So, if I have it straight (and i may not have) there are two classes of employees working for the Federal Government:
1. Essential employees: These folks are required to show up for work, even though they don't know when they will get paid. They WILL get paid, just WHEN is up in the air
2. Non essential employees: These folks are NOT needed and therefore are ordered to not come in to work....because no one needs 'em enough and at this time, no one knows when they will be paid (one could argue that if they are not "essential" then....they are't needed at all, but that is another discussion for another time...), but they too WILL be paid.
But this goes further:....BOTH sets of Federal employees are assured that they will be paid. The "essential" employees (and make no mistake, I do think some Federal Employees ARE "essential") are working and will be paid weeks or months down the line.
The "non-Essential" folks are also assured they will be paid for the time they are "furloughed"....Yet they are not working. Shouldn't they be taxed at a higher rate or something compared to the "essential" folks? Pay a "Furloughed but paid" tax?
Is it fair that people that are not working get paid? Is it fair that laid off "non essential" government employees still get paid ...but their private sector counterparts don't get paid when they are laid off? Is it fair that "essential" employees DON'T get a vacation, DON'T get laid off, yet are required to work....and they get no bonus having to work when some others are NOT working and will also get paid at the same time as the "essential" folks (and at the same rate (based on GS-level)? Shouldn't the folks who are paid for not working pay a higher tax or a penalty? ....A "fair share" compared to the "essential" folks?
Isn't the DNC group all about "Fair"? Shouldn't they address this inequality?
1. Essential employees: These folks are required to show up for work, even though they don't know when they will get paid. They WILL get paid, just WHEN is up in the air
2. Non essential employees: These folks are NOT needed and therefore are ordered to not come in to work....because no one needs 'em enough and at this time, no one knows when they will be paid (one could argue that if they are not "essential" then....they are't needed at all, but that is another discussion for another time...), but they too WILL be paid.
But this goes further:....BOTH sets of Federal employees are assured that they will be paid. The "essential" employees (and make no mistake, I do think some Federal Employees ARE "essential") are working and will be paid weeks or months down the line.
The "non-Essential" folks are also assured they will be paid for the time they are "furloughed"....Yet they are not working. Shouldn't they be taxed at a higher rate or something compared to the "essential" folks? Pay a "Furloughed but paid" tax?
Is it fair that people that are not working get paid? Is it fair that laid off "non essential" government employees still get paid ...but their private sector counterparts don't get paid when they are laid off? Is it fair that "essential" employees DON'T get a vacation, DON'T get laid off, yet are required to work....and they get no bonus having to work when some others are NOT working and will also get paid at the same time as the "essential" folks (and at the same rate (based on GS-level)? Shouldn't the folks who are paid for not working pay a higher tax or a penalty? ....A "fair share" compared to the "essential" folks?
Isn't the DNC group all about "Fair"? Shouldn't they address this inequality?
If government can afford to hire "non-essential employees", then our taxes are too high.
ReplyDeleteIt has to do with accounting costs. The Reagan administration ran the numbers and found it costs more to figure out who was essential and who was non-essential, reprogram the payroll system, and just pay the essential employees, than it does to just pay everyone their back pay. (Of course, that was for a shorter shutdown with a lot less back pay at stake.)
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