Harry Reid can’t even quote George Orwell correctly. It is not up is down. It is war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength.
Especially ignorance is strength, as Larry Elder points out in a recent column.
He quoted former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as saying in a recent speech, “Less than one-third of eighth-graders can identify the historical purpose of the Declaration of Independence, and it’s right there in the name. … The more I read and the more I listen, the more apparent it is that our society suffers from an alarming degree of public ignorance.”
IBD chart
Elder concludes: “This is good news for the left,” because the ill-informed are more easily swayed by emotional arguments.
The ignorant might believe a government shutdown is a bad thing.
But as Investor’s Business Daily states, “If we can do without nearly 900,000 ‘non-essential’ personnel today with all their costly benefits and accruing pensions, why not tomorrow? And next week? And next year?”
Besides, thousands of federal employees were added under Obama’s watch. Perhaps it is time to cut back to the number of federal workers needed just a few years ago.
USA Today graphic
Not only has the cost of federal government grown collectively, but also individually. USA Today reported a couple of years ago federal workers averaged pay and benefits amounting to $123,049 in 2009 while private workers made $61,051 in total compensation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The federal compensation advantage grew from $30,415 in 2000 to $61,998 in 2009.
During past shutdowns federal workers were given back pay for the days they were off — essentially paid vacation.
Federal workers were seen as “blameless victims” of a political fight, but will that be the case this time?
Elder adds to the victim theme, “Democrats win because their narrative works on an emotional level — us against them. Bad, selfish people — known as Republicans — want to stop the good and the decent — known as Democrats — from their right to health care, right to a job, right to a job with a ‘livable wage’ and the right to not only enjoy one’s own lifestyle but to brand critics as racists, sexists or homophobes.”
Or anarchists?
4TH ST8 
“A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” – George Bernard Shaw
Petey, check that one pls. Or are you on furlough from Ft. Meade?
Once again, Thomas Mitchell is admirably clear and honest: Republicans believe that a government shutdown is a good thing.
Oh and the bit about headcount of federal employees soaring under Obama? Wrong. According to the St. Louis Fed, the number of federal employees when Obama took office was 2.798 million. The number at the end of August 2013? 2.739 million.
Socialism!
It could be a paid vacation.
>
“Oh and the bit about headcount of federal employees soaring under Obama? Wrong. According to the St. Louis Fed, the number of federal employees when Obama took office was 2.798 million. The number at the end of August 2013? 2.739 million.”
Do you think this is a good thing, Nyp? And how much of the credit/blame for this do you give to the sequester?
“Oh and the bit about headcount of federal employees soaring under Obama? Wrong. According to the St. Louis Fed, the number of federal employees when Obama took office was 2.798 million. The number at the end of August 2013? 2.739 million.”
Maybe the discrepancy with the chart is a result of the difference between federal employees and federal workers…
I do not have an opinion with respect to the optimal number of federal employees. I suppose it is a function of how many people you need to patrol borders, prosecute bank robbers, review drug new applications, inspect offshore drilling rigs, monitor terrorist conversations, etc.
Interestingly, the number has not varied much in past 30 years. At end of Reagan’s term there were 3.1 million. At end of Clinton, 2.7 million. At end of Bush II, 2.7 million.
I’ve never validated the data, but I’ve read that the number of federal employees has remained fairly stable because the federal government is using more contract workers and consultants. Supposedly this trend started during the Clinton administration and continued thru Bush43 and Obama.
Could be.
None of the responses mentioned the other part of the equation, the pay scale, federal employee wages soared from Reagan’s time. Less or about the same number of employees making a lot more money, now averaging almost twice what the average working person speaks to unbelievable profligacy. And wait for the hit on take-home pay for working people when the almost laughably labeled Affordable Health Care starts collecting. I don’t know if members of the military are counted in the number of federal employees in Barry and Harry’s version of bizarro world, the original Mr. Bizarro, Al Gore, used the smaller forces as making government numbers smaller. Oh, what the hell, why am I getting overwrought, they all freaking lie.
At least they can count on free popcorn at AMC theaters! What about all the other people who have been permanently furloughed?
Ms Ellis – you are a public employee, right? Are you overpaid?
petey, we can’t all be one of Reid’s family members!
Here is a useful summary in FT of what would likely happen to the US and global economies if the Republicans don’t raise the debt ceiling:
http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2013/10/04/1657422/a-debt-defaults-calamity-transmission-mechanism/
“Here is a useful summary in FT of what would likely happen to the US and global economies if the Republicans don’t raise the debt ceiling:”
Shouldn’t that read “…if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling”?
No.
“No.”
The true mark of an Obamaite.
“Ms Ellis – you are a public employee, right? Are you overpaid?”
Just out of curiosity, Nyp, what criteria would you use to assess whether a public employee is overpaid?
I don’t know. I believe that people generally are paid pursuant to what the market can bear, so the concept doesn’t have a great deal of meaning to me.
It does, however, to Thomas Mitchell.
Now – as for Ms. Ellis’s opinion with respect to the contention that government workers are grossly overpaid ….
[…] Ignorance is definitely strength, not for us but for politicians who the ignorant keep electing. […]
[…] Ignorance is definitely strength, not for us but for politicians who the ignorant keep electing. […]
[…] Ignorance is definitely strength, not for us but for politicians who the ignorant keep electing. […]
[…] Ignorance is definitely strength, not for us but for politicians who the ignorant keep electing. […]