Government Paper Pushers are Paid More than You

Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute devoted the time and and effort recently to analyze the most recently salary and benefits information published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is the kind of reporting we don’t get from the mass media, because it requires critical thinking.

Chris’s results are depressing, if not surprising:

“In 2008, federal worker compensation averaged a remarkable $119,982, which was more than double the private sector average of $59,909.”

In short, our “public servants” are fleecing us.

If you ignore their plush taxpayer-funded benefits packages, these civilian paper pushers are still being paid almost $30k more than the poor schmucks who are paying their salaries.  The average American is paid $49,935, while the average bureaucrat is paid an astounding $79,197.

These federal government bureacrats are paid more than Americans in such competitive and difficult fields as:

• Computer system design
• Computer manufacturing
• Legal services
• Information and data processing
• Publishing and software

While I am certain that it is exhausting and complex work to process forms and hand out welfare checks, I do not believe that it requires a level of skill which justifies these ridiculous levels of compensation.

The federal deficit is now well above eleven trillion dollars and rising at a record pace .  If the Obama administration has any interest at all in slowing our headlong slide into poverty, slashing federal civilian salaries would be a fine place to start.