OPINION: Government Comes First

Two years ago a trillion-dollar stimulus package preserved government jobs, but did little else. Now the latest jobs bill has the same wrong focus.

Senate leader Harry Reid says that despite huge unemployment, the private sector is doing just fine. Hiw words. But he says public workers need help.

Government workers are heavily unionized. New data shows federal workers get $126,000 a year on average in pay and benefits. Washington, DC, has officially become the best-paid area in America, with household income that averages two-thirds higher than in the rest of the country.

What President Obama calls his jobs bill is mostly about public employee union workers, who already enjoy high pay and job protection. Private sector, you take a back seat—except to pay the bills.

From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

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