Guess Who Makes More Money Than Private Sector Workers?

THE BATTLE OVER WHO MAKES MORE SHOULD BE OVER NOW And it started long ago, when think tanks like the Heritage Foundation started to publish reports like this one stating that when you factored in benefits and compared similar jobs in the public and private sector, government workers made a LOT more money than the private sector workers who funded their generous benefits.  When that most recent paper came out, federal worker unions like NARFE raced out to say NUH-UH and DEMAND that the most highly educated workers be paid MORE.  Now the CBO is out with their report and they confirm that with the exception of people with PHds or other advanced degrees, federal workers make a quite a bit more than private sector workers.  And the highly educated category in the private sector includes people with  JDs and medical doctors who OF COURSE are going to make more in the private sector.  Here are some of the lowlights of the CBO study:

  • Federal civilian workers whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree earned 5 percent more, on average, in the federal government than in the private sector (see figure below).
  • Federal civilian workers with no more than a high school education earned 34 percent more, on average, than similar workers in the private sector.
  • By contrast, federal workers with a professional degree or doctorate earned 24 percent less, on average, than their private-sector counterparts.

But what about benefits, you ask?  It's even worse.

  • Average benefits were 52 percent higher for federal employees whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree than for similar private-sector employees (see table below).
  • Average benefits were 93 percent higher for federal employees with no more than a high school education than for their private-sector counterparts.
  • Among employees with a doctorate or professional degree, by contrast, average benefits were about the same in the two sectors.

And in case reading isn't your thing, here's a handy graph so your head can explode.  

Federal workers v private sector workers

Nice work if you can get it, amiright?  And the rest of us suckers get to pay for it.


ABOUT THOSE "DRASTIC CUTS" TO MEDICAID YOU KEEP HEARING ABOUT In the GOP healthcare bill, there is a cut to the growth of Medicaid spending. So of course Democrats are running around talking about the "deep cuts" to the program and saying that old people will die, etc, etc, etc.  However, the truth of the matter is that Medicaid spending will go from $393 Billion in 2017 to $464 Billion in 2026.  In what world is that kind of growth a cut?  In politics, that's where.  FEE.org has a great breakdown on the entire thing.  


SINGLE PAYER IN ENGLAND DECIDES A BABY SHOULD DIE And that headline isn't a scare tactic, it's what happened to a couple in England whose son was born with a rare genetic disorder that is pretty much fatal.  The parents wanted the opportunity to bring their boy to the US for experimental treatments, on their OWN DIME by the way, and the hospital went to court to prevent the parents from being able to remove the boy from the hospital so the docs could kill him.  Yes, it's THAT bad.  And the courts ruled in the doctors favor.  


THIS IS THE SORT OF STUFF THAT MAKES ME REALLY NOT LIKE PRESIDENT TRUMP And it's not because I LOVE Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzesinski.  The fact that the President of the United States seems to have so little to do that he has both time to WATCH MSNBC but then attack, via his conduit directly to the people Joe and Mika with names that belong on a playground embarrasses and annoys me.  Shouldn't he be working on some sort of healthcare fix?  Tax reform?  ANYTHING?  I wish he would just STOP this juvenile nonsense once and for all.  Who gives a crap if Mika had a facelift?  You think Melania wouldn't?  WHO FREAKING CARES????


POLITICO ASKS, AND I HAVE AN ANSWER To the question has the Southern Povertly Law Center jumped the shark?  The answer is the organization which was founded to fight against truly vile organizations like the KKK has indeed, moved to a place of hucksterism and lies.  It's sad when you have to lie about decent people in order to keep gullible yet well-intentioned liberals to keep sending you money.  Especially when the organization has an endowment of $319 MILLION to draw from.  Politico does a great job of explaining how and why this once noble endeavor has become the oppressor they once claimed to want to save people from.


SARAH PALIN IS SUING THE NEW YORK TIMES And I'm gonna pop the popcorn and watch this thing play out.  I am no expert on libel but if there were ever an argument to be made for it, she seems to have one.  That's what they get for lazily trotting out a disproved connection between Palin the Gabby Giffords shooting.  


MILLENIALS IN DENVER ARE BUYING HOUSES NOW Because they finally have a good income stream and the rental market is driving them to buy.  This is good for them, bad for the rental market, but I wouldn't shed any tears just yet.  This also blows a hole in the line of thinking that Millenials were somehow NOT going to make this leap to home ownership, which has been touted for a long time now.  I've said for years that when they could afford it, they would own.  And now they are


SHOULD WE CURTAIL FREE SPEECH TO PROTECT FREE SPEECH?  This is what legislatures are grappling with as they try to figure out a way to stop the outrageous censorship of conservatives on college campuses.  A worthy endeavor, but one not as easy as it may seem.  While Wisconsin legislates punishments for disruptive students, I'm not sure that's the way to go.  I'd personally rather see the admins of these mealy mouthed institutions DO THEIR JOBS and explain to the angry snowflakes what free speech actually is and demand they respect the speaker even if they disagree with the speech.  But they are all cowering in their offices hoping students don't break down the door. 


MILTON FRIEDMAN REMINDS US ALL HOW STUPID SOCIALISM IS 

AND NOW HERE ARE 12 OF SHAKESPEARE'S BEST DIRTY JOKES The Bard is a dirty one, and here are some of the best ones.


WE POISONED THE RUSSIANS!! OR IT'S JUST A NORMAL CONTRAIL But this video is really cool of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the sky leaving a massive trail of condensation behind.  

EVEN POOR PEOPLE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON LUXURIES And this irritates me greatly, because I'm guessing that many of them are using someone else's money to support themselves in some way, therefore freeing up money for luxuries.  I'm all for people being able to buy things they love, but USE YOUR OWN MONEY TO DO SO.  Read the article here


THIS IS WHY MAKING BEING FAMOUS YOUR GOAL IS REALLY, REALLY STUPID A young couple who decided they wanted to get YouTube famous decided to film a bit where she shot at him with a .50 cal handgun while he held a thick book in front of his chest to see if the bullet would go through it.  Spoiler alert, it didn't.  He's dead, and she's facing manslaughter charges.  Did I mention that she's also pregnant?  


THE DUDE ABIDES AND WISHES TRUMP WELL The Dude I'm referring to is Jeff Bridges, who famously played The Dude in The Big Lebowski, bucked the Hollywood trend and wished Trump well in an interview.  No word on if he's been kicked out of Hollywood yet.  


I'VE NEVER HAD A MEATMARE, BUT I COULD SEE THIS HAPPENING Dave thinks this is crazy because he's never had a dream about food.  I, on the other hand, have spent so much of my adult life I've had many a dream of eating an entire chocolate cake.  But now vegetarians are having "meatmares" about eating meat and it's freaking them out. 


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