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Memo to Snyder: Don’t stop the radical reforms now!Hey Rush, Hannity: Stop bashing federal employees
August 30th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Gregory D. Lee
As a retired federal government employee, I’m offended when I hear Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and a host of other conservative talk show hosts bash all levels of government employees. It seems the all-time favorite government employee to bash works for the Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, federal government employees in 2008 earn an average of $67,691 compared to $60,046 in the private sector. This doesn’t count the benefits all federal government employees enjoy.
Who do you think made this happen?
Not all federal government employees make as much as their private sector counterparts, but many do. For example, a registered nurse working for the Veterans Administration might make $74,460 compared to a nurse at a private hospital making $63,780. However, a federal government optometrist makes about $61,530 compared to an optometrist working in the private sectors who makes $106,665 salary.
What people like Limbaugh and Hannity probably don’t realize is that there are downsides to working for the federal government. Employees face severe restrictions and sanctions on many things everyone in the private sector take for granted. Congress alone determines federal employee salaries and benefits, not the marketplace. Employee organizations lobby Congress, but it’s unlawful for employees to strike if they don’t get what they want.
One restriction is that federal employees cannot work outside their employment. Ethics regulations do not allow them to write a book, receive compensation for writing a magazine article or give a speech, even if the topics have absolutely nothing to do with the job they perform for the federal government. A statistician for the Department of Labor cannot write a book on her favorite hobby, such as gardening. No private sector employer could ever restrict their employees from having a part-time job, or writing an article, or giving a speech, but the government restricts the First Amendment free speech right of its employees.
A friend of mine worked for a car dealership. His salary was directly proportionate to the amount of product he sold. We’d compare salaries at the end of the year, and sometimes I made more than he did, but other times he made substantially more than me. He said he could never work for the government, because his goal was to make as much money as he was capable, and the idea of being restricted in the amount of money he could earn through his hard work and initiative didn’t settle well with him.
What probably offends most private sector workers is that their taxes pay for the sometimes higher salaries of government workers. They forget that federal employees pay taxes too, so the direct cost to the government is reduced.
Many government jobs are unique. Police officers, judges, prosecutors, school teachers, special agents for the FBI, DEA, Border Patrol agents, soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, coastguardsmen, astronauts, diplomats and CIA spies are all exclusively government positions. Many of these jobs are dangerous. Government employees put a man on the moon, won the Cold War, and liberated Europe from the Nazis.
As someone who believes in smaller government, I would like to see the overall number of federal employees shrink through the elimination of several departments that have outlived their purposes. I also think that, because government workers are taxpayer-funded, they should be drug-free, college-educated, loyal, dedicated and highly motivated. Many government employees undergo an extensive background investigation before they receive a security clearance. How many private-sector applicants would tolerate being subjected to such screening? How many private-sector employees would fail a background investigation because of their criminal background, credit unworthiness or past drug use?
The next time you have a bad experience at your local DMV and lump all government employees together, remember that state governments run DMVs, not the feds. But, if you have a driver license and enjoy driving your car where you want, when you want, thank the DMV employee who gave you your driving test. He has to deal with unappreciative, sometimes annoying members of the public who complain about long lines and the way their picture turned out on their driver license.
Gregory D. Lee is a retired DEA supervisory special agent. Reach him through his website: www.gregorydlee.com.
Posted in Gregory D. Lee
46 Responses to “Hey Rush, Hannity: Stop bashing federal employees”
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Well stated, Greg. I’ve always said the federal government should pay top salaries to attract the best and brightest federal employees, although there should be fewer of them because the number of agencies should be dramatically reduced.
I really don’t listen to Sean Hannity, but I do listen to Rush Limbaugh at leat twice a week.
What I have heard Rush speak about is how the Govermental Employees often made less in salary than private industry counterpoints. This was offset however with pensions, medical benefits and earlier retirements. However without any reduction in benefits, the salaries often exceded by considerable margins, that of the private sector.
