According to a recent USA Today report 21,000 retired federal workers receive a lifetime government pension (from YOU, the taxpayer) of $100,000 or more per year.
Those would include 326 DEA agents, 237 IRS investigators, 186 FBI agents, 444 Social Security agents, and...wait for it...714 retired postal workers. POSTAL WORKERS for cryin' out loud! One retired Smithsonian zoologist receives a $162,000 annual lifetime pension, and six other retired federal workers receive over $200,000 per year for life!
Gimme a second to regain my composure.... *deep breath*
By comparison, consider this: The average federal pension is $32,824. The average state and local government pension is $24,373. The average social security recipient receives $14,760. (The absolute maximum a social security recipient can receive is $30,156.)
Want a bit more sand kicked in your face? The average federal employee retired at age 59.4 years old, and had served for 27.8 years (2006 statistics). Full Social Security eligibility for the rest of us isn't until age 65-67.
True, years ago government salaries were below private sector pay, which is why the retirement benefits were more generous, but those days are long gone. Today federal government employees make 25-33% MORE than their friends in the private sector for comparable work.
Here's my point: With a trillion dollar federal deficit every year as far into the future as we can see, and with virtually everything on the table for possible cuts, why aren't federal pay and benefit reforms on the table, too? (If there is a major restructuring underway now that I'm not aware of, please enlighten me.)
IMO federal employee pay and benefits should be brought to parity with those in the private sector. Pay, benefits, pension, retirement age....everything! Why should civil servants have it SO much better than the taxpayers who are paying them?
I suggest you contact your congressman and register your outrage! Oh, wait....he's an overpaid federal employee, too. (And besides, right now he's on vacation.) *sigh*
S
EDIT: Let me add this for the benefit of a retired federal employee friend of mine....once you're retired, your pension should not be tampered with....with one caveat. If some day Congress deems it necessary to cut existing Social Security recipient's benefits, then the same % cuts should apply to retired federal worker's benefits, too.
Congress never seems to enact any legislation to CUT their pay, just to raise it. The same way we can't expect any real campaign finance reform because it has to be created by the people the current "rules" benefit. I'm all for people having decent pensions but you're right that over $100,000 is pretty ridiculous. Plus all that money spent on health benefits and Secret Service protection for former lawmakers. Yeesh.
ReplyDeleteHard to say. The cost of living in DC is quite high so these salaries are possibly out of line but the cost of living there eats it up.
ReplyDeleteI'm very well aware and it sickens me. I recently did a 5,000 square foot house plan for a GAO worker. He was the single wage earner between he and his wife. He either is being paid way above scale or he is on the take.
ReplyDeleteBobby....sounds like the government pay scale (in DC) makes the high cost of living a self fulfilling prophecy.
ReplyDeletePT, Jerry....I'm just wondering who is the "servant" and who is the "master"?
S
My brother-in-law retired from the state of Texas at age 59 with virtually full salary and benefits. We are to dang independent to have been smart and get a cushy govt. job.
ReplyDeleteNot sure you can nullify union contracts unless you can declare bankruprcy...oh wait! We are!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not holding my breath that Congress will do anything about this. They don't seem capable of doing ANYTHING. No wonder their approval rating is down to only 10 percent.
ReplyDeleteSteve....you mean they're now UP to 10% ? I must have missed that memo. ;)
ReplyDeleteS
Thank "Obamacare" for the do-nothing Congress. They're so busy trying to repeal it with vote after vote failing they don't have time for anything else. Like jobs.
ReplyDelete