The Rude Pundit: Federal Wage Freeze: It's Like Tipping the Rich for Being Rich

[meegbear]

Let us not argue for a moment the economics of President Obama's proposed federal employee pay freeze, except to say that it's about as uselessly symbolic a gesture as giving a piece of fruit to a fat man. Instead, let us think for a moment about the utterly dumbfounding and worthless political nature of the act. Because the Republicans are like that fat guy, and they're gonna take that fruit and say, "That's great. Now give us the rest of the groceries 'cause we're fucking fat and hungry here."

There was something just sorrowfully pathetic about watching the President, in the midst of negotiating some kind of endgame on tax cuts and while trying to figure out how to extend unemployment benefits, decide to triangulate and unilaterally give in to one of the Republicans' demands. What the hell happens now? Does the White House think that John Boehner will all of a sudden understand that the President is serious about working with the GOP? John Boehner doesn't fucking care. Motherfucker just had a meeting with Randall Terry, a terrorist as much as any radical imam anywhere.

The freeze applies to the across-the-board increases in salaries of federal employees, amounting to about 1.4%. It's not enough, of course, for Republicans. It's never enough. Odd-looking Mormon Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Nevada said that "the proposal does not appear to curb step increases. If that is the case, this announcement is nothing more than a hollow press release. At the end of the day, this policy will serve only to frustrate current employees while doing nothing to curb our debts." You know what that means? There's a chart of salary steps within each federal pay grade. For Chaffetz, who, as a congressman, earns more than about 99% of federal employees, it's not enough to freeze cost of living pay increases. Nope. Even within an unchanged pay scale of the government, you cannot advance salary-wise. That means that the poor fucker who's making $23,296, at grade 3, step 3, to clean Chaffetz's piss off toilets at the Capitol not only won't get a pissant general raise, but he can't move up a step to $24,024. You may say, "Well, that's the nature of a freeze," but you're not wiping up after Jason Chaffetz.

But let us not neglect that the backdrop for the pay freeze is deciding whether or not federal tax cuts should expire on income over $250,000 (or $1,000,000) a year. Essentially what Obama is saying is that a shit mopper at the Capitol ought to make less money so that the Koch brothers can afford to make more ads about what a socialist fucker Barack Obama is.

Two million people are about to lose their unemployment checks. Wall Street execs are making more money than ever while attempting to have their taxes cut. That's about as clear a case for wealth redistribution as one can make, except, of course, is that the right wants it redistributed to the rich. What President Obama doesn't seem to get, or hasn't demonstrated that he gets, is that the Republicans don't fucking care about anything other than making Barack Obama pay for being Barack Obama.

And if this post seems incoherent, like sputtering without meaning, it's because the Rude Pundit doesn't get it, either. What he doesn't get is why the pay freeze? Why another capitulation? What does it achieve, other than alienating even more people? When Obama finally caves on tax cuts for the wealthy, it'll be like federal workers just gave a tip to rich people just because rich people are so fucking great because they're rich.

The thing about a line in the sand is that, the second the sand shifts, the line disappears, as if it was never there to begin with.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

[rfranklin]

1. Had enough yet to get mad?

Hey, did you see Dancin' with the Stars last night?

[WinkyDink]

4. You know what? Some of us can hold both in our minds simultaneously (And DWTS is over, BTW).

[rfranklin]

7. I just wiped your screen clean...

but I do apologize if that comment got your knickers in a twist. I was speaking about the general public who cannot break free of the hypnotic trance induced by American Idol and Kate Plus Eight.

[n2doc]

2. Man does this cut to the truth:

Essentially what Obama is saying is that a shit mopper at the Capitol ought to make less money so that the Koch brothers can afford to make more ads about what a socialist fucker Barack Obama is.

[bullwinkle428]

3. I was about to cut and paste the very same line!

:toast:

[gratuitous]

5. A clear case for wealth distribution? For shame, Rude Pundit

You need to brush up on the 12th level Vulcan chess, because you seem to think that the truth clearly before your eyes represents any kind of reality. No, things are far more subtle and nuanced, with shades of meaning and portents that can only be descried by the discerning, nay towering, intellect of our betters leading the Democratic party. Ignore the money being siphoned directly out of working people's pockets into the overstuffed coffers of the likes of the Koch brothers; that's merely an appearance, but True Reality is measured by more than the dollars and cents in the bank accounts of the wealthy and the workers.

Now clap harder, or Tink takes a dirt nap.

[daa]

6. All you need to know is this

Screwing the little guys, you know the unions that put Obama in, will save $5 Billion over two years. In real terms that is about a MONTH OF WAR Get the Fuc* out of the Middle East war business. It has been 10 years and even the Russians admitted they lost sooner than we have.

[Mimosa]

8. K&R

I especially appreciated this observation:

"But let us not neglect that the backdrop for the pay freeze is deciding whether or not federal tax cuts should expire on income over $250,000 (or $1,000,000) a year. Essentially what Obama is saying is that a shit mopper at the Capitol ought to make less money so that the Koch brothers can afford to make more ads about what a socialist fucker Barack Obama is."

I have a sneaking intuition (or baseless hope) that Obama himself may have woken up. Rahm Emmanuel never really loved you, Mr. President. ;) Some of us did. And still do, despite having been betrayed on health care.