As for the Motor Vehicle Dept. it has often been synonomous with slow service, disinterested personnel etc. in both personal anecdotes and comedic reference. However may I also point out that Motor Vehicle Departments are under state authority, not Federal.
Gregory stated:
One restriction is that federal employees cannot work outside their employment. Ethics regulations do not allow them to write a book, receive compensation for writing a magazine article or give a speech, even if the topics have absolutely nothing to do with the job they perform for the federal government.
——————-
This is absolutely false. I work for the federal govt. and also teach part-time on the side (nothing related to what I do on the job). I’m also a published author on the side. I know many federal employees who also have supplemental employment on the side. There is absolutely no stipulation that we cannot do this, it is perfectly legal.
Please get your facts straight, sir.
Sorry to say, I am a retired Fed and I watch Hannity daily and he does NOT engage in the vitriol for which you accuse him. You obviously only report what you hear from others, not what you hear for yourself.
And it continues…
http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/27/government-jobs-wages-innovation-opinions-columnists-john-tamny.html
Mr. Lee:
You obviously do not listen to Rush or Hannity. They do not bash federal employees. You likely listen to the likes of MSNBC, or get your info on Rush and Sean from the Huffington Post, Daily Kos or others — they are the ones who make these accusations, and you believe them without doing research.
I challenge you to listen to Rush and Sean every day for a week, and you will find the accusations of them in MSM or lefty blogs are completely untrue.
Cry me a river. I’m sorry that you see downsides to the gravy train that is now Federal employement.
No one should EVER bash government employees!
They DESERVE to retire, comfortably, 10 to 15 years before the rest of us.
Why? Some may ask.
Because their unions give to money to Democrats.
I don’t get to retire until I am 62, unless I want to take a penalty of 5% a year for the number of years between my minimum retirement age and age 62. I don’t get a big retirement either. I will have to rely heavily on my retirement savings. This is in the Thrift Savings Program. The TSP is a program where you can move your money around different TSP funds, but only at whatever the close will be that day and I’m limited on the number of times I can make a change!
First, one of the things we dislike about the federal retirement system is that there are no market incentives built into it, Congress votes what they please without reference to reality.
Unless you pay 100% in taxes, the result is a net loss for the taxpayer.
I agree with the unique nature of many federal jobs and their danger, (retired military) and not once have I heard either rush or sean demean them, the ones we have problem with are the bureaucrats who can be replaced and should be.
The soldiers who destroyed Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan were mostly draftees, not goverment
employees.
Lastly, I don’t worry that much about private employees, if I’m not happy I don’t have to patronize them, can’t do that with the gubment.
Private employees can’t tax me, can’t regulate me
can’t arrest me. They’re restricted because the Constitution says so.
Venting done
Hey, try MSNBC, Kudlow bashes Federal employees almost daily.
Sir, Hannity does NOT bash Federal employees. I challenge you to provide three video clips of him Fed bashing, in full context, not edited. I bet you can’t provide one.
What you have to realize is that government regardless the level is parasitic. IT produces absolutely nothing and every dollar it receives must be confiscated from the bounty of producing members of society. In addition, through regulations, picking winners, granting special privilege government is truly a destructive distorting mechanism that makes any country the poorer.
There so much misinformation out there regarding the compensation of govt employees, but the anti-government people are happy to espouse it and accept it as fact because it is how they want to see federal workers. The truth is just an inconveinence.
BTW, Hannity had a guest on his TV show last espousing how overpaid govt workers are (ignoring the apples-to-oranges comparisons and the levels education, expertise and location impacts … of course).
Those in LEO positions are compensated based on a longer work week. To do a fair comparison, the pay of Federal Law Enforcement personnel should be normalized down to a 40 hour work week. There are also a number of other special pay categories that should likewise be taken into consideration.
