I hope nobody expects me to take part in this celebration

The Washington Post gives out a free tabloid at Metro stations during the week called The Express. It is a useful time-passing tool while riding the train, although it does not, at least with me, satisfy its intended goal of making me want to pay to read the regular Washington Post. Be that as it may, I was confronted yesterday with a rather astounding full-page ad seeking my support for Public Service Recognition Week which, apparently, is this week.

I am a little unclear as to why I should support this "recognition" effort. I'm not aware of any Private Service Recognition Week, for instance. And believe me, "public service" is anything but. They get paid pretty well for those jobs, and my taxes are what is paying them. I'm not sure I should "honor" somebody who is making more money than I am while they simultaneously contribute nothing to the economy. They create nothing, they contribute nothing, they are an economic negative. Honor that? I think not.

Am I too harsh? Nope. The Congressional Budget Office concluded that, including wages and benefits:

Overall, the federal government paid 16 percent more in total compensation than it would have if average compensation had been comparable with that in the private sector, after accounting for certain observable characteristics of workers.

Only federal employees with professional degrees or doctorates made less on average than their private counterparts. That can be largely attributed to Big Law partners dragging the private average up. However, as USA Today once reported, in 2010 government lawyers on average made only about $3,000 per year less than the average private sector lawyer, and:

These salary figures do not include the value of health, pension and other benefits, which averaged $40,785 per federal employee in 2008 vs. $9,882 per private worker, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Yeah, so forgive me if I don't tip my hat to those long-suffering public employees who make more money and benefits, that I pay for, and are more likely to die than get fired or go find another job. Fuck 'em.