Obama to announce pay freeze for federal workers

[Ragnar]

I like the idea and I applaud Obama for doing it.

Next step, start cutting entire departments. It is time to get serious about cutting spending.

Fair enough. Is the Department of Defense on the table?

Not directed at me but I'd say yes and no. No to cutting funding for the troops in the field or the older vets, yes to big DoD cuts. If you can't find a few billion in waste, fraud and abuse there on a yearly basis, your not looking.

 

[boedicca]

A step in the right direction, but the real answer is tiered pay cuts at various wage levels, ranging frpm 5% at the lower and 25% at the higher - and then a freeze for a number of years.

 

[VaYank5150]

I like the idea and I applaud Obama for doing it.

Next step, start cutting entire departments. It is time to get serious about cutting spending.

Fair enough. Is the Department of Defense on the table?

Not directed at me but I'd say yes and no. No to cutting funding for the troops in the field or the older vets, yes to big DoD cuts. If you can't find a few billion in waste, fraud and abuse there on a yearly basis, your not looking.

I am good with this. We cannot leave our troops hanging out to dry, but you also cannot tell me we can't find BILLIONS in wasteful spending within the DoD.

 

[Ragnar]

Fair enough. Is the Department of Defense on the table?

Not directed at me but I'd say yes and no. No to cutting funding for the troops in the field or the older vets, yes to big DoD cuts. If you can't find a few billion in waste, fraud and abuse there on a yearly basis, your not looking.

I am good with this. We cannot leave our troops hanging out to dry, but you also cannot tell me we can't find BILLIONS in wasteful spending within the DoD.

It's there to be had. Waste is not partisan.

Stopping all earmarks would be a big help too. Yeah, yeah... "earmarks are a fraction of the deficit". No doubt brothers. But earmarks are what get traded and used and abused to get the GIANT-ass pork through Congress. (both sides). Just look at what got passed around to pass Obamacare. That goes on, on a smaller scale, for just about everything that snakes it's way through the system.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

So he boosts the federal payroll by some 50%, dumps a budget deficit on us that is larger than all the previous administrations combined and now cuts a few billion via pay freezes?

Wow... how ballsy.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Fair enough. Is the Department of Defense on the table?

Not directed at me but I'd say yes and no. No to cutting funding for the troops in the field or the older vets, yes to big DoD cuts. If you can't find a few billion in waste, fraud and abuse there on a yearly basis, your not looking.

I am good with this. We cannot leave our troops hanging out to dry, but you also cannot tell me we can't find BILLIONS in wasteful spending within the DoD.

Of course there is.... everything should be on the table. And I mean EVERYTHING.

 

[Ragnar]

A step in the right direction, but the real answer is tiered pay cuts at various wage levels, ranging frpm 5% at the lower and 25% at the higher - and then a freeze for a number of years.

Right direction, wrong speed.

Obama to freeze federal worker pay, save $5 billion over two years Hot Air

Actually, it will make a miniscule dent in $2 trillion in deficits. If the savings get calculated over two years, then we have to do the same with the deficits they supposedly address. The savings, assuming they actually occur, will amount to a reduction of 0.25% in the biennial deficits. Calling it a drop in the bucket is an insult to both drops and buckets. It’s a single grain of sand from the coast.

Will we actually see this cost savings? Probably not. Gabriel Malor received an official explanation given to federal employees today, which assured them that the freeze “will not impact step increases or bonuses for federal workers.” It applies to cost-of-living increases, mainly. If an agency wants to give a worker an increase, they just need to increase their pay grade or boost their bonuses to make it happen.

Even if Obama is sincere in this announcement, it’s nibbling at the far edges of the federal spending problem.

Sorry for wondering back on topic.

 

[PixieStix]

Not directed at me but I'd say yes and no. No to cutting funding for the troops in the field or the older vets, yes to big DoD cuts. If you can't find a few billion in waste, fraud and abuse there on a yearly basis, your not looking.

I am good with this. We cannot leave our troops hanging out to dry, but you also cannot tell me we can't find BILLIONS in wasteful spending within the DoD.

