Cut government wages, like private sector has

I was talking to a retired Caterpillar worker. New workers get lower wages and benefits than the older workers. He told me that his retirement pay per hour and benefits are greater than what some of the new employees get. And he will get Social Security when he reaches that age.

I also met a retired worker from the city of Cedar Rapids who said he makes more money now than he did working because he automatically gets an increase whenever other employees do. I also have heard from others that state employees, including teachers, are getting more than their salaries were when they were working when Social Security kicks in.

We have reached a point where the average federal employee wage is better than the average working person and their pension is a lot better.

For years, there's been talk about more people drawing Social Security with fewer people paying in. Nobody has reported that the same thing is happening in the rest of the economy. Private industry and some local governments are trying to adjust by cutting wages and benefits of new hires.

When will the federal government do the same? How long will this work?

Larry Conrad

Walker