Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   economy--again & again !!! Date:   4/16/2015 1:17:31 PM

Hound, keep in mind you are only thinking about the federal govt.  The vast majority of govt workers are at the state and local level and by far the biggest liability for both those entities is unfunded pensions and medical benefits.  And there are tons of those govt employees double dipping on pensions.  Its not so much being underpaid for a particular job as it is forgoing the bigger compensation opportunities in the private sector.  I do agree that the security of a govt job isnt what it used to be but that's also true in the private sector as well.  Just a different world all the way around.  Not so in Europe where getting a govt job is like winning the lottery from a compensation, security and retirement standpoint, absent of course a crisis like we have in Greece.  But even there they don't have the willingness to reduce govt payroll.