It's there to be had. Waste is not partisan.

Stopping all earmarks would be a big help too. Yeah, yeah... "earmarks are a fraction of the deficit". No doubt brothers. But earmarks are what get traded and used and abused to get the GIANT-ass pork through Congress. (both sides). Just look at what got passed around to pass Obamacare. That goes on, on a smaller scale, for just about everything that snakes it's way through the system.

Here is a good source

111th Congress Earmarks | OpenSecrets

 

[Wry Catcher]

The USPS needs to be phased out. The only thing I get in snail mail anymore is catalogs anyway....

I couldn't support that.

Most of the elderly get thier mail that way, and many countries rely on it to get letters to and from America.

Like Veterans.

There would still be "snail mail". It would just be delivered by FedEx, DHL, UPS, and whatever other companies form from the buying and selling of the assets of the bankrupt USPS.

Heck, you might have the same mailman just in a different uniform.

Great. Lower wages, less benefits for the worker bee, and greater income for the CEO's and stock holders. Just what conservatives want, a redistribution of the wealth, from the middle class to the leisure class.
Guess what happens when the expectations of the middle class for a better life are frustrated?

 

[Two Thumbs]

No shit. And as we ALL know, ANY legislation takes forever to be heard, amended and voted on. So, where is it?

People not in office can't propose jack squat.

Where's obamas openness? he actually promised to be the most open ever.

And during the back and forth on the healthcare legislation, he failed miserably. Now, beyond that, what beef do you have with him? And where are the GOP plans? If WikiLeaks can get their hands on our most top secret documents, why has the GOP spending cuts list NOT been leaked yet?

He vastly increased spending.
He's out spent Bush already.
the pork filled spending bills where our money gets wasted.
The Patriot act is still around
He tried to close Gitmo. that was all bs anyway. The issues coulda just been fixed.
He hired the heads of unions.
He has more czars than anyone ever
Bought GM, and fired a private citizen. He had it coming, but not from big 0
The health care bill we got is making it worse, not better, and the dream would make it even worse than it will be.

That's off the top of my head.

What's so great about big 0 that you blindly follow to the point you only read headlines?

 

[VaYank5150]

A step in the right direction, but the real answer is tiered pay cuts at various wage levels, ranging frpm 5% at the lower and 25% at the higher - and then a freeze for a number of years.

Right direction, wrong speed.

Obama to freeze federal worker pay, save $5 billion over two years Hot Air

Actually, it will make a miniscule dent in $2 trillion in deficits. If the savings get calculated over two years, then we have to do the same with the deficits they supposedly address. The savings, assuming they actually occur, will amount to a reduction of 0.25% in the biennial deficits. Calling it a drop in the bucket is an insult to both drops and buckets. It’s a single grain of sand from the coast.

Will we actually see this cost savings? Probably not. Gabriel Malor received an official explanation given to federal employees today, which assured them that the freeze “will not impact step increases or bonuses for federal workers.” It applies to cost-of-living increases, mainly. If an agency wants to give a worker an increase, they just need to increase their pay grade or boost their bonuses to make it happen.

Even if Obama is sincere in this announcement, it’s nibbling at the far edges of the federal spending problem.

Sorry for wondering back on topic.

So, are you now suggesting we SHOULDN'T freeze federal employees' wages??

 

[VaYank5150]

People not in office can't propose jack squat.

Where's obamas openness? he actually promised to be the most open ever.

And during the back and forth on the healthcare legislation, he failed miserably. Now, beyond that, what beef do you have with him? And where are the GOP plans? If WikiLeaks can get their hands on our most top secret documents, why has the GOP spending cuts list NOT been leaked yet?

He vastly increased spending.
He's out spent Bush already.
the pork filled spending bills where our money gets wasted.
The Patriot act is still around
He tried to close Gitmo. that was all bs anyway. The issues coulda just been fixed.
He hired the heads of unions.
He has more czars than anyone ever
Bought GM, and fired a private citizen. He had it coming, but not from big 0
The health care bill we got is making it worse, not better, and the dream would make it even worse than it will be.

