Obama to Freeze Pay for Most Federal Workers for 2 Years (NYT)

[somone]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/us/politics/30freeze.html

November 29, 2010
Obama to Freeze Pay for Most Federal Workers for 2 Years
By PETER BAKER

WASHINGTON -- President Obama plans to announce a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal workers later Monday morning, according to an administration official, the latest White House move intended to demonstrate concern over sky-high deficit spending.

The president’s proposal will effectively wipe out plans for a 1.4 percent across-the-board raise for 2.1 million civilian federal government employees in 2011 and 2012. The military would not be affected. The president has frozen the salaries of his own top White House staff members since taking office 22 months ago.

While a pay freeze will make only a small dent in the federal deficit, it represents a symbolic gesture toward public anger over unemployment, the anemic economic recovery and rising national debt. By announcing it on Monday, the president effectively will preempt Republicans who have been talking about making such a move once they take over the House and assume more seats in the Senate in January.

The number of federal workers making more than $150,000 a year has grown ten-fold in the past five years and doubled since Mr. Obama took office, USA Today reported earlier this month. Since 2000, federal pay and benefits have increased 3 percent annually above inflation, compared with 0.8 percent for private sector workers, according to data cited by the newspaper.

[joeybee12]

1. Instead of freezing federal pay, why not make it an issue that private sector employees are getting

SCREWED by employers and their wages have been in DECLINE for years? What, too PARTISAN you say????

[mikekohr]

2. As An Elected Local Official, I Voted To Freeze Our Pay For 4 years from 2008-2012

The vote was unanimous. The governmental body in question is for offices on a Township board and all but one position is part-time. The full-time position was cut in pay $4,000.00 per year.

Given what was happening in the private sector it was the right thing to do, and fiscally responsible action given our declining tax revenues.