Wow, try walking in the shoes of a Gov’t employee. Say Mine, at The Federal Bureau of Prisons. We all work hard, have stressful jobs, knowing our lives are endanger every day we walk in to work and on ave. we are GS 6 – 8, few are higher( Mng). Background checks every 5 years, urine tests any time they say, credit checks, Bonuses….huh not unless you are employee of the quarter a whole 300.00 then they remove taxes. Yes, we live on the hog…right!! We take an oath, we serve protect and would lay of lives for others. We die and get remembered one day a year by our own, forgotten by our countrymen. The bashing we receive over our salaries is demeaning to what we do every day. And we are the few who, are restricted to what we can do on our time, and are required to respond to emergencies at a moments notice. And yes we have privileges, the privilege and honor to say we can actual retired earlier than others, but not because are we actually want to but because we are forced too since we become a liability as we get older. And because of that we have to look for new jobs at age 57 since our retirement is good!! HAA!! Try working 30 years or more and try to find a new job that does not require your old skills. Hence why so may of us are College graduates, we are aware of time and plan accordingly. Still want to walk in my shoes???? Didn’t think so, not for my measly 54,000.
RE: “One restriction is that federal employees cannot work outside their employment.”
100% Incorrect. You may want to brush up on your investigative skills.
I would like to make several points that most people do not realize concerning federal employees & the previous comments.
1. Rush, Hannity, & Beck work for Fox Network. This entity is owned by a foreign individual whose country does not have all of our hard won freedoms.
2. Rush, Hannity & Beck are ENTERTAINERS not news reporters or investigators. Their job is to entertain the public. Unfortunatly most people who believe every word they say are too ignorant to realize this.
3. As for outside employment being restricted while working for the federal government — this is true for most of the agencies. If you work for these agencies, the rules of conduct require you to request permission to engage in the outside activity & if producing a written product it must be cleared by that agencies.
4. As for early retirement. All of the law enforcement agency employees that carry firearms are required to be retired by the end of the year in which they turn 57 years old. For those that are or were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System, the earliest one could retire was 55 years old with at least 30 years service. That reitrement is approximately 55% of you high 3 years of salary. And no Social Security.
4. While I worked with the public auditing tax returns, I dealt daily with attorneys & CPA’s who made 2 to 3 times my salary & did not have half the knowledge about tax law as I was required to know. Who was under paid?
5. All of the negativity about our government, it’s employees, and the Constitution reminds me of what was happening in pre-Nazi Germany.
I’m a proud Federal employee, and an inherently governmental one – by deliberate choice. After I gave my all in the private industry, the whim of executives deprived me of everything I had been working toward for 12 years – for a second time. Careerus-interruptus 202. I’m a Federal employee now, because I was smart enough to try and fortunate enough to succeed. My goal was security, for myself and my son. I got that, so much as it is possible in today’s political America. Even now, I may or may not have a job from one administration or budget year to the next. But that notwithstanding, with my Federal job I got something more – pride. I am PROUD to be part of something that matters not just because I fill someone anonymous pocketbook, but because I play a part in making us a better, healthier nation, due to the knowledge produced by the lab where I work.
My salary? $39,486 for 40+ hours a week. I am entrusted with the spending of America’s money, a solemn trust indeed. And I can be held personally, financially responsible for every single purchase I make. So I learn the law, I stay current, I succeed – and so WE succeed. One day at a time. Am I a good value yet?
There are trade offs to Federal service – in the form of limited mobility and limited income potential – unless I do more (education), I won’t get more. But really, how purely American is THAT?!
I will say I am heartily sick of the bashing and squiggle eyed looks from folks when you tell them what you do. The negative media blitz will only end after November.
Government service is not the holy grail, but neither is it a company of contemptuous hanger-on-ers. It’s work, and I am sincerely and completely glad to have it, in this form, in this time, in this place and in this country- MY country and that of my child. Pride of place along with job security – put a price on inheriting THAT!
I am a federal employee and I personally do not know anyone who makes six figures. I would say that a majority of those people work in DC, are probably at retirement age, and or are in the higher levels of government.
