Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Once again the back door politics of eht Obama Administration have shown their true colors. A pay raise for all non military fesderal employees while the rest of us get to pay for it..


Dems again brush off cuts sought by GOP's online initiative
By Michael O'Brien - 05/28/10 03:51 PM ET

The House dismissed on Friday a Republican-led effort to freeze wages for non-military federal employees.

The House voted 227-183 to table a motion to recommit a defense authorization bill to kill a 1.4 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees proposed by the Obama administration.

The cuts were picked under the GOP's "YouCut" initiative, and was offered by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Republicans said the cuts would have saved $30 billion over 10 years.

Three Republicans voted to keep the pay raises in place, while 18 Democrats joined the GOP in calling for the cut.

This vote was the second time Democrats brushed aside a GOP vote forced under the "YouCut" program, where online visitors and other supporters can vote on proposed spending cuts.

Democrats needled the GOP on Friday by submitting an item for next week's vote that would cut the funding for House Republicans' "America Speaking Out" initiative.

The problem is that some of us work for this "obama administration." Yes, everyone's taxes go to pay our salaries and raises but we got to eat too. I am against the government meddling in private corporate affairs and am a staunch believer that government must stay out of that area. I wont for a minute submit that tax payers should stay out of government affairs because they/we should be right in the middle of it...

Having said all that a 1.4% raise is paltry. I for one wont be disappointed if we dont get it but there are a lot of decent hard working federal employees that really need it. Contrary to popular belief we dont all make more than private industry counterparts. Virtually every contractor that works for me and/or that I know makes significantly more than I do...

DK I agree that not all federal employees are making tons of $ compared to the private sector. They too are entitled to fair compensation. Currently with the country in the finacial mess it is ,it does not look good to me that Obama Administration is giving raises while the private sector remains stagnant.That raise included The Congress and they'd be last ones to ever get a cent out of me, More and more as election time nears the Democraps are stroking any group they can in an effort to gain votes. There are a lot of jobs in the government that are needed and a hell of a lot more that could be eliminated without so much as wave of the hand. a 1.4% increase is paltry until you add it up across the board and then it equals an awful lot of money,which they say we don't have. Whatever happened to pay as we go????

Spence you are so correct and I'll tell you what I think. I've paid through the nose for my country in more ways than one...so I'm going to take everything I can get....and I hope I get more than the illegals and good for nothings standing in the same line. Thats our money and its rightfully ours whether we get it back in a pay raise, food stamps, or new house credit we better take it while we can...I cringe everytime I drive to work on a road that is full of holes or hear about public safety being cut or another program that we truly need....why cant they cut all the gratutitous social give aways instead....anyway I'm rambling and this aint a matter of pride for me anymore...its a matter of getting something back from my government before a bunch of someones who's done absolutely nothing gets it all for naught...hard times are coming and the head ant (who is really a grasshopper) is giving all the winter food away...I'm stocking up...

I've been both a private sector and a government employee, so I can speak from experience on both sides. Private sector salaries ARE higher, often considerably. The tradeoff is job security. In the private sector, you can be fired tomorrow for any reason (VA is an "at will" state). Federal/state/local gov't, you've got something called Civil Service Protections. That's the tradeoff--you take a lower salary because you want the greater job stability.

I don't see the benefit in such a pay raise, even 1.4%. Several counties in VA have frozen salaries, including COLA, due to the budget crunch. A friend who is a Commonwealth employee tells me they don't have it any better. But so what? I'd say, count yourself fortunate to be a government employee right now! Unlike a lot of other folks, you DO still have a job, and you ARE still getting paid. Right now, that's something to celebrate.

I too have worked both sides of the fence and salaries for my counterparts are indeed much higher on the private side. I went back to government so I could be on the inside circle and for the security.

I dont really care if I get a pay raise or not...my concern is for the little folks who work hard on the job and at home trying to make ends meet.

Its funny that this is a story drummed out by the MSM and even the right has locked on it. We tend to discredit a lot of what they come up with and most of the time rightfully so...why not this one too. I know for a fact that its BS...the problem here in DC is the government is top heavy so it makes for an easy target. And there are way too many chiefs. If you go back and read the articles they did focus more on senior positions.