Bush Slashes Federal Pay Hikes

[gristy]

Some pretty good reporting on this from many outlets. The one below is from CBS/AP. It has gotten to the point where the "war on terrorism" is used to justify most everything this gov't does. Interestingly, CBS/AP does take the time to give some evidence of the duplicity of this action.


(AP) President Bush, citing the costs of the war on terrorism, has decided to cut the pay raise most federal workers are to receive next year.

In a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders, Mr. Bush said he was using his authority to change the pay structure in times of "national emergency or serious economic conditions" to limit raises to 2 percent.

<snip>

President Bush's decision to limit raises - his second - is another blow to the civilian federal work force, which is the target of sweeping changes the administration is making to the government bureaucracy.

The administration is moving forward with plans to let private companies compete for nearly half of the 1.8 million federal jobs.

It stripped the collective bargaining rights of some federal employees at the Justice and Homeland Security departments and for airport screeners. Defense Department employees may lose theirs as well.

While limiting raises for federal workers, the White House two years ago restored cash bonuses for some 2,100 political appointees at federal agencies. The Clinton administration had stopped the practice after concluding the first Bush administration used the system to reward political cronies with nearly $400,000 before leaving office.

MORE

[ComerPerro]

1. Its sick when Bush does this shit

Pretends he cares about financial restraint and uses it as an excues to screw over regular Americans.

I am getting sick of all this "its because of the war on terror" shit.

[ixion]

6. my thoughts exactly...

n/t

[saigon68]

9. NO CUTS FOR HALIBURTON OR BECHTEL

I forgot they are busy building concentration camps to house terrorists in our "WAR ON TERROR !!!!!!

[demnan]

2. More anti-union manuevers

They will try to destroy the unionized Federal work force any way they can.

[rock]

3. Well bad as it is, we can use the votes

[mjb4]

4. but he gives 25K annual bonuses

to appointees...SLAP THAT MONKEY '04

[Skittles]

5. what about the private sector

we aren't guaranteed ANY RAISES no matter HOW good a job you've done.

[GOPisEvil]

11. State employees in Texas got no raise either!

x(

In fact, due to increased costs related to health insurance, we actually got a PAY CUT!!!! :grr::mad:

[JaneQPublic]

7. But, hey, they got their $600 tax cut...

...er, tax advance, that is, since it's just an advance on next year's return.

But of course that money is already earmarked to cover the increased cost of gasoline, heating oil, and electricity. Oh, not to mention increased state and property taxes.

But that's okay, we're all sooo much safer now, since Chimpy is sending $1 billion a week in tax payers' money to "liberate" Iraq.

Yeah, right.

[Neutrino]

8. Is there any group Bush hasn't offended or hurt?

Environmentalists, Minorities, the Poor, the Sick, the Old, Veterans,
Soldiers who can't have water, can't come home, lose their Tax Credit,
die without acknowledgement,---and that's just the top. What people
say to pollsters because they fear being labled unpatriotic is one
thing, but the lever they push will be another. That leaves
manipulation as Bush's only hope for re-election.

[robbedvoter]

10. CEO's I'd say.

[robbedvoter]

12. Here's the original document:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/08/20030827-2.html
Will the terra emergency cauze CEO-s to give back their tax reimbursements (on taxes they never paid in the first place)? Dividend exemptipns? Nope. As usual: Terra is a whip only beating the little people, the ones who cannot "get out of harm's way"

[newyawker99]

13. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=86198


I am locking this one.


NYer99
DU Moderator