My job is in field that cannot be provided by a private corporation and I make less than $70,000 a year. I am glad to have my job, it makes me feel good that I am able to contribute to the betterment of the agency at which I work.
Please, please when doing research and analysis on federal employee pay, do it correctly and accurately. By that, I mean first separate the “appointees” from the workers, then do the calculation. All federal agencies are overloaded and overburdened with the requirement to support appointees that are dumped on them with obscene six figure compensation and absurd titles (Deputy Assistant Auxiliary Automatonic Antimacassar Secretary). They do not do the work of the government. GS-7 employees making $34,000 per year do the work of the government. But when the analysis “averages” the salaries of 10 GS-7 employees and one $300,000 appointee, they then report that the “average” federal pay is $46,000, much more than the folks doing the work will ever receive in compensation for the work they do. So please, get the SES and all other appointees out of the analysis and get a true picture. Better yet, investigate who the appointees are, where they are, and who put them there. Publish that for a really fun analysis of people who are bilking taxpayers for a job they pretend to do and who, when the administration changes, bury themselves nicely either in DC or in some remote field office so they can continue to receive their obscene compensation for life. Thank you.
My apologies. I meant to say that MANY federal employees cannot work outside their employment. I did not want to imply this restriction applied to every federal worker. The restriction did apply to me as an active DEA special agent/criminal investigator. Even non-agents were given grief if they wanted to work part-time somewhere. Sorry for the confusion.
Mt Lee if you are going to quote a source for the comparison the one you used isn’t even in the game. Having been a CS even you can do the math you take the pay and benefits cost for a CS and divide it by the # of CS on the payroll. Its not hard even Jethro Bodene can do “goes into”.
Your buddy at the car dealer was basically explaining to you that communism is not the preferred outcome for the workers in America. They expect to be accountable and paid accordingly not the govt philosophy where everyone gets the same raise regardless of effort
As a conservative federal employee I am amused by people like Mr. Lee who bash conservative talk show hosts without giving any specifics of what they said or wrote that caused the offense. Why be offended with what a particular conservative talk show host actually said anyway? Is it not allowed to criticize the government or a federal employee, retired or otherwise?
What Hannity and Limbaugh are doing is to create a wedge issue for public consumption. This is the only conclusion which can be drawn. What is to be gained by pitting one group against another except to focus attention away from the real issues.
Now that we know who is responsible for the state of the economy. It was not the Federal employee who created a portfolio which was leveraged at 30:1 and was so large it would have created a depression worse than the great depression had it been allowed to fail. Bush’s words exactly. I don’t understand why Hannity and Limbaugh need to create villains but if they do I would suggest they start with the masters of the universe. They can be located at the corner of Wall and Broad St NYC.
This economy will be paying for their mistakes for years to come as it liquidates the derivatives they created. The price tag per employee ( not counting benefits or salary) $5,000,000.00 per year. The benefit to the average citizen $0.00.
So let the deleveraging continue without the straw man issues.
Are people saying they never heard Rush make these comments about the Federal government. I listen to him off and on and heard him make these comments on several occasions. I am not upset with his comments, but I know he speaks of it.
After hearing Glenn Beck go on and on about federal employee pay this morning, I googled “federal workers who are they” this morning. This article came up in the search. Everyone talks about the average pay for fed emloyees, but are they understanding that government has been absorbing some of the brightest people over the past several decades? There are no longer private sector jobs out there for some of these employees. My own husband (a Mechanical Engineer who has worked in the Space Industry for years) was recently converted from a contract worker to a Federal worker. He had no choice- convert or be unemployed. The civil service job came with a nice pay cut. I suggest that instead of people talking about the wages that they start to look at why the wages are high and who these employees really are. The govt has been absorbing some of the most educated people in our country and it’s been going on for years. Seems to be speeding up, too. Also, as far as benfits go…I don’t count on that retirement being there when my husband reaches retirment age and the benefits are more expensive than they were at his contract job.
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