FatCratz

Working for Uncle Sam

More graduating students than ever are in interested in working for the federal government, according to a new survey.

A survey of career counselors at nearly 200 colleges and universities conducted last month found that 90 percent of the students working with their offices are interested in federal jobs or internships.

Nearly three-quarters of the respondents said interest in federal job opportunities has increased since the election in November.

Obviously, this has a lot to do with the current job market, as well as a greater affinity among college students for the new administration.

As the public sector continues to grow, both as a share of GDP and as a share of new jobs being created, one has to wonder about the longterm impact upon our workforce. While fresh blood in the government is always a good thing, is the federal workplace the best training ground for newly minted college grads? What private sector skill sets--entrepreneurialism, free-thinking, problem solving--might be passed over for these new government employees who might spend their entire career working for the state?

A word of unsolicited advice for the new college grads: weigh the difference between the public and private sector workplace before taking that first job.

Americans Want Smaller Government; Politicians Don't

Dick Morris has been wrong about a lot of things. But he can read polls. His recent piece focuses on the crucial irony of today's politics: Americans are increasingly opposed to a bigger role for the federal government at precisely the moment when the federal government is growing faster and larger than at any time in its history:

• Rasmussen Poll asked voters if they wanted an economic system of complete free enterprise or preferred more government involvement in managing the economy. By 77-19, they voted against a government role, up seven points from last month.
• And in the Fox News poll — the very same survey that gave Obama a 62 percent approval rating and reported that 68 percent of voters are “satisfied” with his first hundred days — voters, by 50-38, supported a smaller government that offered fewer services over a larger government that provided more.
• By 42-8, the Fox News poll (conducted on April 22-23) found that voters felt Obama had expanded government rather than contracted it (42 percent said it was the same size) and,
• By 46-30, reported believing that big government was more of a danger to the nation than big business (Fox News).
• By 62-20, they said government spending, under Obama, was “out of control.” (Fox News)

The key driver behind the tea parties is not the taxes people are paying today. It is the sense that government is growing too big, too fast, and is involved in too many facets of our lives.

Marion Barry: "I Don't Have A Tax Issue!"

A FatCrat learns quickly the benefits of stretching the truth. Thus, Marion Barry can state that he "doesn't have a tax issue." That's the same Marion Barry who is over $277,000 in arrears on federal and DC taxes, has his wages garnished by the IRS to the tune of $2,700 a month, and by The District for $350 a month.

Barry popped up in local DC news again because he purchased an $800 opera jacket for his girlfriend at a Ritz Carlton Gala Saturday night.

A FatCrat also quickly learns the benefit of having no shame.

Questioned about the purchase, Barry was proud to have outbid Wolf Blitzer. "I started out bidding $700, then he bid $750," Barry said. "He couldn't get it at $750, so I bid higher."

Asked about the propriety of the purchase, Barry said his legal troubles shouldn't be a factor in what clothing he buys from his girlfriend. And to a certain degree, he is of course correct. The portion of his wages left after being garnished are his to spend as he pleases.

The real problem here is that he is collecting wages at all from the District while owing same district thousands of dollars. And that his "untouchable" status led federal prosecutors to back of their request for prison time.

And that he is still invited to Celebrity Galas at the Ritz.

FatCratz Speak Out on Swine Flu

President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services made the following startling comment on the Swine Flu:

"  "

She was responding to this earlier statement, from Obama's Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

"   "

Actually, the turnover in top positions brought about by a new presidential administration is one of the few inefficiencies of the federal government that FatCratz celebrates. It's far better to get a new batch of politically appointed FatCratz in place every four years or so than to have Health Ministers for life.

And there is of course no need to worry, as Charles E. Johnson, the Acting Secretary of HHS, has over three decades of experience. In the field of accounting.

Making Rules is More Fun Than Obeying Them

Members of Congress are good at making rules. Obeying them, not so much.

One of the key earmark reforms was additional transparency. Members would be required to post links on their websites detailing the projects for which they had requested funding:

Under a rule adopted by the committee for the first time this year, members seeking earmarks were required to post an active link on their congressional websites describing the details of their desired pet projects. The committee gave members until April 4 ... to post online links containing the same earmark request information that members submitted to the committee. ...Members who did not comply with the new rule were supposed to have their earmark requests rejected out of hand.

In Congress-speak, "rejected out of hand" means "don't worry, the deadline was meaningless":

more than 70 members missed the April 4 deadline for having active Web links... Despite the numerous late entries, the Appropriations Committee is taking a lenient approach. “We will continue work with offices to bring them into compliance,” said Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Kirstin Brost.

Debt Day

As of Sunday, the federal government is spending more money for this fiscal year's operations than it is taking in. In other words, from now until September 30th, we'll be adding (at least) $9.7 billion to our  debt each day.

That's over over five months out of the fiscal year of spending money we don't have.

Of course, we're told such deficit spending is the key to getting out of a recession. But it's our tax money, and one must wonder whether we'd have gotten more bang for our buck had we been allowed to spend it ourselves.

You're Fired! European edition...

How hard is it to fire a FatCrat? That's one of our perennial questions, and we've come up with some excellent examples from inside the beltway. However, by personal experience, I know that Europe still has us beat in the bureaucratic job security department. Maybe we're headed in this direction.

Here's an illustration from one of our faithful expat readers in Germany:

I recently heard of a colleague who was a lecturer in a German University (like a professorship, but lacking some of the rights and responsibilities). The important point is that in the German system this person is a state official, effectively a bureaucrat with a PhD (or  the German equivalent). Despite the fact that she refused to offer classes or hold lectures, she continued to receive compensation. She could only be fired for "gross negligence," but gross negligence doesn't include failing to teach classes.

In this instance, the bureaucrat/lecturer was finally fired, showing what it takes to get fired as a German state employee--stop living in Germany.