Friday, October 26, 2012

Normal Personalized Checks On The Spread of Government

By Anna Trip


The government says they employ 11,028,000 collecting pay checks. This includes contractor jobs, Federal civil servants, grantee jobs, uniformed military personnel and postal jobs. What it does not include are those unemployed, those collecting public assistance and social security payment checks. In essence, these people are on the payroll as well as local and state hourly workers, state police and cops, public school teachers, emergency workers and firemen, librarians, road department employees and state legislature workers. The burden of employing this huge infrastructure is supported by taxpayers personalized checks.

Most experts agree that reducing taxes, regulations and cutting the size of government creates more jobs. Studies show that cutting total government spending below 25% triggers economic growth. Common sense further dictates that the only sensible way for homeowners or business in trouble to bail themselves out is to cut back on expenses and become even more productive.

Government size has mushroomed over the last fifty years. Not only the size but the scope of executive branch involvement has shifted significantly with the Woodrow Wilson presidency and every follow up president. Most ingenuously point to FDR as the tax and spend president, but they all have been guilty since Wilson.

Getting the government spending into perspective, by 1900 government spending was just 5% of Americas gross domestic production (GDP). Jumping ahead to 1950, the amount of total output of America's production consumed by government was upped to 15%. In 1999 it was around 19%. Today, many feel it is out of control.

A lot of citizens are infuriated about the double-dealing perks the princes of government have dealt themselves. Most non-government taxpayers have to work 45 years before they are eligible for retirement. Not so for the government unionized workers. 20 years and they are out with pension checks, annuity checks and princely perks. Some might argue that the police and military have dangerous jobs and deserve early retirement. Put in perspective, these jobs are not as dangerous as those of iron workers, construction workers, forest industry workers, fishermen, etc. Generally without job security, non-government employment is based on their everyday effort in relation to the demand for the product they are creating. Retirement generally comes only after 65 years of age. Secure Federal and State public workers, on the other hand, appear as taking unfair advantage of the common man who is forced to pay for their hefty compensation.

Most non-government taxpayers have to work 45 years before they are eligible for retirement. Not so for the government unionized workers. 20 years and they are out with pensions, annuities and princely perks. Some might argue that the police and military have dangerous jobs and deserve early retirement. Put in perspective, these jobs are not as dangerous as those of iron workers, construction workers, forest industry workers, fishermen etc. Generally without job security, non-government workers continued employment is based on their everyday effort in relation for the demand for the product they are creating and retirement generally comes only after 65 years of age. Secure Federal and State public workers, on the other hand, appear as taking unfair advantage of the common man who is forced to pay for their hefty compensation.

How one looks at the unemployment numbers tells a story that bears a little digging. For instance the March 2009 unemployment showed a 8.5% unemployment rate with 13.2 million collecting. Looking at the unofficial U-6 data for the report, reveals another story. Unemployed workers discouraged for more than a year are magically dropped from the role and if you factor that in you have real unemployment approaching the 20%

It is easy to lose track of the total picture. The size and scope of government includes everyone getting a paycheck from federal, state and local government. You need to count all the numbers.

"The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments." - William Borah, U.S. senator. Thomas Paine, the revolutionary thinker said: "It is time to dismiss that inattention which has so long been the encouraging cause of stretching taxation to excess.'' When will citizens be free to vote for the size of government? Article served by Personalized Checks




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