Federal Pay Freeze

President Obama gave a nod towards reality yesterday by announcing a pay freeze for all Federal employees. Republicans cautiously applauded and Democrats absolutely hate the idea from the Congressional leadership on through to the wilds of the interwebs and back again.

Pay is a tricky thing, especially for civil service jobs. The theory is that in order to attract the best and brightest, government jobs need a dollop of extra pay and benefits to get the smart people to come in and help out. I'm fine with that theory—and to be sure, there are government jobs we actually need. I saw a great metaphor on Huffington Post yesterday where a writer compared government to a tool (he was busy attacking Sarah Palin at the time) saying he wanted to use it to build something, rather than wreck something.

It's an odd, unique way of looking at government, but one worth exploring. We seemed to get locked into this duality that government is either good or inherently evil- and it ignores the fact that in limited, sensible ways government can be helpful and dare I say, even efficient.

The problem is that the people who will be cutting budgets sit at the top and you can bet they won't start cutting at the top. Which is why this pay freeze makes me ever-so-slightly nauseous- it's not the police officers, border patrol agents, nurses or civil servants out here in the boonies that are the problem. It's Congress and its bloated pay. It's the Undersecretary of Do Nothing Affairs that gets paid six figures and a truly obscene pension to do diddly squat that are the problem. They need to go first.

But they won't, because that's not how this country works. The people at the top protect themselves and us tiny people get hosed in the end.

That said: I'm sorta kinda OK with this pay freeze. I'm sure Governor Branstad will get around to announcing one here in Iowa and I'll be OK with that too. After all, I used to paid a lot less with shittier benefits working a morally questionable job for a telemarketing company in Coralville. If I can keep this job that challenges me, that I enjoy and that pays moderately well, all things considered, I'm willing to take one for the team.

Provided, of course, that Terry is too.