Issue 47 Pay Scheme for Government Workers April 3, 2013

How much do you think a government worker is paid? The answer is somewhere around $80 to $200 thousand. Interns get around $80,000 alone. Well this is the case for the Federal Government of the United States. Though, some of the local governments at the county level sometimes have even larger salaries, or even retirement plans. One Council women is retiring with a pension of half a million dollars per year. Who needs to go into business when you can just trick your constituents into a pay raise to make you rich. Obviously something has got to change.

My Proposal: Government workers in a starting position would start at a salary equivalent to the national average (federal level). For State it would be the average salary of all people in the State, and Local/county government salaries starting at the average income of the area they represent.

The salaries will be adjusted for inflation to insure healthy living and keep goods affordable to the individual worker.

Each year, in addition to adjusting for inflation, the salaries of these workers will be adjusted to meet the new national average. If the national average lowers, then there salaries decrease, if it raises it increases. This component of the scheme provides incentives to the government workers to keep the economy, and thus every body’s income growing.

From there, each new raise in position will have a salary increase of around 3 to 5 thousand dollars (set by law to insure no funny business). Again, this is to incentivize government workers, but in this case to move up in position. A government worker receiving a low crappy wage unfortunately will want to leave, taking all their knowledge and experience with them. In this, all political parties, private concerns and ideologies agree losing an experienced person who does their job well is not something you want.

Elected officials: Elected official should follow a similar pay scheme as well. The only difference being that rather than starting at the national average, they would have a salary equivalent to the average plus half. So in other words, with a national average of $40,000 (approximately the same average of the United States) a Congressman would have a salary of $60,000. We would keep everything else the same save salary increase due to position as we should not have one elected official paid more than another elected official while serving in the same elected body. For instance, a Congressman's base pay is approximately $175,000 a year, but the Speaker of the House gets well over $200,000 a year. Being Speaker should not grant you greater pay as you like your fellow members of the Congress are all supposed to be equal when representing your districts (or State as in the case of a Senator). Heck, even the majority and minority whip of both parties get around the $200,000 mark even though they too are just another elected official.

Unfairness: Our soldiers are paid a very crappy wage when going into the service. They get around $20,000 a year. $20,000 is just about poverty level, and then we ask them to maintain their marriages and relationships while sending them off to the next hell hole or war. Comparing that to a member of the Congresses base pay is just down right unfair. This little pay scheme of mine, if also applied to them would help resolve this issue to a degree. Likewise, fire fighters, garbage men and police may get a boost, or at the very least adopt potions of this idea to provide fairness in position and also prevent corruption. Let’s face it everyone, a government worker (not all but a good portion of them) are gaming the system and it has to be stopped. The government workers on the lowest end of the spectrum with the lowest pay, or in a different department with the least say get screwed right along with the tax payer. It is time equal pay for equal work is brought to all levels of government.

Conclusion: My idea is just that an idea. I have yet to finish my idea for a proper retirement plan for these government workers and elected officials that would remove their golden parachutes. Yes we get screwed with those too. In fact, government workers in some instances are allowed to retire at 55, while the rest of America retires at around 65. I can understand fire fighters, police, and garbage men along with a few others being an exception, but a pencil pusher should retire with the rest of us. It is a privilege to serve the people, and my idea is simply there to make it a privilege once again. A member of government used to be paid very little, and sometimes where not paid as they sacrificed their time for the peoples greater good. But today, it is the place to be to retire with a massive retirement package equivalent to a CEO of a fortune 500 company in some instances. There is just got to be another way to bring government back in line with helping the people, not robbing them blind.