While the focus of this article is the federal government, here in Michigan we have the same problem – but we have no printing press.
According to the Michigan Citizens Research Council, in 2000, Michigan had about 500,000 non-federal public employees (state, city, county, municipal, public education, etc.). Since 2000, about 800,000 to 1,000,000 (depending on who’s counting) private sector jobs have disappeared. Despite the massive private sector job loss, the number of public employees in Michigan has declined only slightly. Government now employs more people in Michigan than the three domestic auto manufacturers.
Taxpayers see bailouts and tax hikes being used primarily to save public employee jobs. Just one company in Michigan – Ford Motor Company – shed 40,000 jobs. GM and Chrysler have made similar drastic cuts while eliminating their defined beneift pensions.
Michigan taxpayers have been told every single public employee job is absolutely sacrosanct. During the last election, taxpayers were threatend that unless taxes were raised, to the alternative would be to release dangerous criminals from prison and lay off the state police.
Like California and New Jersey, Michigan can no longer support all these public employees and the cost of their benefits. Government needs to downsize at the federal and state level just like the private sector has. It’s long past time the public sector shared the pain being felt by the private sector.
