swordfish

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/02/13/trump-budget-presidents-1-raise-government-workers-fair/4742634002/ President Trump this week proposed a modest 1% pay increase and less generous retirement benefits for federal workers. The proposal, included in Trump’s fiscal 2021 budget blueprint, is reigniting a longstanding debate over whether federal employees earn too much, or too little, compared to their private-sector counterparts. The president’s budget cites a 2017 Congressional Budget Office study that found federal workers’ total compensation on average is 17% higher than private-sector workers in similar jobs, chiefly because of their benefits. “CBO found that, in comparison to the private sector, the federal government continues to offer a very generous package of retirement benefits,” the budget plan says. Federal employee advocates disagreed. “For an administration that has added $3 trillion to the federal debt, gouging federal employee pay and benefits in the name of deficit reduction is ridiculous,” Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement. “For the fourth year in a row, President Trump’s budget proposal would starve federal agencies to the point of paralysis, pick the pockets of middle-class federal workers and their families, weaken our nation’s nonpartisan merit-based civil service, and deprive Americans of the basic services and protections that expect from their government.” The Federal Salary Council – which includes experts in labor relations and pay policy, as well as labor union representatives – found last year that federal employees earn an average 27% less than their private-sector counterparts. That analysis, however, did not take benefits into account. Here are the issues: Is Trump’s proposal likely to be the final word on federal workers’ raises? Probably not. Under legislation introduced by Democrats in both the House and Senate, federal employees would receive an average 3.5% raise in fiscal 2021. For the prior year, Trump recommended a pay freeze but eventually agreed to an average 3.1% pay increase after negotiating with Congress. That included a 2.6% across-the-board bump and a varying premium based on locality. How does Trump’s proposed 1% increase compare with private-sector raises? Hourly wage increases for private workers across the U.S. averaged 3.1% in January, according to the Labor Department. Pay gains averaged 3.1% in manufacturing, 2.9% in construction, 4.1% in retail, 3.7% in financial activities, 3.4% in leisure and hospitality and 1.5% in education and health services. What’s the main argument in support of Trump’s slight pay increase and retirement benefit changes? Chris Edwards, an economist at the libertarian Cato Institute, says a 1% raise is reasonable considering many federal workers get wage bumps as they periodically rise through 10 steps, as well as across-the-board raises. He also says the modest increase makes sense in light of the disparity in benefits between federal and private-sector workers. Edwards also back’s Trump’s proposal to curtail federal retirement benefits and require workers to contribute more toward those benefits. He notes that federal workers receive both a defined contribution plan, like a 401(k), and a defined benefit plan, such as a pension. “The administration’s proposals to trim the federal defined benefit plan are a modest step given that such plans have mainly disappeared in the private sector,” Edwards says. What do opponents of Trump’s plan say? Daniel Zhao, a senior economist at job posting site Glassdoor, notes that employers are struggling to attract workers amid historically low unemployment. “The federal government isn’t immune from today’s highly competitive labor market and must battle for the same qualified workers as their often higher-paying private sector counterparts,” Zhao says. Sudarshan Sampath, director of research at PayScale, a compensation software and data firm, says federal salaries are significantly lower than private wages for high-skilled jobs in fields such as cybersecurity and intelligence, potentially putting the country at a disadvantage. “You can’t just expect their desire to work for the country” to prompt skilled workers to accept lower pay, Sampath says. The CBO has found that from 2011 to 2015, federal workers with a high school diploma or less earned 34% more on average than similar private-sector workers. But federal workers with professional degrees or doctorates earned 24% less than comparable employees at American businesses. A cut? FYI - it's a PROPOSAL he didn't "cut" squat.......most likely there will be a negotiated agreement between Congress and the President......BTW - How many of us already know what we are guaranteed to earn next year? Also, don't fail to note that there was a 3.1% increase this year.......

The only reason I always wait until Im back in PA from NJ before hitting the gas station.

No S#!* - Thank you for setting me straight there big guy.......But THIS party is going to ELECT a NOMINEE during it's PRIMARY.......

https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Girls-sue-to-block-participation-of-transgender-athletes-567804931.html?fbclid=IwAR3aoCCMzlKALJvyfQ16jksK1jX3LxKevTKjqMwGEtT-irsECT9IIIxfvTY HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The families of three female high school runners have a federal lawsuit seeking to block transgender athletes in Connecticut from participating in girls sports. Lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom argue that allowing athletes with male anatomy to compete has deprived their clients of track titles and scholarship opportunities. The lawsuit centers on two transgender sprinters who have taken 15 girls state championship titles since 2017. The Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference says its policy follows a state anti-discrimination law that says students must be treated in school by the gender with which they identify. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) Like Mayor Bloomberg says - "drop your trousers, you go that way, you go the other way".......

