The Federal Debt Limit Compromise and getting a Job: Part 1

What will the federal debt limit increase compromise mean to those job hunting? Well, if you're looking for a federal government job, employment aspects will be wide open. I’ll explain why.

The deal just done; of course, is a travesty of the highest order. The only cuts to be made will be in the size of the future automatic increases of government spending. No actual spending cuts or even freezes in spending are made. It’s the same as me saying to my cash strapped boss that I saved money for the company by spending $ 9,00o above this month’s authorized expenses instead of an extra $ 10,000 as I had planned.

There’s no automatic trigger to bring even these “cuts” about either. The Office of Management and Budget has to notify Congress if there’s a problem in spending for cuts to be made. If he or she, who’s appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate ( wink) doesn't, Congress doesn't have to act.

Also emergency spending bills aren't considered a violation of the agreement, and in Washington, anything’s an emergency. Don’t believe me?

We've been in a state of emergency since Franklin Roosevelt which allows the President to issue executive orders unless overridden by one house of Congress. Presidents naturally love this power. It should have been surrendered shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. President Clinton justified keeping it because of the war in Bosnia. Like I just wrote, anything’s an emergency in Washington, especially if politicians can spend money.

Of course, there’s also a blue ribbon commission in the agreement to make the so called tough cuts in the increases in government spending. Evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, it will offer no surprises. There's a saying in Washington; if you want an issue to go away, form a commission.

Besides, didn’t we just have such a debt commission? The only difference between this coming commission and the last is that the last was made up of retired politicians who were ignored and this will be made up of current politicians who will be ignored.

The most important issue was not even dealt with. Why don’t we have a zero baseline budget where budgets start at zero and every penny is justified? This was done until 1974. Since then; however, all budgets start with increases above last year's budget, and always above inflation.

All this means is that Washington’s going to be hiring, so federal jobs are a good place for job applicants to be looking. And with a one half of one percent firing rate as opposed to 3 % in the private sector, job security’s also good. Pay scales are better on average than the private sector too.

Now, let me state that there are good people in Congress whose voices are often ignored. Also, that many of our finest are in government and are doing good and needed jobs. After all, Eisenhower and Patton both worked exclusively for the government and where would we be without their services in the past. The problem’s not government, it’s that you can’t have every program just because there’s a want.

Jonny Unitas was perhaps professional football’s greatest quarterback. His Dad died when he was 5 years old. His mom told him and his siblings who now faced a different financial world, “If you have a need, we’ll discuss it, if you have a want, don’t ask.”

By America’s standard, she was a great mom. By Congresses’ standard as a whole which mixes wants and needs, she wasn’t. What does that say about Congress.

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