Churchill once said the US and Britain were “two people divided by a common language” .
Sometimes I think American conservatives and liberals are, too.
For example – to a conservative, the idea of responsible government involves carefully limiting what it gets itself involved in, taxing as little as possible, and spending within those means.
To a liberal, it seems to mean that taxation keeps pace with government’s self-assessed needs to accomplish all of the missions, great small and idiotic, that it takes on for itself.
And by that standard, the Obama Administration is doing pretty dang well:
It looks like a happy new year for you — if you’re a public employee.
That’s the takeaway from a recent Rasmussen poll that shows that 46 percent of government employees say the economy is getting better while just 31 percent say it’s getting worse. In contrast, 32 percent of those with private-sector jobs say the economy is getting better, while 49 percent it is getting worse.
Nearly half, 44 percent, of government employees rate their personal finances as good or excellent. Only 33 percent of private-sector employees do.
It sounds like public- and private-sector employees are looking at different Americas. And they are.
Seems most of those “Shovel Ready” jobs went to government shovelers Shovel Operations Technicians I, II and III:
Private-sector employment peaked at 115.8 million in December 2007, when the recession officially began. It was down to 108.5 million last November. That’s a 6 percent decline.
Public-sector employment peaked at 22.6 million in August 2008. It fell a bit in 2009, then has rebounded back to 22.5 million in November. That’s less than a 1 percent decline.
A squib?
This is not an accident; it is the result of deliberate public policy. About one-third of the $787 billion stimulus package passed in February 2009 was directed at state and local governments, which have been facing declining revenues and are, mostly, required to balance their budgets.
The Dems goal, in Washington, was to keep their little buddies in the various state houses all warm and fed.
How ya feeling about your Hope and Change now, private sector?
Cross-posted at Shot in the Dark. Comments welcome.
