| 00:00:02 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE SIZE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THIS IS 40 MINUTES. >> AND ARE LOOKING NOT DR. PAULIGHT LIGHT AND THE TOWN MANHATTAN.
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| 00:00:19 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
EXPERTI DR. LIGHT IS AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY WHERE HE TEACHES PUBLIC SERVICE AND ITS EXPERTISE IN THE FEDERAL WO WORKFORCE. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THANKS...
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| 00:00:35 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
A NUMBER OF
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| 00:00:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIFFERENT STATISTICS. WHAT IS YOUR BEST ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY FEDERAL WORKERS THERERS T ARE IN THE U.S.HE TODAY? DEALING WITH ESTIMATES FIRST OF ALL....
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| 00:02:36 |
HOST, -
STATISTICS ON HOW THE FEDERAL WORK FORCE HAS GROWN SINCE 1999 WHEN IT WAS 11 MILLION. THAT NUMBER IS WRONG ON THE BOTTOM. 4.4 MILLION CONTRACTORS IS...
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| 00:03:07 |
GUEST, -
BAD, LOOKS BACK TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. INSTEAD OF INCREASING THE NUMBER OF CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES -- THAT HAS GONE UP UNDER OBAMA BY 300,000, BUT ITS...
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| 00:03:55 |
HOST, -
ARE YOU GETTING TOO MUCH SERVICES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ARE THERE TOO MANY PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN THE PUBLIC WORKFORCE AS OPPOSED TO THE PRIVATE...
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| 00:04:57 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BLACK-AND-WHITE TV. THERE ARE 12 DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT DEAL WITH EXPORTS. THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT DEAL WITH HOUSING POLICY....
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| 00:06:21 |
HOST, -
REINVENTION AND REFORM IS NOT A WAY TO SCALE BACK OUR AMBITION OR TIGHTEN OUR BELTS FOR ITS OWN
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| 00:06:32 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SAKE OF THIS SACRIFICE FOR A FIRST PRINCIPLE. IT IS IN FACT A RECOGNITION OF THIS FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH, THAT WE CANNOT CHASE OUR HIGHEST IDEALS UNLESS THEY...
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| 00:07:23 |
HOST, -
YET THE NUMBERS WE SHOWED SHOW THAT THE NUMBERS KEEP GOING UP. WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE HERE? GUEST: YOU KNOW, AL GORE WAS RIGHT. GEORGE W. BUSH MADE...
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| 00:07:38 |
GUEST, -
EVERY PRESIDENT IN HIS OFFICE PROMISES A BETTER GOVERNMENT, BUT IT IS QUITE HARD TO DO. I WAS DELIGHTED THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA MENTIONED REORGANIZATION...
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| 00:08:53 |
HOST, -
MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT EMPLOYEES AND SALARIES. THE FEDERAL
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| 00:08:59 |
CALLER, -
EMPLOYEES HAVE BALLOONED UP IN TERMS OF NUMBERS. NUMBER DOSETWO, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GET ABOUT 60% MORE THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. THE...
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| 00:09:56 |
HOST, -
PUBLIC-SECTOR SALARIES COMPARED TO PRIVATE SECTOR? GUEST: YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE RULE OF AVERAGES. REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN SAYING THE FEDS
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| 00:10:05 |
GUEST, -
ARE MORE HIGHLY PAID ON AVERAGE THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. THAT MAY BE TRUE, BUT THERE IS A DISTRIBUTION IN THERE. THE FEDS ARE AT THE HIGH-END WITH SENIOR...
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| 00:11:21 |
HOST, -
CALLER: I AM MAKING $7.25 AND CAN BARELY MAKE IT, AND THE POST OFFICE PEOPLE IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ARE MAKING A LOT MORE
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| 00:11:29 |
CALLER, -
MONEY. THEY GET ALL THESE HOLIDAYS OFF, PAID, OVERTIME FOR THE WEEKENDS. THEY WORK AS MANY HOURS AS THEY CAN, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT IS THE FIRST PLACE...
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| 00:11:56 |
GUEST, -
ABOUT CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES AND THROW THE GRANTEES INTO THE MIX. IF WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT DOWNSIZING, WE HAVE TO INCLUDE THE HIDDEN WORKFORCE. I THINK...
