Why do people assume that money is wasted on public sector jobs?

Question

Where do you think that money goes? I mean, teachers are paid but they have to live right? They use that money to buy food, homes, cars, energy, etc. It's not like once you dump money into a public sector job its automatically wasted. Even spending money on things like buildings, the government needs to pay for labour, materials, etc. and it is all recycled through the private sector! I really don't understand where people are coming from when they say the government "wastes" this money.

Answer 1

The government does waste money because of mismanagement. That doesn't mean all public-sector jobs are "wastes," just that for every taxpayer dollar that goes in, less than one dollar of value actually comes out.



You can't convince a reasonable person that government mismanagement and waste produce a net economic gain because the people who hold public-sector jobs spend money in the economy. The people who paid that tax money would have also spent that money in the economy, except there wouldn't have been waste in a huge bureaucratic system.

Answer 2

It is because the government employees are amongst the poorest performing in the working sector. They could not survive in a system that is performance based so they take jobs where they are so protected that they can treat the very people generating the tax base to pay them like crap and still keep their job. It's true not all are like this but the vast majority are. Why not give me millions of governement money and I'll spend it also. It's wasted because we don't get our money's worth.

Answer 3

It could be that there is little to no accountability in most public sector jobs. Get a foot in the door and you`ve got a job for life whether you`re productive or your job is really necessary or not. Often times unscrupulous polititions would create unncessary jobs for friends. Al Gore once mentioned on the Letterman show that he cut a govt job where someone was paid to break five of the pentagon`s ashtrays and count and measure the pieces to make sure they met saftey specs.

Answer 4

I moved From Florida to Colorado. I went to change my drivers license. All they had to do was test my vision and print a card - no driving test. Total time - 5 hours sitting around waiting because, although there were 5 employees there, only 1 was actually doing anything and helping customers.



Next, I went to get a new SIM card and number for my cell phone. Total time - 25 minutes. Number of employees in store - 3, all of whom were doing something to help customers.



Enough Said!

Answer 5

It's not assumed that it's all wasted. However, the private sector can usually do the same work for much less. Government bureaucracies tend to worry more about expanding their own budgets than they do about solving the problem they were created to solve.

Answer 6

LOL!



Public sector jobs are now earning more than private sector when you look at total compensation.



And any idiot can get one of those jobs.

Answer 7

Ever stand in line at the DMV and watch six employees gossip in a corner while two wait on the 80 people in line? I rest my case.

Answer 8

i had a HS guidance counselor that was pretty useless.



i don't think its fair the average government worker makes almost 2x the average citizen.



do you think its fair that some of your money is taken so someone else can make 2x more, and work 1/3 less days then you?

Answer 9

Welfare, food stamps, grants to planned parenthood, Mexico City act

Answer 10

teachers huh? out of all government employees you pick teachers.....they work 180 days a year compared to 260.....they get off work at 3 and never have to work when it snows.....

Answer 11

Fox News.

Answer 12

And we are getting the best educated kids in the world? I doubt that.

Answer 13

Because the Billionaires who write the lies for FOX FAKE "News" want all the money for themselves. They oppose anything that might put a few bucks into the pockets of poor folks.

Answer 14

we get lousy results from schools

Answer 15

Conservatives just don't like public sector workers, that's all. Most of their claims against government are false.

Answer 16

Because it is.

Answer 17

I don't understand why either.