Poll- Are You or Were You a Government Worker/Public Servant?

[haha]

We have a lot of polls going about different aspects of government retirement benefits. This got me to wanting a poll on how many of us are or were government workers (Don't count short-time military, only something that would qualify for at least some minimal degree of government retirement benefits.)

Ha

 

[HFWR]

Was not for most of my career, but am now a "state" employee, per se, working at a state U. Still waiting for all those glorious bennies, though...

 

[kyounge1956]

Not only am I a public employee, many of my relatives and ancestors also are or were. My aunt is a doctor, and before her retirement was a high-level official in the NYC health department. One of my SILs is a college professor, and my mother, grandmother, and other aunt were all schoolteachers. One niece is following in their footsteps, and another niece is planning to go to medical school and from there into public health. My grandfather and some of my great-uncles on both sides of the family worked for the U.S. Post Office (long before it became the Postal Service). That same grandfather and at least one of his brothers served in the army in WW I, and my great-grandfather was in the navy (or possibly was a civilian employee in a shipyard). We think one of GGF's brothers was in the army in the Spanish American War, but I can't prove that for sure. My other grandfather is said to have worked on the Panama Canal, but I'm not sure whether that would have been as a public employee, or working for a contractor of some sort. Anyway, that was before he immigrated to the U.S. from Barbados.

 

[keegs]

Neither of us are or were employed by any gov. entity.

Well ...I was in the service but that doesn't count in this poll.

 

[ERD50]

I'm hesitant to vote, since the granularity is so large. DW is currently an employee of the local municipality, long enough to earn a small pension, but some of that was part-time and all of it is part-year. On a weighted average of our combined career income, the public income would probably be a small single digit %. She spent more time and earned more in the private sector, and I've worked longer than her and earned more in the private sector.

That small % could look like 50% or more.

-ERD50

 

[haha]

I'm hesitant to vote, since the granularity is so large. DW is currently an employee of the local municipality, long enough to earn a small pension, but some of that was part-time and all of it is part-year. On a weighted average of our combined career income, the public income would probably be a small single digit %. She spent more time and earned more in the private sector, and I've worked longer than her and earned more in the private sector.

That small % could look like 50% or more.

-ERD50

I intentionally made this poll simple. If you feel it is too simple, I guess you are correct, you cannot vote. By my design, you should vote yes. What most of the recent polls are about is benefits in retirement, and often part time, or intermittent, or short term government work can earn some retirement benefits. For example, access to a group rate or automatic issue health insurance is a valuable benefit, even if it is not subsidized.

In this poll it makes no difference if you are Meg Whitman, and your husband was a GS-3 for 5 years and now hangs out on the couch and eats pork rinds all day- the answer is "Yes, I or my spouse are/were government workers."

I like polls in which the results can be understood, and that don't exhaust your patience before you even read all the categories.

Ha

 

[braumeister]

I'm a military retiree (USAF).
Mom's two brothers both retired from the gummint (USGS and GSA).
Two of their kids (my cousins) are near retirement (both Army civilian employees), and another is already retired (FAA).
One of Dad's brothers, too (Army civilian employee).

So that's seven in just two generations.

 

[keegs]

I intentionally made this poll simple. If you feel it is too simple, I guess you are correct, you cannot vote. By my design, you should vote yes. What most of the recent polls are about is benefits in retirement, and often part time, or intermittent, or short term government work can earn some retirement benefits. For example, access to a group rate or automatic issue health insurance is a valuable benefit, even if it is not subsidized.

In this poll it makes no difference if you are Meg Whitman, and your husband was a GS-3 for 5 years and now hangs out on the couch and eats pork rinds all day- the answer is "Yes, I or my spouse are/were government workers."

I like polls in which the results can be understood, and that don't exhaust your patience before you even read all the categories.

Ha

mmmmmm....pork rinds

 

[BTravlin]

Me - never
DW - teacher

 

[ERD50]

I intentionally made this poll simple. If you feel it is too simple, I guess you are correct, you cannot vote. By my design, you should vote yes.

OK, I simply voted YES.

So you did get me thinking. IIRC DWs total pensions from private work was a lump sum payment of a few thousand when she left one company. I don't think she earned anything else. I'd have to look it up, but I think she would earn at least a couple hundred a month once she was vested... I'll look it up later.

-ERD50

 

[oneils]

I have 9 years pensionable service with the Canadian federal government. I plan to stay indefinitely.

 

[obgyn65]

I simply voted no

OK, I simply voted YES.

