March 11, 2011
Let’s ask a really meaningful question: Why are non-public sector workers paid so little that, by comparison, moderately compensated public sector workers appear to be overpaid or “over-benefitted” or both?
It’s a way to pit the dwindling middle class against itself. In a way it’s saying to non-public sector workers,” Hey, these underpaid public sector bums are making more than you are, and they have more generous benefits at lower cost to them.” Unspoken truth: The GOP way to fix this apparent injustice is not to work to increase wages and benefits to non public-sector employees, but to bring public-sector workers down to your income/benefit levels. And income among the old-fashioned middle class has fallen or stayed steady for the past ten years, benefits have worsened, and pensions are a memory for many, a craven “success” for the GOP.
This, in the long run, will make public sector work less attractive in order to undermine government operations. Given the recent troubles, will the public sector be able to staff its operations, even at the far lower level of operations being budgeted for in many states? GOP rabid economists want the answer to be a permanent “Yes!”