Freezing Federal Salaries!!! for almost no one...

This is how we are viewed by the government:

The Washington Post covers President Obama's announcement today.

This made me laugh out loud:

The freeze applies to all Executive Branch workers -- including civilian employees of the Defense Department, but does not apply to military personnel, government contractors, postal workers, members of Congress, Congressional staffers, or federal court judges and workers.

Huh? Am I missing something? Postal workers and members of Congress get a pass? It seems to me, with the exception of the military, everyone working for the government should be on the receiving end of a pay freeze. What's the argument against it?

And, way more importantly, there should be a 100% freeze on hiring new government workers.

According to Mona Charen, writing in Politico last May, President Obama's "spending would result in a 14.5 increase in the number of federal employees in just two years." 2.15 million people currently work for the government, the first time that number has surpassed 2 million in more than a decade. (That does not include the 700,000+ Postal Service employees who are exempt from any fooling around with their paychecks, for what reason?) My guess is that very few of those hired will be subject to the pay-freeze. That would be bad politics...from the money-vote-power-money-vote-power point of view.

It's not just the cost of a ton of additional government salaries that hurts. It's the addition of an equal number of new benefits plans ~ generous beyond the imagination compared to what most people working in the private sector enjoy.

Certainly I don't need to replay SNL's skit about public service workers, too cruel for school, but President Obama's disingenuous political play today deserves a big dose of reality:

Big business, big bucks, big government

It's not the money that matters. If politicians didn't have the command and power to establish new laws and regulations, most often bought and paid for by special interests, the money stream would dry up and we small government types would be happier.

Special interests throw a lot of cash at all of their friends in Washington.

Old Horses...New Tricks...Career Politicians

All the entrenched politicians on the right who are, at the very least, making noises that sound like they get what happened on November 2 ~ a vote to bring down out-of-control government spending ~ had better put their big boy pants on and prove it.


Interesting read.

We sure can't depend on career politicians or government, on either the state or federal level, to offer up where our money goes when it is sucked up, via the IRS, countless fees and the constant stream of little taxes, into the big sponge of government spending. Thanks to The Sunlight Foundation, we can follow the money ourselves. With a Board and Advisory Board that includes Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, and CraigsList's Craig Newmark, the foundation provides the portals through which any of us can educate ourselves about the flow of money in and out of government agencies, candidates pockets and pretty much anywhere else politcal influence rules.

Follow the Money ~ Start Here

Here's a search engine for untangling the incestuous relationships that those in power depend on...

No use complaining unless you make the effort to know what's up...