Government Workers – 2010-01-25

Did you ever stop to think that all of the people that work for you and me have better health care plans, better sick benefits, better pension plans and more security in their jobs than you and I do?

Let me explain. When I say the people that work for you and me, I mean government employees. Whether they are at the Federal, state or local level they are generally better off than employees in private industry. You know - the people whose taxes are PAYING government employees.

Is that right? Is it fair?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against a fair wage and fair benefits for everyone. But when Cities and States are suffering huge deficits, we have to look at where the money is going. Especially if that money is coming from you and me, and you just lost your job, or your house’s value has dropped 30% and your investments are down even more than that, and retirement is becoming a very scary prospect.

In a capitalistic society, which we are, everyone has the right to do the best for themselves that they can. But that is a two-edged sword. The guy who works for the city and picks up my garbage has the right to negotiate the best deal he can. But so do I as the person paying him his salary and benefits. And if I can replace him with a private contractor that will do the same garbage pickup for less, shouldn’t I have the right to exercise that option?

These people already have as close as you can get to job security for life, something most of us can hardly dream of. Government workers seem to be the only ones that a free-market system doesn’t apply to. That is good for them, but it is not good for those of us paying the taxes to support them. I think it is time that their salaries and other benefits were linked to equal positions in the private sector.

It’s only fair.