America's public servants are now its masters

[denner]

Quote from MKTrader:

Yes it is. If you know how much we're paying each one (salary + generous benefits) plus how much they're likely to get out of taxpayers with their pensions (hint: "retirement" age isn't even tied to increasing life expetancies), it's huge.

As I said earlier, not all are lazy, but many do little work (by choice or simply because there's nothing to do). We're paying for tens of thousands who would be cut in the private sector because they add no value. And we'll be paying for decades...

The hidden secret is that with a guaranteed pension, it boosts consumer spending enormously? Why? If you KNEW that no matter how much of your current salary you spent, you'd still be set with a very generous retirement package, why would you save a dime?

It's also why we can have an economy on its ass and yet there are pockets of strong spending, sports stadiums still sell alot of seats, etc. And I'm not talking about corporate clients, there is still a large pocket of seemingly middle class consumers who have season tickets to all these sporting events and never seem to cut back on spending....

So it's rather clear we can narrow it down to this large, bloated public sector and the crony industries that feed off of this out of control spending. So far, since 2008, we've largely sacrificied the private sector to keep this golden goose going, but even that won't prove to be enough.

It's why many fear the Argentinian potential with confiscation, etc...

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from Scataphagos:

Citizens should NOT be allowed to vote for their own largess... that is, if you receive a "government check"... either as an employee of the government, or a tit-sucking parasite (your ass glued to your government subsidized couch drooling over Oprah, American Idol, and Dancing With The Stars... on your government subsidized big screen TV, in your government subsidized housing/trailer, snacking on your government subsidized/food stamps).... you should not be allowed to "vote yourself more at the expense of others"...

And who is the LEADING EXAMPLE of this "vote for your own pay increase"???

YES - your SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN!!! (Many of whom are already wealthy anyway)

So - WHICH candidates, running in WHICH PARTY, are standing up to abolish this abuse and LEAD BY EXAMPLE???

(sound of crickets chirping...)

Yes, I thought so.

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from MarketMasher:

And who is the LEADING EXAMPLE of this "vote for your own pay increase"???

YES - your SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN!!!

So - WHICH candidates, running in WHICH PARTY, are standing up to abolish this abuse and LEAD BY EXAMPLE???

(sound of crickets chirping...)

Yes, I thought so.

While true in principle, the cost of Congress' pay increases are minuscule compared to the cost of social programs.

And isn't there LOTS of abuse for which nobody takes the lead in ending?

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from Scataphagos:

While true in principle, the cost of Congress' pay increases are minuscule compared to the cost of social programs.

And isn't there LOTS of abuse for which nobody takes the lead in ending?

The difference is - these are our LAW-MAKERS. And they are elected to LEAD.

The PRINCIPLE is important too - and in their position, maybe the MOST important.

So again - WHICH candidates, from WHICH PARTY, are standing up to this abuse??

Yes, there is a lot of abuse that nobody takes the lead in ending. So?

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from MarketMasher:

The difference is - these are our LAW-MAKERS. And they are elected to LEAD.

The PRINCIPLE is important too - and in their position, maybe the MOST important.

So again - WHICH candidates, from WHICH PARTY, are standing up to this abuse??

Yes, there is a lot of abuse that nobody takes the lead in ending. So?

Sounds like you're arguing, "So what? Everybody does it".... like, that makes it OK.

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from Scataphagos:

Sounds like you're arguing, "So what? Everybody does it".... like, that makes it OK.

No - that was the implication of YOUR post.

"And isn't there LOTS of abuse for which nobody takes the lead in ending?"

My comment was - So? - as in So? Does that mean nobody should take the lead in ending that abuse?

My question is - what is the difference between one party or candidate from another if they won't take a stand on an obvious abuse like voting for your own pay raises?

So far the answer is - none.

 

[GuyFawkes]

Everybody does it so voting for the puppet on the left or the puppet on the right makes no difference. Most of the political arguments and posturing is just meant to distract us from their thieving.

Just how long are Americans going to put up with being screwed like this? Forever I think unless we get rid of the daily dose of brainwashing that you get fed via your iphone.

I call for a "genocide" on the political class. Until we are rid of this bunch of mercenary scumbags there is no hope for America.

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from GuyFawkes:

Everybody does it so voting for the puppet on the left or the puppet on the right makes no difference. Most of the political arguments and posturing is just meant to distract us from their thieving.

Just how long are Americans going to put up with being screwed like this? Forever I think unless we get rid of the daily dose of brainwashing that you get fed via your iphone.

I call for a "genocide" on the political class. Until we are rid of this bunch of mercenary scumbags there is no hope for America.

Most of that is "politics by distraction" - point out how bad the other guy is to distract from what you yourself are doing (or refuse to do - like stopping the self-pay-raise crap).

I want to see these bastards stand and say what they will DO - and bet their future electability on it. And they can start with abolishing voting for their own pay raise. Let's see who's got the balls to do THAT.

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from MarketMasher:

"... I want to see these bastards stand and say what they will DO - and bet their future electability on it. And they can start with abolishing voting for their own pay raise. Let's see who's got the balls to do THAT.

I was reading a story about where in some country... if you lost your bid for reelection or refused to run for reelection, the voters got to determine whether or not you spent some time in jail.

We could use some of that.

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from Scataphagos:

I was reading a story about where in some country... if you lost your bid for reelection or refused to run for reelection, the voters got to determine whether or not you spent some time in jail.

We could use some of that.

For our D.C. "Representatives", it would be mandatory 98% of the time.