35 Million People work for the government!!!

[forsmant]

There are an estimated 35 million people employed by federal, state, and local governments. 12% of the population is employed by the government.

An estimated 1.5 million people are exhausting federal unemployment insurance.
http://www.cbpp.org/9-5-02ui.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501782.html
http://mwhodges.home.att.net/state_local.htm

The government cannot give to someone unless it first takes from someone else.

[forsmant]

bump

[seapilot]

When the economy is weak and inflation kicks in do governments lower taxes or cut spending? No they make excuses to cover shortfalls and raise them.

Governments get bigger in good times yet never get smaller in bad times thus dragging out recessions longer than they would be otherwise. This is canabalization of taxpayers , squeezing them till they are dry.

[IPSecure]

The Wold's Largest Employer: 2006
http://www.itulip.com/forums/showthread.php?t=740

America's Red Ink

Sunday, December 24, 2006; Page B06

The largest employer in the world announced on Dec. 15 that it lost about $450 billion in fiscal 2006. Its auditor found that its financial statements were unreliable and that its controls were inadequate for the 10th straight year. On top of that, the entity's total liabilities and unfunded commitments rose to about $50 trillion, up from $20 trillion in just six years.

If this announcement related to a private company, the news would have been on the front page of major newspapers. Unfortunately, such was not the case -- even though the entity is the U.S. government.

To put the figures in perspective, $50 trillion is $440,000 per American household and is more than nine times as much as the median household income.

The only way elected officials will be able to make the tough choices necessary to put our nation on a more prudent and sustainable long-term fiscal path is if opinion leaders state the facts and speak the truth to the American people.

The Government Accountability Office is working with the Concord Coalition, the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation and others to help educate the public about the facts in a professional, nonpartisan way. We hope the media and other opinion leaders do their part to save the future for our children and grandchildren.

DAVID M. WALKER
Comptroller General of the United States
Government Accountability Office

[phixion]

It's maybe not such a great idea pitching the idea of smaller government to people employed within the government. You can see the direct conflict they would have! :)

Pete

[forsmant]

I don't work for the government, yet. Applied for local police officer position.

[bj72]

It's maybe not such a great idea pitching the idea of smaller government to people employed within the government. You can see the direct conflict they would have! :)

Pete

It's all how you word it. My husband is in the military. We believe that if RP was in charge, we'd still need the military at it's current size, but at home defending the boards and training (which has been neglected).

Other government jobs....would segway into state government jobs if the federal government eventually wiped it's hands clean of a lot of issues. The size of the federal government decreases, but the state governments would likely increase. So, jobs wouldn't necessarily be lost, but other jobs would be created....get it.

Now, accountants and lawyers would have to focus on state levels for their work. That wouldn't be so bad. They can hash out problems then on a local level, with more constituent input since people then might actually have access (vs living across country from DC).

[forsmant]

State and local government employ 20 million people. We need a lot less local government, also.


http://mwhodges.home.att.net/excessblue.gif

[CurtisLow]

Crazy... Anyone ever think that our government it self is trying to bankrupt our country?

Then they can issue in a new currency..?

this drives me nuts..