We, the "intelligencia" (people who are intelligent enough to make it into this room) believe in things that make no sense to the vast bulk of people. - The Midwest isn't intelligent enough to understand trans rights......Yeah, that's gonna sell good here in the Midwest.....

It's not the cops' fault they got called out, it's the school's fault for calling them. Unfortunately the admin is concerned they may have a potential law suit if they pick and choose who they enforce this rule or not on so they take an all or nothing stance........

Still waiting for the "Stop and Frisk" and "Disarm the minorities" shoe to fall on Bloomberg. I personally think this will be hard to overcome in this party. Unfortunately his methods in NYC DID decrease crime and there is some truth to his racist verbiage relative to the demographics, I just think you can't say what he said then and expect to be elected by this party now. The "Hillary is the savior of the party" may be the only play left in the dem arsenal......since (IMHO) the puppet-masters of the party are gonna figure a way to torpedo Bernie again this year and they (IMHO) don't want Mayor Pete....

https://abc7chicago.com/jussie-smollett-indicted-again-in-connection-with-alleged-2019-attack-officials-/5921989/?fbclid=IwAR1oZlTAfwgXIlTob1rkqJ4u0g9ejMJADO7UZpO5U-8AkfD4Q9NjXWQ7OAQ CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Cook County Clerk's Office confirmed Tuesday that special prosecutor Dan Webb has indicted former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in connection with the alleged attack in Streeterville in January 2019. Smollett had been charged with 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about the alleged attack, which police say Smollett staged on himself because he was unhappy with his "Empire" salary. Police and prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the attack with the help of two brothers. One brother was an extra on "Empire" and the other was Smollett's personal trainer. All charges against Smollett were dropped in late February 2019 in exchange for community service and forfeiture of his $10,000 bond payment. Webb was appointed as special prosecutor after the charges were dropped to review the Cook County State's Attorney's Office's decision. This is a breaking news story. Check back with ABC7Chicago.com for updates. And the saga begins / continues again.......

https://www.analyzingamerica.org/mike-bloomberg-caught-on-tape-telling-fellow-elites-all-the-crime-is-in-minority-areas/?fbclid=IwAR3ZZgny3jVFSFvZryAAF-CAzLCqnhPmOtkAs5gvcmd8bNKXYeoWO2cyOzI In 2015 Mike Bloomberg, the former Mayor of New York City, gave a speech to the Aspen Institute and defended his strategy of aggressively policing minority neighborhoods. A tape recording of that speech has come to light and Bloomberg, now running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was heard discussing crime and minorities. At one point, Bloomberg is heard justifying the policy he implemented as mayor known as stop-and-frisk. Bloomberg said “Put the cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods.” Many people are blasting Bloomberg for the comments they heard on the tape. Trump's fault...... Seriously, does anyone think this will this impede Bloomberg's rise in the Democratic Primary run, or will the dems still try to push him up ahead of the top 3? BTW, Biden's done .(IMHO)

The biggest word in that statement.....IF.......

I guess take it how you would like to - another perspective on the edited Pelosi video from a friend of mine in the media. Nancy Pelosi demands it be taken down. BUT - Everything in it is the truth, just rearranged. She defended Adam Schiff for making up his own version of Trump's telephone transcript. But think of this - Nancy Pelosi has been declared a brilliant tactician when it comes to political prowess. Right? Then ask yourself this - why would she ever rip up a SOTU speech on national television with all those cameras on her and think that it would not be used against her for doing something so stupid? This one act could be a defining moment in the 2020 elections and she gave it no thought, just hate and revenge? You can't put this back in the bottle and a week later it is still all over the news and nobody can even tell you who delivered the Democrats response to the SOTU. So just how brilliant is Nancy Pelosi?

FIFY

It's just Uncle Joe........Nothing to see here, at least she's not African American anyhow, sooo.......Yeah, so he was just teasing......Who knows what a "Lying Dog Faced Pony Soldier" is anyway.....Something about a John Wayne movie, but IDK.......Seriously - A Lying Dog Faced Pony Soldier"........Yeah - Mayor Pete, you got nothing to worry about from Ole Uncle Joe......