This shouldn't surprise anybody who pays the least bit of attention to what's going on.
As we tramp forth into 2010, America's great divide widens.
A recent Rasmussen poll shows a stark difference. Government workers see the economy getting better, while those in the private sector see it getting worse.
Different perspective or different reality?
Well, during this economic downturn, 6 percent of those in the private sector have lost their jobs, while public sector employment has dipped only 1 percent.
Stuart Varney with Fox Business News says, "If you're a government worker, you don't lose your job. You have a very rich and generous pension. You have a very generous health care plan. . . . You're protected from the real economy."
He also points out that, "[T]he three wealthiest counties in America . . . are all suburbs of Washington, DC . . . full of very well paid government employees and lobbyists. They are the beneficiaries of a great deal of taxpayer largesse."
In a column for the Washington Examiner, Michael Barone notes that unions overwhelmingly support Democrats, contributing $400 million in the last cycle. Union members account for only 7.6 percent of the private sector, but a whopping 40 percent of public employees.
This leads Barone to conclude that there is a partisan interest in protecting public sector jobs. He writes, "In effect, some significant proportion of the stimulus package can be regarded as taxpayer funding of the Democratic Party."
Whatever happened to "we're all in this together"?
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
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