52 Percent of Americans Think Federal Workers are Overpaid

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  A poll released this morning by the Washington Post reveals that more than half of Americans think federal workers are overpaid.  In addition, half of those polled thought that government employees do not work as hard as their private sector counterparts.

Finishing the sentence “Is it your impression that most employees of the federal government are…,” 52% of respondents said “overpaid,”  33% said that government workers were “paid the right amount,” and only 9% considered them to be “underpaid.”  These survey results come in the midst of a longstanding economic crisis, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest national unemployment estimate at 9.6 percent.  Predictably, a far higher percentage of Republicans answered “overpaid” than did Democrats.    

The number of people employed by the federal government is slated to hit 2.15 million by the end of this year (excluding the postal service). 1.43 million of these workers are civilians. The Washington Times has characterized it as “the largest federal work force in modern history.”  Congressional Republicans have recently proposed a “Net Federal Hiring Freeze” to combat payroll expenditures adding to the national deficit, but legislative action has yet to be taken.

While this polling might be explained by dim job prospects and the current wave of anti-Washington fervor, it seems likely that the low opinion of federal employees is connected to a growing resentment of State government workers.  As AWF has previously reported, several states have been struggling with runaway debt and overinflated government payrolls, California and New Jersey being at the forefront.  Efforts to solve these crises are hampered by teacher’s unions, service unions, and other groups receiving state funds, all of whom balk at the prospect of pay cuts or pension reform.  Through their lobbying, and politicians beholden to them, these groups have stymied state legislatures seeking sound fiscal policy across the country.  This flies in the face of many citizens’ belief that government employees should not somehow be “exempt” from the effects of the current recession.

Regardless of its exact origin, the majority view in the Washington Post poll goes hand-in-hand with the current surge of small government, anti-bureaucratic sentiment; whether incumbents or challengers, those campaigning for congress should be mindful of this as November 2^nd approaches.  The overlarge federal government has an over-inflated, taxpayer-funded workforce running it, and Washington needs to take a hard look at itself to trim the necessary fat.

Tags: PENREF, PRIVAT, Federal, California, NewJersey