A few months ago, survey information indicated federal workers made an average of 20-30k dollars more per year than their counterparts in the private sector doing the same job. Newly released information from the bureau of economic analysis indicates that, when pensions and benefits packages are included, the average Federal compensation package comes in at a little over $123,000 per year. This is more than double the private sector average of $61k a year. I wonder if I could qualify for a job with the TSA? These are, after all, highly skilled positions.
This is TRUE! Government employees get paid big money, not to mention the perks, such as government discounts. My fiancee is a federal agent with homeland security and the paycheck is pretty darn good! Which is why Im heading towards that directions also, too bad I have 2 more years to receive my bachelors! (you get paid more $$ with a bachelors degree).. By the Way- TSA is one of the easiest jobs to get in the government. I should know, two of my friends recently started working in the airport and TRUST me I dont know how they got in..lol
Can you give me a single legitimate reason why a federal worker should receive more money for doing the same job as someone in the private sector, especially considering federal workers dont directly contribute to the GDP of the nation? What would you say to the idea that we should cut federal salaries across the board by 30% (Execpt military) to bring them more in line with salaries in the private sector, for the monetary health of the nation?
Ah, but in the private sector, wages are determined by the market. If a company cant make a profit paying wages at a certain level, those wages are lowered or the company goes out of business, like 85% of businesses do. The public sector doesn't turn a profit. They don't need to turn a profit. They just ask for more taxpayer dollars. It has been great to work for the government for the last 10 years. Compensation packages and hiring were up while the private sector ran flat. When the private sector ran out of cash, Obama just printed more money to subsidize their jobs, while the people who will have to pay that debt lost theirs. Of course if you believe in perpetual motion, we can all just go work for the government and keep it afloat with our tax dollars....
um, maybe because those that are federal employees go through a very difficult process to even be considered for a job, and once they do, they need to go through intense training, so they get compensated by the state. Where a private sector employee are not trained by the state, so thats why they are private individuals or groups that are not paid equivalent to a federal employee, lets not forget to mention that they are NOT controlled by the state, where a federal employee is. I just believe if someone wants to get a better paying job, they should do all their research and see what id going to get them to that level. Some people are satisfied that they even have a job, but for the rest of us, we will keep studying and training to not struggle in life and have enough money for the future. So, are you still thinking of working for TSA, or were you being facetious?lol
I was most definitely being facetious. I travel a lot so I interface with the TSA quite a bit. I'd be amazed if the job requires much more than a GED and an IQ of 80. From what I can tell, most TSA employees would have a hard time obtaining employment at any location other than a fast food establishment in the private sector. Yet our government pays them an outrageous amount of money considering their qualifications. The same is true for every government position which has a counterpart in the private sector. I'm not sure I follow your argument here. I'm pretty sure a graphic designer who produces literature for the federal government receives about the same amount of training that a graphic designer in the private sector receives. Private sector employers are also very selective in who they hire. Why is higher pay merited? Of course. Work hard, perform, achieve, get paid more. It is a basic principal, except in the case of the Federal Government. People who work for the federal government are paid more based only on the fact that they work for the Federal Government. It has nothing to do with their productivity, or anything else. The same janitor, cop, graphic designer, security personnel, middle manager, software developer, mechanic, analyst, or secretary working for the private sector or a state government makes half as much. Are you really trying to tell me they are half as qualified, or do half as much work? And if they are not twice as productive or twice as qualified, it begs the question, "Why are we, the taxpayers, overpaying these people?". If it was a private company, and management noticed a non-revenue generating division was paying all their employees double, there would be cuts. The managers who approved such outrageous salaries would be fired. Perhaps if that division had such stellar performance as to be considered exemplary, the disciplinary action would be lighter, but do you really think the performance of our Federal Government across the board is something people would refer to as "Exemplary"?
I'm starting to think that they are paid more to keep them in line -- golden handcuffs to prevent them from making legitimate moral choices.
Funny, because I can totally understand vr_1125's position on this. Its a good thing for her lot, and when you find a good thing, you do what it takes to keep it going. Most will never consider the impact on society as a whole. I suspect adjusting down the Federal salaries to something commensurate with the private sector alone would but an enormous dent in the deficit. Unlike the states(California), they won't even lay off for lack of funds. They just print more money. Its good to be the king.