We want the wage differential between the private sector and the public sector to become EVEN BIGGER so that even more of the talented people go into the private sector, thereby increasing the inability of the Federal government to provide oversight of oh, I dunno, the Countrywides and the Enrons of this world.
Smooth move, Obama. This one is right up there with Clinton’s sell-out on welfare reform. (Yes, I know, plenty of people think welfare reform was a great idea. Here’s the deal: it was political posturing over chump change; it was symbolic politics—just like the earmark crap; only welfare reform kissed up to both liberals who hate poor people (but pretend they don’t) and conservatives who hate government). Awesome bit of empty sleight of hand
Obama is officially running scared.
I think you are reading to much into the picture. All that is happening is wages are being frozen as a fiscal response to the fact expenses have to be constant over time periods revenues are thin because of the spending! Nothing more! In my opinion public service should be just that ‘public service’….Don’t need bloated salaries. Is the role of government to be an employment agency?
Reading too much into the picture? Here in the world of analysis, we refer to that as “looking past the political rhetoric” about supposedly bloated salaries, particularly when the most expensive labor pool for the Feds is exempted in this craven political move. Gummint employees do all the same things that other people do in supporting the economy: they buy houses, they pay tuition, they buy shoes, groceries, etc. Hitting their employment and standard of living affects the rest of us, too.