George Bush, President and head cheerleader, thinks a 50 percent wage increase for our legislators and judges is reasonable. The Chicago police union feels a 19 percent increase is totally inadequate. Recently, the Chicago teachers begrudgingly accepted a wage settlement that will be matched by hardly more than 25 percent of our nation`s nongovernmental workers. Indeed, 50 percent of our nation`s nongovernmental workers will receive no wage increase this year at all.
It should be apparent that we have created a two-caste society: The first, a governmental elite, receives regular wage, fringe and pension benefits at the expense and sweat of the second-all those unfortunates who do not work for the government. To support this elite, it is necessary to find ways to take more and more from the private sector.
There are just too many people who live off the government, at all levels: too many with limos and chauffeurs and bodyguards who should be riding the bus; too many nephews and too many in-laws; too many whose chief constituency is themselves; too many wasteful subsidies; too many phony consulting contracts; too many desks filled with crossword puzzlers; too much overtime and not enough productive time; too many sick days; too many who do too little and get paid too much; too much duplication and inefficiency; too much affirmative action and too little action. To change all this would take a miracle. The handwriting is on the wall and no one even sees the wall.
