Downsizing Government

Site put out by Cato on Downsizing Government. Interesting reading. http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/

Government employees earning more than private sector equivalents

From http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm

"Overall, federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available.

These salary figures do not include the value of health, pension and other benefits, which averaged $40,785 per federal employee in 2008 vs. $9,882 per private worker, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis."

So counting benefits, government employees earn $108476 versus $69928 for private sector employees, so 55% more. Infuriating.

School budget problems in a recession

So the value of the funds supporting the pensions have gone down, just like our 401k's, but then they need to increase the contributions to the pensions, in a recession. That's going to go over well. An article Even More on the Coming War Over Public-Sector Pensions shows the problem showing up in Fairfax, Virginia, as well as the dishonesty going on in selling the public on the $90M tax increase they want to pay for this.

On the problem of leaving national debt to our children

http://dailyreckoning.com/america-2030-why-we-must-act-now/

So the average child born "inherits" almost $50,000 of debt, but what does that mean? Basically that they have higher taxes to look forward to, and as such less money to spend as they choose, a lower standard of living.

Sign of the times

Got a laugh out of this one found here.

Politicians like household pets?

"In many ways, most politicians are not unlike most household pets: they are entirely dependent on handouts and, if not properly vaccinated and spayed/neutered, they have a tendency to multiply like rabid mongrels. And, when all is said and done, it is we owners who are left to clean up the mess they leave all over the public’s property. Pet owners are advised, therefore, to exercise control. Don’t let your politicians get too long on the leash and never, under any circumstances, forget who is the master of whom."

- Joel Bowman, The Daily Reckoning http://dailyreckoning.com/a-stock-rally-on-accounting-errors/

Unicorn deniers!

From an article by Richard W Rahn

"Assume you are a scientist and have been given a major financial grant to prove that the mythical unicorn really did exist. You know that as long as you can demonstrate some progress in showing the unicorn might have existed, your financial grant will be renewed each year, provided some other scientist does not come out with substantial evidence that the unicorn could not have existed. Under such conditions, you would have a very strong incentive to disregard much of the evidence that the unicorn could not have existed and each year provide only the data that could demonstrate that the unicorn might have existed. You also would have a very strong incentive to attack any scientist who raised serious questions or provided evidence that the unicorn could not have existed. You even might go so far as to refer to them with the disparaging term 'unicorn deniers' and attempt to use your influence with other scientists who also are receiving grants dependent on the existence of the unicorn to try to prevent the unicorn deniers from publishing their findings in well-regarded scientific journals. The recently released e-mails (by whistleblowers or hackers, depending on your prejudice) between some of the best-known scientists behind global warming showed that they succumbed to the all-too-human tendency to protect their turfs and pocketbooks, despite the evidence."