‘Public Servants’ – Who Is Serving Whom?
By Tyler Durden
Submitted by Matthew Bankert via The Mises Institute,
When was the last time you used a government “service”? Maybe you went to the DMV to get a new driver’s license, or maybe you signed up for new healthcare plan using Healthcare.gov (you’d better — or else!). Whatever transaction it was, there was a government employee on the other end — or as some like to call them, a public servant.
Though the public’s perception of the Federal government is near rock bottom, there is still a generally positive view of government workers. A recent post from the official White House blog asks citizens to consider “making a difference as a public servant,” knowing that your work would help “make someone’s life just a little bit better.” (Presumably, those who are not public servants do not perform work that “makes a difference” or makes anyone’s life better.)
There’s even a Public Service Recognition Week every year during May. From the president's proclamation on public service this year:
A Government of, by, and for the people is sustained only through the hard work and extraordinary sacrifice of millions of citizens willing to serve the country they love.
I am not interested in judging the hearts of government employees, but do public servants in reality make “extraordinary sacrifices” compared to everyone else?
Compensation
A study by the government’s own Congressional Budget Office (CBO) claims public sector employees earn more money and benefits than private sector employees, with the exception of those with a doctoral degree:
The study says Federal workers with a professional or doctoral degree make up 7 percent of the Federal workforce. Therefore, 93 percent of Federal workers earn higher salaries plus benefits than comparable workers in the private sector. I'm still waiting for the “extraordinary sacrifice” we keep hearing about.
The Cato Institute makes a similar finding: “In 2014 total federal compensation [pay + benefits] averaged $119,934, or 78 percent more than the private-sector average of $67,246.” Even the New York Times seems to reluctantly concede that state and local government workers earn more.
Maybe the word servant makes you think of a butler or maid in some grand European estate. They labor away at menial, inglorious tasks without much recognition.
What if most of the servants make more money than the family for whom the servants work. Would they still qualify as servants?
Services
If their compensation is not less than the private sector, some may say public servants provide more important services. Even here some doubts are warranted.
The average 401k is pessimistically forecasted by some to return 4 percent per year, while Social Security’s return on “investment” is less than optimal. For example, a single female turning 65 in 2030 will have paid $411,000 into Social Security and will only receive $371,000 in benefits. (For those of you not math savvy, that’s less than a 4 percent yearly return.)
Surely, the police are a government service bringing valuable security …read more
Source: ‘Public Servants’ – Who Is Serving Whom?