That's off the top of my head.

What's so great about big 0 that you blindly follow to the point you only read headlines?

I refuse to call names, but you sure do sound alot like some of the other bullshit artists around here from the right. I do not blindly follow Obama. I simply do not blindly bash him and only give him 18 months to right the Titanic. You asshats were calling him a failure before he was even in office a full year. You tell me who the blind one is...

 

[GHook93]

The two-year pay freeze for civilian federal employees will save $2 billion during the rest of the current fiscal year and almost $30 billion over the next five years, the White House said Monday.

First Read - Obama to announce pay freeze for federal workers

What was the GOP plan to cut costs again? Oh that's right, they don't have one....

Good job and Good Start Big O! Next has to come with pension freezes to phase in individual retirement plans vs the highway robbery pension plans!

 

[Ragnar]

A step in the right direction, but the real answer is tiered pay cuts at various wage levels, ranging frpm 5% at the lower and 25% at the higher - and then a freeze for a number of years.

Right direction, wrong speed.

Obama to freeze federal worker pay, save $5 billion over two years Hot Air

Actually, it will make a miniscule dent in $2 trillion in deficits. If the savings get calculated over two years, then we have to do the same with the deficits they supposedly address. The savings, assuming they actually occur, will amount to a reduction of 0.25% in the biennial deficits. Calling it a drop in the bucket is an insult to both drops and buckets. It’s a single grain of sand from the coast.

Will we actually see this cost savings? Probably not. Gabriel Malor received an official explanation given to federal employees today, which assured them that the freeze “will not impact step increases or bonuses for federal workers.” It applies to cost-of-living increases, mainly. If an agency wants to give a worker an increase, they just need to increase their pay grade or boost their bonuses to make it happen.

Even if Obama is sincere in this announcement, it’s nibbling at the far edges of the federal spending problem.

Sorry for wondering back on topic.

So, are you now suggesting we SHOULDN'T freeze federal employees' wages??

No. Obama is doing the right thing, just not nearly enough of it. I'm only pointing out how small an amount of "change" we are talking about here.

Your USPS idea is much closer to the scale of thinking we all should be engaged in. (across the board)

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

And during the back and forth on the healthcare legislation, he failed miserably. Now, beyond that, what beef do you have with him? And where are the GOP plans? If WikiLeaks can get their hands on our most top secret documents, why has the GOP spending cuts list NOT been leaked yet?

He vastly increased spending.
He's out spent Bush already.
the pork filled spending bills where our money gets wasted.
The Patriot act is still around
He tried to close Gitmo. that was all bs anyway. The issues coulda just been fixed.
He hired the heads of unions.
He has more czars than anyone ever
Bought GM, and fired a private citizen. He had it coming, but not from big 0
The health care bill we got is making it worse, not better, and the dream would make it even worse than it will be.

That's off the top of my head.

What's so great about big 0 that you blindly follow to the point you only read headlines?

I refuse to call names, but you sure do sound alot like some of the other bullshit artists around here from the right. I do not blindly follow Obama. I simply do not blindly bash him and only give him 18 months to right the Titanic. You asshats were calling him a failure before he was even in office a full year. You tell me who the blind one is...

Wow... interesting words coming from someone who routinely bashes Sarah Palin for everything from the price of eggs to AIDS in Africa.

Your feigned sense of fairness takes disingenuousness to a whole new level!

 

[VaYank5150]

I couldn't support that.

Most of the elderly get thier mail that way, and many countries rely on it to get letters to and from America.

Like Veterans.

There would still be "snail mail". It would just be delivered by FedEx, DHL, UPS, and whatever other companies form from the buying and selling of the assets of the bankrupt USPS.

Heck, you might have the same mailman just in a different uniform.

Great. Lower wages, less benefits for the worker bee, and greater income for the CEO's and stock holders. Just what conservatives want, a redistribution of the wealth, from the middle class to the leisure class.
Guess what happens when the expectations of the middle class for a better life are frustrated?

