Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Government Workers Cost 45% More Than Private Sector Workers

Did you receive an inheritance, win the lottery, or just don't want the 15k a year? Is it so you can spend more time with family and friends?

Quite honestly, 15k a year isn't enough to make me take one job over another. I'd rather work a job I enjoy than one I don't. I like my job, my schedule, and the proximity to my home. It helps that my wife and I both have professional degrees and can be choosy about our jobs. I realize not everyone is that lucky. It still doesn't change the fact that most of the people I work with took a considerable pay cut to be there and could easily make more elsewhere.

I've heard government workers get along a really good, and are a close knit group.

I know plenty of government workers. Good guys. They make a decent check, but I ain't envious. To be honest, they seem kinda bored. Not my cup of tea.

I assume the considerable pay cut is the net delta including any benefits and pension?

I'm not going to pretend to even know a fraction of all the details, but people that don't truthfully know ANY details about government workers probably shouldn't say much in regards to this thread and that's the vast majority of the posts.

Agency I work for is very understaffed. We usually donate some time each day/week as there's so much work to get done. And if the money we brought in through loans and the interest generated went back into our pot vs the general fund we'd essentially be self sufficient.

At the end of the day I have a pretty damn good job, but I surely won't be retiring with a 100% pension or anywhere near that. I don't really get paid any more than a comparable public sector job either.

And here's an idea, for those of you who want to knock someone else for their job, go try and get the same job yourself.

When the economy is good none of the best workers will even consider a government job because they can all make more in the private sector. When the economy is bad all of those unemployed, but well qualified complain that they could do the government jobs better. Maybe so, and if you had applied for that job years earlier you'd have it now. They really do hire the most qualified people who put in an application.

I see lots of funny math in those stats. Most of those government jobs are decent paying jobs, but anyone in the private sector would make much more doing the same job, and have better retirement plans. Doing a comparable job is the key.

The low pay and lack of retirement plans included in the link is because it includes all of the low paying entry level jobs that are available in the private sector. There are no fast food equivalent jobs to compare with government jobs. Trust me, you'll earn more working in the private sector than with the government for the same job.

I guess these types of threads pop up every month or so. See my previous post on this subject where I present real numbers not propaganda. I'll add this, 10 years ago I transferred into the Superfund program working on cleaning up hazardous waste sites. When I entered that program in NY, there were 7 people working in that program in my regional office. One by one when they either left state service or retired they were not replaced. Last year there was one person left in the region in that program trying and failing to do the work that was once done by 7. It's not easy anywhere.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._Gov_t_Worker_Pension_Reform#Post8617077

Live in the deep south where there have never been companies like GM/Ford etc. no producing of anything. There's one option a gov't job and people down here preach govt jobs to their kids.
You'll retire early ,have a big govt check coming in ,healthcare blah blah blah.
We had a 19 yr old sit with us at breakfast just two weeks ago ,he was telling us all the great stuff he could have if he joined the navy.Told us about a program he called "12 and out" ,man it sure sounded good.
I asked 'who's going to pay for all this ? --the government he replied.
Being the kind hearted appreciative type I told him -- young man if you do sign up to do computer work for uncle sam --I want to be the first to say 'thank you for your service'...
His grandpaw is celebrating 40 years of govt retirement this year ,I need to go thank him too.

"but people that don't truthfully know ANY details about government workers probably shouldn't say much in regards to this thread and that's the vast majority of the posts."

+1.

Bottom line, we have to stop shipping our industries, and their good paying private sector jobs, over seas just because we want to pay less for something. We're buying into the standard of living of the country they're going to. It's a race to the bottom that self centered consumers created but we're now suffering from the cosequenses. More living wage jobs = less people relying on the govt & more people paying taxes, which translates to more revenue, no govt deficit spending and reducing the national debt.
Here's a simple video that illustrates it.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/4FrGxO2Fn_M

The fact is, taxpayers should be able to have oversight of government jobs. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the statements presented on either side of this question, but I certainly have the right to question gov employement compensations.

I'd think that through elections, we do have a say. Unfortunately, elections haven't been going our way.

I really don't care how much Gov't workers make. What bothers me is we have too damned many of them!

We need to cut their numbers by AT LEAST HALF!

State & local wages are a huge problem as well. The States have almost $3 Trillion in debt, excluding retirement benefits. http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/SLGSDODNS

Calvin have you noticed in your personal life when you are really busy you don't have time for bored?

If you factor efficiency in to the numbers I believe it would be more like 345% more. People aren't very productive when there are no consequences for sloth.

Bingo.

Apparently my point went right over your head?

Ok lets follow your logic to its conclusion, lets make the majority of workers in the U.S. government workers, how long do you think that can last?

You mistake this as a personal attack on you and your work, it isn't!!

Many government workers do necessary and good work for modest wages.

On the other hand many government workers add nothing of value, they just add roadblocks and regulations that slow down
the productive people.

You don't think I have the right to reply on this thread? really?

I am a tax producer not a tax consumer, so hell ya I have a say in this!!

I doubt all the Secret Service, Seal Team 6, AND Chuck Norris could keep a candidate alive that said he would shut down half of the bureaucracy if polls started looking good for his candidacy.

These threads always remind me of something an old black woman once said to me in a community meeting.

"Our babies wouldn't have to sell drugs if the white people would quit buying them.".