Our American Government Is Doing and Prioritizing the Wrong Things ... We the People Are Being Ill Served and Getting Ripped Off

When we do the wrong things, we always tend to do them poorly. And so it is with our American government these days.

Today most European nations are socialistic and broke. Socialist France is just one such illustrative example of the ill effects of socialism on a nation's economy and ability to defend itself. France's Other War at Home is subtitled 'President Hollande speaks stirringly of resisting ISIS, but France needs economic renewal too.'

Communist Russia is also stretched to the point of breaking economically. The price of oil has fallen by more than 50% this past year, and oil is Russia's 'one trick pony' way of funding its vast array of military needs and ventures.

That brings us to the United States, which has since its inception served as the most prosperous nation on earth and undisputed leader of the free world. For us to continue to lead, however, we must have both the economic ability and the will to do.

Both are at risk today as our current Commander-in Chief prioritizes government growth over private sector growth while being reluctant to take on the bad guys. And make no mistake --- there are lots of bad guys out there who hate us and our American way of life.

We the People have always been willing to pay a big price for freedom, including a great deal for having the best military in the world as well as many other not-so world class government 'services.' The ability to pay whatever our military requires is absolutely imperative, and that's because much of the world remains dangerous and inhospitable to individual freedoms and democracy.

So here's my related question --- why are we continuing to grow the government's non-military expenditures exponentially and at the expense of private sector growth?  Why do we choose to spend more for such government 'services' as (1) forgiving loans for those entering temporary government 'service' (See U.S. Student Loan Forgiveness Proves Costly), (2) ignoring the need for ongoing public sector productivity improvements, (3) granting unionized public sector government employees a no lay-off environment and (4) generous guaranteed pensions while (5) knowing that none of the foregoing is affordable in today's global and highly competitive private sector?

My guess is that what we pay to those who are governing and 'controlling' us is largely unknown. But even if that's the case, it's certainly not unknowable. So in that spirit of spreading the truth about how things really work in today's America, let's look at The Sweet Gig of Being a Bureaucrat. It's subtitled 'The average federal worker's compensation is worth $119,934, nearly 80% higher than the average in the private economy:'

"In a report released last month, Cato Institute budget analyst Chris Edwards calculated that the average federal employee earned $84,153 in 2014—roughly 50% more than the average worker in the private economy. When you include benefits like health care and pensions, the average federal worker’s compensation rises to $119,934—nearly 80% higher than everyone else. “The federal government has become an elite island of secure and high-paid employment,” Mr. Edwards wrote, “separated from the ocean of average Americans competing in the economy.”

Pay for federal employees has grown significantly faster than for private employees. The percentage difference between the two has doubled in the past 25 years. Federal work is more lucrative than the average jobs in finance, information and professional fields. . . .

The total cost to taxpayers of federal wages and benefits clocks in at $260 billion. Much of this is concentrated in and around Washington, D.C.—and it shows. Six of the 10 richest counties in the country surround the nation’s capital, according to the Census Bureau. The median household income in these counties ranges from about $98,000 to $118,000, excluding benefits.

It is nearly impossible to get fired from a job in D.C. A 2011 analysis by USA Today found that at many federal agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others—you’re more likely to die on the job than lose it. Thankfully, there’s no waste, fraud or redundancy in the federal government, right?

Now compare the plush life of the bureaucrat with that of the average American. The median household income in September hovered a little above $56,000. That is only 1% higher than in 2009 when the recession officially ended, and 0.5% lower than before the recession began. Meanwhile, consumer prices increased 10.6% over the past six years. Small wonder that 62% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a January analysis by Bankrate.com.

Yet Washington’s success has no doubt contributed to America’s troubles. The Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that last year the ever-growing regulatory burden cost $1.88 trillion. This translates into about $15,000 a household. No one is spared from these hidden taxes, which lead to higher prices on everyday goods, fewer jobs, slower growth and more.

In other words, Washington, D.C., strides ahead while the rest of America falls further behind."

Summing Up

Those are our tax dollars at work, and they are in large measure being spent on the wrong things. As a result, We the People are being ripped off royally.

It's time for us to take the lead in defeating and destroying ISIS and the rest of the America haters out there. It's time for the politicians to stop bickering and to get their priorities straight. We the People deserve nothing less.

Are we getting what we're paying for with respect to the performance of our Commander-in Chief, Congress, and the rest of the government bureaucracy and political machinery? Of course not --- not even close.

But at the same time, we're spending excessive amounts of money to fund our expensive and wasteful government, and we're wasting too much time allowing those governing us to play their stupid intramural political games and continue doing the wrong things --- while doing them poorly.

It's time for us to stand up straight and speak out in support of our military, our individual freedoms and our American community as a whole. And excepting our military, it's time to shrink the size, waste and cost of government.

That's my take.

Thanks. Bob.