Ford was smart on how they regulated themselves and got themselves back into the black. The other two should be made to pay back the money that the government gave them as bail out funds.
I feel for the people who make less than me because they cannot afford to live on their own if they are single. Even a woman who is a single mother cannot afford to feed her children if she does not get a raise.
In addition, by not giving us raises, they are hurting the private industry. Private industry does depend on us for commerce because we have steady incomes and don’t really have to worry about whether or not we lose our jobs. That includes the auto industry!!
President Obama was pressured into giving in as far as I am concerned. It was not something he wanted to do. If it were up to the Republicans, they would outsource every federal agency compromising the safety and security of everyone’s personal identifiable information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers. The credit card companies are already doing that with the call centers in different countries. I feel that should be illegal.
I think the American public has lost sight of why the economy really collapsed. The federal workers are not to blame and if there was no economic crisis in this country and unemployment was at an all time low, they wouldn’t care what we made. I don’t think anyone should have to make a sacrifice and personally I am tired of the “sacrifice for the next generation.” How many generations will it be before we are caught up? I’m tired of sacrificing and so is everyone else.
If they keep up with the federal pay freeze, the economy will collapse further. Instead of talking about this on a message board, the unions need to read about the federal employee’s personal stories to the Congress and the President. Federal workers are not from another planet. They are American citizens with families that depend on them. By freezing the salaries, they are not really saving money and it is all for naught. The only thing the Congress is accomplishing is losing a lot of talented and knowledgeable employees to the private sector once the economy turns around. God knows where I work, the attorneys will eventually opt to go to law firms for a lot more money than they make here. An attorney makes more than a GS-13.
In order to pay back the deficit, the government must lean on those that they gave bail out money to. Turn that collection over to the IRS or make a temporary agency for that.
Red
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I would like to ask your thought on one of your statements. “it is the federal worker’s income”, where does that federal worker’s income come from?
The government has to tax a private sector employer and employee to generate the funds to create that federal worker’s income. If the government continues to create an economy that has the highest payroll taxes in the world, which in turns drives our jobs away, how would you expect to pay those federal workers?
I have not received a pay-raise in 3 years, why should I pay higher taxes to cover your pay-raise? Federal worker’s work for the citizens and if we are not getting pay-raises then neither should our public servants.
In fact, I think we should balance the wages of federal workers with those of their counterparts in the private sector: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2010-08-10-1Afedpay10_ST_N.htm
I appreciate the public servants that I come in to contact with, and all those that work behind the scenes to make our government work. I know you work hard and try to do the best job you can. I only hope that you appreciate the private sector worker who earns and creates the wealth that is taxed to cover your payroll.
The US Government borrows its money from China the last I heard. Look at what the Republicans want to spend some of the money on. A multi-million dollar engine???? Do we need that as a country? This is where your tax dollars go. I don’t know what percentage go to federal workers, but it’s not a huge percentage considering our salaries are a small part of the big pie. It’s not as much as they want you to believe.
I do appreciate what private sector employees do, but if you guys are not seeing a raise and your employer is making huge profits, you need to get together and ask why you are not getting a raise. If it were me owning that company, I would be sharing the wealth. But that’s just me. I think being paid millions as a CEO is a bit excessive, but that is America for you. Land of opportunity and that is what we are.
Someone suggested cutting cable and not buying a car to prove how many of us there are which I don’t agree with. I don’t believe in hurting others financially because I know Ford and all them don’t pay their auto title workers very much and the sales people work on commission and maybe some sort of salary. I can’t punish the entertainment industry either. I don’t want to watch my favorite mom and pop businesses go under. I saw one do that already and I miss them! They were my friends!!
I thought our President was going to do something about the jobs overseas and I could come up with a good reason to bring them back which is identity theft! The private sector companies such as credit card companies should be held to the same standards as IRS and SSA. I find something wrong with that. If we had the jobs come back here, unemployment would go drastically down. I remember when American Express was the biggest employer where I live.
Don’t believe the article you read. It is full of lies. You have to form your own opinion. Our staff attorneys where I work make much less than a lawyer on the outside. Legal Assistants make less where I work. My mother where she works in the IRS makes much less than she is worth. My mother’s skills, knowledge, and experience are worth far more than a GS-9. A person on the outside with her skills and knowledge makes double or triple. Take it from someone who knows. That article was disputed by the unions and federal workers. It was made to cause trouble and they don’t check their facts. I don’t believe everything I read. Why do you?
As far as I am concerned, they should not have frozen salaries below GS-9. These people are not making it on their own. It was hard for me when I was a GS-9 because my rent was one pay check. It’s worse when your single than when you are married. I am GS-12. When I heard of the freeze in pay, I felt sorry for everyone else except me. I could budget with a GS-12 salary. If you read my original post, you would know this.