On AVERAGE, a USPS "carrier" makes nearly $52,000.00 annually. A Postmaster (whatever the hell that is) makes nearly $72,000.00 annually, not inlcuding their benefits. Please tell me you are not REALLY crying for these people?

PayScale - U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Employer Salary, Average Salaries

 

[VaYank5150]

He vastly increased spending.
He's out spent Bush already.
the pork filled spending bills where our money gets wasted.
The Patriot act is still around
He tried to close Gitmo. that was all bs anyway. The issues coulda just been fixed.
He hired the heads of unions.
He has more czars than anyone ever
Bought GM, and fired a private citizen. He had it coming, but not from big 0
The health care bill we got is making it worse, not better, and the dream would make it even worse than it will be.

That's off the top of my head.

What's so great about big 0 that you blindly follow to the point you only read headlines?

I refuse to call names, but you sure do sound alot like some of the other bullshit artists around here from the right. I do not blindly follow Obama. I simply do not blindly bash him and only give him 18 months to right the Titanic. You asshats were calling him a failure before he was even in office a full year. You tell me who the blind one is...

Wow... interesting words coming from someone who routinely bashes Sarah Palin for everything from the price of eggs to AIDS in Africa.

Your feigned sense of fairness takes disingenuousness to a whole new level!

Really? Now, to be specific, would that be the COUNTRY or CONTINENT of Africa you speak of?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

A step in the right direction, but the real answer is tiered pay cuts at various wage levels, ranging frpm 5% at the lower and 25% at the higher - and then a freeze for a number of years.

Right direction, wrong speed.

Obama to freeze federal worker pay, save $5 billion over two years Hot Air

Actually, it will make a miniscule dent in $2 trillion in deficits. If the savings get calculated over two years, then we have to do the same with the deficits they supposedly address. The savings, assuming they actually occur, will amount to a reduction of 0.25% in the biennial deficits. Calling it a drop in the bucket is an insult to both drops and buckets. It’s a single grain of sand from the coast.

Will we actually see this cost savings? Probably not. Gabriel Malor received an official explanation given to federal employees today, which assured them that the freeze “will not impact step increases or bonuses for federal workers.” It applies to cost-of-living increases, mainly. If an agency wants to give a worker an increase, they just need to increase their pay grade or boost their bonuses to make it happen.

Even if Obama is sincere in this announcement, it’s nibbling at the far edges of the federal spending problem.

Sorry for wondering back on topic.

So, are you now suggesting we SHOULDN'T freeze federal employees' wages??

We should cut the Federal workforce by, I dunno, maybe 20% and cut their pay by another 20%. They already make much more than the private sector and they produce very little of any value. The USPS should be done away with entirely. 90% of the mail I receive goes directly to the shredder. DEA should be done away with as well as the USDoE, FDA.... keep cutting.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

I refuse to call names, but you sure do sound alot like some of the other bullshit artists around here from the right. I do not blindly follow Obama. I simply do not blindly bash him and only give him 18 months to right the Titanic. You asshats were calling him a failure before he was even in office a full year. You tell me who the blind one is...

Wow... interesting words coming from someone who routinely bashes Sarah Palin for everything from the price of eggs to AIDS in Africa.

Your feigned sense of fairness takes disingenuousness to a whole new level!

Really? Now, to be specific, would that be the COUNTRY or CONTINENT of Africa you speak of?

Africa's a continent you Goober.

 

[Two Thumbs]

I like the idea and I applaud Obama for doing it.

Next step, start cutting entire departments. It is time to get serious about cutting spending.

Fair enough. Is the Department of Defense on the table?

Yes, it is. Vets will once again take it in the ass.

Heres some more to pick from;

Executive Departments
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Department of Commerce (DOC) gonner. They didn't do thier job
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Education (ED) done. Since it was made, we have gone down hill.
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) need I cover this?
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) cut cut cut
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Department of State (DOS) I think the states can run themselves
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) This will also take a hit.


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