-ERD50

 

[packrat44]

I once was their slave but now have been freed. (Or is that FIREd?)

 

[martyb]

Yeah, I'm a federal employee. I'm also retired from the USAF Reserves. I enlisted in the Air Force in 1977. Separated from the Air Force in 1981, and went to work for the Air Force as a civilian (fed) employee, and at the same time, joined the Air Force Reserves. I continued with the Air Force as a fed & reservist until 2008, when I took job with DoD, with an outfit called Defense Contract Management Agency. I still work for DCMA, and will retire in 2 yrs at 55. I'm stationed at a major defense contractor (Lockheed Martin) in east Texas, where I do Quality Assurance stuff. I retired from the USAF Reserves in April, 2010, after 33 years. Right now, I have a total of 33 yrs, 5 months federal civil service time. When I retire in January 2013, I'll have almost 36 yrs. I might work an extra 2 or 3 months to bump it up to a full 36....nahhhhh!

 

[stoutboy]

not quite sure what you're driving at with this poll, but I faithfully responded. Seems to me it would be more instructive had you differentiated b/w fed, state and municipal.

 

[Spanky]

Martyb,
Good for you. It's amazing that you have managed to hang in there for so many years. I was in the USAF from 1972 - 1976. That was more than enough for me. The work was not very rewarding and purposeful at all. It seemed that it really didn't matter whether the work was done or not. Promotion has very little to do with performance and is based tests and time in service.

 

[Spanky]

not quite sure what you're driving at with this poll, but I faithfully responded. Seems to me it would be more instructive had you differentiated b/w fed, state and municipal.

Ha wants to make it simple!!!!

 

[stoutboy]

At least the both of you had the sense to sign up with the Chair Force. I was active duty US Army, Field Artillery. Four years was plenty enough for me, though I often become a tad whimsical when I consider I could've retired with full pension at 38 had I stayed in---would've definitely had to join the Dark Side however. The officer/enlisted disparity in pay and benefits makes that decision easy.

Martyb,
Good for you. It's amazing that you have managed to hang in there for so many years. I was in the USAF from 1972 - 1976. That was more than enough for me. The work was not very rewarding and purposeful at all. It seemed that it really didn't matter whether the work was done or not. Promotion has very little to do with performance and is based tests and time in service.

 

[NW-Bound]

I voted No, both for myself and my wife, although we have worked for some megacorps that operate so inefficiently like the gummint that we wondered if we shouldn't just join it.

Nope, that would not work. We would have quitted the jobs early and forfeited all the beenies, just like we left megacorps.

 

[Moemg]

Me , never . My late husband worked for the IRS for twenty five years so I have a survivor annuity .

 

[Ronstar]

Voted no, but I have doing work for a state agency under consultant contracts for the last 27 years, so its like a I'm a gov't employee - just without the gov't employee perks

 

[ziggy29]

55% "yes" right now. I'm pretty sure less than 55% of the general population could answer "yes" here.

Not surprising that an early retirement board is disproportionately comprised of people who have jobs that are more likely to enable it, is it?

 

[stoutboy]

I know people love to rag on the government (which, by the way they vote for, so I wonder what that says for democracy ), but I think it's somewhat unfair to characterize the government as 'inefficient'. Our government has operated without pause since the nation's founding, even during civil war. Despite severe economic dislocation at times, the US has never devolved into anarchy, unlike many other countries.

Especially when compared to the private sector--where over 90% of businesses fail, I think the 'government' comes out looking pretty good.

I voted No, both for myself and my wife, although we have worked for some megacorps that operate so inefficiently like the gummint that we wondered if we shouldn't just join it.

Nope, that would not work. We would have quitted the jobs early and forfeited all the beenies, just like we left megacorps.

 

[ziggy29]

Especially when compared to the private sector--where over 90% of businesses fail, I think the 'government' comes out looking pretty good.

I don't want to get into an ideological debate here, but come on. Government can raise taxes more easily than the private sector can raise prices in a competitive environment if they have budget/income problems, and the federal government can print money to meet obligations. This statement, if I may say so, is a non-starter.

I say this not to bash the public sector, but to point out the obvious reasons why government employment is of a different nature than private sector employment. Your statement, with all due respect, is silly.

Government has an unlimited power to tax (though it would be stupid to tax beyond the point the economy can grow). Businesses don't have an unlimited power to raise prices or slash wages (given the minimum wage and competition).

 

[NW-Bound]

Eh? Private corporations do not levy taxes, nor print money!

Some of them issue the equivalent, which is called stock, but that only lasts so long.