Something positive about Obama...?!

[kastein]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...freeze-web-20101129,0,1853157.story?track=rss

He's looking at freezing fed worker pay... and was reportedly gunning for a continuation of at least some of the Bush tax cuts a while ago.

What next? Unfortunately I doubt he'll undo the ridiculous healthcare disaster.

Like I keep saying, the Republicans and the Democrats are just two sides of the same coin these days. Both are terrible, just in different ways.

 

[RichP]

Lets see how far up the chain he does that freeze, actually the freeze should start from the top down.

 

[Crawler]

"Freeze" my @ss... :gonnablow

Congress and other elected/appointed officials should be paid no more than the military.

Other agency beaurocrats should make no more than the average for the private sector.

All being required to enroll in the same healthcare programs being forced upon the public.

 

[mrrbby]

Make everybody enroll in Obama care, no waivers, no exceptions whatsoever. Even our politicians. I'll bet it would be repealed in a day.

 

[XJEEPER]

TAPPER: I'm sorry. Does the president believe that the size of the federal government is too big?

GIBBS: Well, let me say this, Jake, that we're in the process of putting forward -- putting together and ultimately releasing early next year a budget for the next fiscal year and which lays out several fiscal years beyond that. We have taken steps to, as you heard the president mention today, cut programs that are unnecessary and unwise, and believes that we should -- we have to continue to do that. Our government should be lean and efficient. And the actions that the president outlined today and the actions that he has outlined in both previous budgets and in future budgets will meet that test.

TAPPER: But doesn't the president believe that you can't really get ahold of the deficit or the debt unless you actually start making cuts in programs that are necessary and wise?

GIBBS: I don't -- I don't think a -- I think there is a whole host of decisions -- as -- again, as you heard the president say -- that are going to have to be made in the next year or two years or three years to address a problem that took us many years to get -- to get into.
Jake, I think it -- look, the president did not say today that this action alone will solve our deficit problems. There are a series of actions alone that won't solve our deficit problems, but we have to make a series of collective and very difficult decisions to get our fiscal house in order. Obviously, the deficit and debt commission will come back later this week, and the president will get a chance to -- and the team here -- to evaluate where we are in that process as we create a budget going forward.
-Jake Tapper


The math doesn't work...2 year freeze = $60B in savings over 10 years? I guess Obama is using the same calculator what he used to factor all the savings that Obamacare will bring.....which add up to a couple of Trillion in added expense to the American taxpayers. :banghead:

Pay cuts for politicians first. Current military pay is 1/3 what the civilian sector earns.

 

[DrMoab]

Freeze government pay?

If it was just the politicians...great but there are a ton of mid to low level workers working for the government that don't deserve to have their pay frozen.

 

[oblivion_twister]

There is one good thing to say about Obama. He will be out of office and the republicans can fix the Obamanation he has created.

 

[Jeepman401]

"Freeze" my @ss... :gonnablow

Congress and other elected/appointed officials should be paid no more than the military.

no, they should be paid whatever the equivalent private sector job is. I figure the closest thing to a politician in the private sector is the guy who follows the elephant at the circus with a shovel, and he cant be making much more than minimum wage. Budget crisis solved

 

[5-90]

"Freeze" my @ss... :gonnablow

Congress and other elected/appointed officials should be paid no more than the military.

And, in many cases, a good deal less. Nearly anyone that has served a single tour has done more for this country than any thirty-year Congresscritter...

Other agency beaurocrats should make no more than the average for the private sector.

All being required to enroll in the same healthcare programs being forced upon the public.

Something I've said for years - make it so that Congresscritters have to get Social Security and Medicare, and see how fast those two programmes get fixed!

 

[kastein]

no, they should be paid whatever the equivalent private sector job is. I figure the closest thing to a politician in the private sector is the guy who follows the elephant at the circus with a shovel, and he cant be making much more than minimum wage. Budget crisis solved

I figure their job description is closer to the bull in a bullfight (craps everywhere, charges around making a mess, occasionally gores or tramples the common man) so they should be paid in animal feed.

There is one good thing to say about Obama. He will be out of office and the republicans can fix the Obamanation he has created.

Only one objection, you think the republicans are going to fix this.

If the last ~15-20 years are to be taken as an example, they will find other ways to spend the same money, maybe pass a few temporary tax cuts for the next democrat to not extend (nor will they actually cut spending to balance it out), have a few sexual scandals that go completely against everything they "stand" for, and then spend a couple years campaigning against the evil tax and spend democrats.

oh, and they'll probably erode a couple more constitutional freedoms, though the democrats would do the same so it's mostly a wash.

 

[RichP]

I figure their job description is closer to the bull in a bullfight (craps everywhere, charges around making a mess, occasionally gores or tramples the common man) so they should be paid in animal feed.


Only one objection, you think the republicans are going to fix this.

If the last ~15-20 years are to be taken as an example, they will find other ways to spend the same money, maybe pass a few temporary tax cuts for the next democrat to not extend (nor will they actually cut spending to balance it out), have a few sexual scandals that go completely against everything they "stand" for, and then spend a couple years campaigning against the evil tax and spend democrats.

oh, and they'll probably erode a couple more constitutional freedoms, though the democrats would do the same so it's mostly a wash.

True, it's going to take a few more elections to get the scum out from both parties, hopefully we can start getting some decent people in there.

 

[Tom R.]

Something I've said for years - make it so that Congresscritters have to get Social Security and Medicare, and see how fast those two programmes get fixed!

And what makes you think SS and medicare don't apply to members of Congress? Please don't spread misinformation.

 

[Tom R.]

Other agency beaurocrats should make no more than the average for the private sector.

I do think members of Congress are overpaid (to include receiving outragous operating budgets). I am curious to know why you think "other agency beaurocrats" should make no more than the average in private sector, where pay is largely determined by supply and demand. In the gov, it's absurd to manage the pay system by any means other than a pay scale, just as the military does it. It would be inefficient, convoluted, and outright unmanageable to do otherwise.

All being required to enroll in the same healthcare programs being forced upon the public.

Why? Members of Congress are offered the same health care plans as the base-level gov employees. These are on par with private sector plans.

 

[Boatwrench]

no, they should be paid whatever the equivalent private sector job is.

Good! I like this idea, I'll get a raise!

 

[Jeepman401]

And what makes you think SS and medicare don't apply to members of Congress? Please don't spread misinformation.

Its called a retirement package, a very nice one that the taxpayers fund.
SS and medicare still do apply to them, but they have no need for it

 

[Tom R.]

Its called a retirement package, a very nice one that the taxpayers fund.
SS and medicare still do apply to them, but they have no need for it

The only thing good about their retirement "package" is the high salary they're currently paid. Otherwise, their retirement plan is no different than any other civil servant; either they fall under FERS or CSRS.

 

[Darky]

Could've sworn tat the Pres and vp receive pension for life after one term and that Senators and H of Rep did as well.

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

this whole "pay freeze" is a sham. Talk to an active duty member of the military..

 

[Jeepman401]

The only thing good about their retirement "package" is the high salary they're currently paid. Otherwise, their retirement plan is no different than any other civil servant; either they fall under FERS or CSRS.

Got something to prove that? I am curious, because thats the first time hearing something like that.

Somehow I doubt that a congress that is able to vote their own pay wouldn't have a sweet retirement package.

 

[Tom R.]

Got something to disprove it?

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf

There are many more crediible references.

Members of Congress do get a little more in the way of their contribution percentage, but it's still the same plan(s) as any other civil service employee. You might be surprised just how much the average Congressional retiree gets.