Shhh. . . Please don't let that get out. The news is that we public employees with our huge salaries, lavish benefits and gold-plated pension plans are bankrupting America. Who knew? Apparently the Real Americans didn't know--most likely because corporate America was doing well and kept us off the radar. Now that we are looking at a record federal deficit and local budget shortfalls, we learn that we Fake American public servants are entirely the cause of the problem! When comparing our salaries, particularly those of government accountants, lawyers, researchers, etc. with private sector workers, particularly those who work at Walmart and such, we make more than they do! How convenient is that when looking at ways to pay us less!
As a result, President Obama has declared a 2 year salary freeze for federal employees. Needless to say, they aren't happy about this. Meanwhile many Real Americans seem to think that the salary freeze along with reductions in the federal workforce don't go far enough. All one has to do is read the comments on the Washington Post or New York Times articles about this. Real Americans routinely refer to those in the federal workforce as "leeches," "parasites," "slugs," "lazy" . . . Well, you get the general gist of it. The Real Americans--you know, those who really LOVE America--would like nothing more than to see the government dismantled. Just don't touch their medicare!
In some ways, I may fare a bit better than the federal employees because I am a local employee. We have been hit worse economically--having had our salaries frozen for 3 years now and expecting them to be reduced while also paying a larger percentage of our benefits and having our pension benefits slashed. However, being on the local level gives us faces. We are your kids' teachers, the police officers who come when you are in an accident or the firefighter who gets your cat out of the tree. We are your friends and neighbors. On paper, though, we are the enemy. It's TAXPAYERS (Real Americans) against PUBLIC EMPLOYEES (Fake Americans). Somewhere along the line, someone has forgotten that public employees are also taxpayers!
Perhaps it's time to embark on a grand social experiment. Perhaps it's time to divide into two countries: Real America and Fake America. After all, all those who talk about secession are the Real Americans!
Fake America will have a government and they will willingly pay their taxes. They will have regulations protecting their food and water supplies. They will have regulations regarding the air they breathe. They will have regulations on their financial institutions and they will expect those and other corporations to pay taxes. They will maintain their infrastructure, including public transportation, and make improvements when needed. They will enact legislation encouraging the development of alternative forms of renewable energy. They will adequately fund public education and they will even have universal healthcare. They will find a way for all citizens to have access to higher education and to not struggle in their golden years. Yes, they will pay higher taxes for these things and they will understand that they will need highly qualified public servants to manage the administration of these programs. Oh, wait! Such places already exist! However, they are on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!
Real America will have no government and the citizens won't pay taxes. Period. They will have to individually pay for any services they use which will be provided by for profit businesses or corporations.
It would be interesting to watch Real America from afar! One can only imagine that there would be no middle class--just a handful of obscenely wealthy people and a crapload of really poor people--And a lot of really sick and uneducated people!
But, hey! In Real America, uneducated is in these days!
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