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| 00:13:14 |
HOST, -
QUASIS. THE POSTAL SERVICE IS A QUASI- GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION THAT IS SUPPOSED TO RUN LIKE A BUSINESS.
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| 00:13:21 |
GUEST, -
THEORETICALLY IT IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE A PROFIT LIKE AMTRAK. BUT IT HAS ONE HUGE DEFICIT. WHY? WELL, THE POST OFFICE, UNLIKE FEDERAL EXPRESS AND UPS, THEY...
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| 00:14:41 |
HOST, -
CALLER: YOU JUST ADDRESSED MY SPECIFIC JOB. I AM A RURAL MAIL CARRIER IN
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| 00:14:50 |
CALLER, -
VIRGINIA. WHEN I HAD TO STEP CHAINS ON MY VEHICLE, AND GO PAST AREAS WITH NO GUARD RAILS WHERE I COULD LOSE MY LIFE LITERALLY IF I MAKE ONE MOREFALSE...
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| 00:16:22 |
GUEST, -
EMPLOYEES THERE ARE. THEY REALLY DO GET OUT THERE. THEY KNOW THEIR FOLKS THEY ARE VERY POPULAR AND YOU SOUND LIKE A GREAT GUY. I AGREE WITH YOU. ON THE...
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| 00:18:21 |
HOST, -
KAREN TUMULTY AND AND O'KEEFE -- AND ED O'KEEFE. HERE IS WHAT THEY WRITE. ..HOST: LATER ON, SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS IS QUOTED ABOUT REORGANIZING THIS,...
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| 00:19:53 |
HOST, -
THE RECALL LAST SUMMER PRESIDENT OBAMA'JO , SOMETHING, EVERY SALMON -- PACIFIC, ATLANTIC, SALT WATER, FRESH WATER, SWIMS TO CAPITOL HILL. THOSE PROGRAMS...
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| 00:21:27 |
HOST, -
OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE CHALLENGES OF REORGANIZING IT. FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. BATTERY, ON THE REPUBLICAN LINE, YOU'RE UP NEXT. ASBURY, ON THE REPUBLICAN...
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| 00:21:51 |
CALLER, -
TOP 2%. MONEY ITSELF, IF YOU TAKE MONEY, YOU CANNOT EAT AND WEAR THEM. YOU CAN USE MONEY TO THE POINT WHERE THEY INFLATE THEM OR WHATEVER. BUT THE POINT...
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| 00:23:21 |
HOST, -
IF EVERYBODY
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| 00:23:25 |
CALLER, -
TOOK, EVERYBODY THAT GETS A GOVERNMENT CHECK, WOULD TAKE A 1% CUT IN THEIR CHECK, HOW MUCH WOULD THAT HELP THE BUDGET? I'M ON SOCIAL SECURITY, AND I'M...
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| 00:24:02 |
HOST, -
FEDERAL BUDGET. I DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF CUTTING 1% FROM THOSE PROGRAMS.
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| 00:24:06 |
GUEST, -
PEOPLE PUT IN, THEY NEED TO TAKE OUT. THE WAY TO GET TO THOSE COSTS IS THROUGH BENDING THE HEALTH COST CURVE. I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN IT. WHAT I WOULD LIKE...
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| 00:26:01 |
HOST, -
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AND I AM WORKING IN A FIELD
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| 00:26:05 |
CALLER, -
OFFICE ON A PROGRAM THAT IF I HAD NOT COME BACK TO WORK, THIS PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE BEEN WORKED ON BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH...
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| 00:27:15 |
HOST, -
IN HALF. HOST: WHY DID YOU TAKE IT?
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| 00:27:21 |
CALLER, -
AND GUEST: THE ONLY REASON WHY THEY TOOK
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| 00:27:24 |
HOST, -
ME OUT IS THEY SAID WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THAT WOULD BENEFIT US? WELL, THE PROGRAM I'M WORKING ON IS WHAT I WORKED ON WHEN I WAS WORKING AT SOCIAL SECURITY....
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| 00:27:52 |
GUEST, -
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE BACKLOGS ARE GROWING IN MANY AGENCIES -- SOCIAL SECURITY, THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET A DISABILITY EDUCATION AT THE VETERANS...
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| 00:30:17 |
HOST, -
HOST: FOR DR. LIGHT, NO. NO, MICHIGAN, NICK, INDEPENDENT. YOU'RE ON THE AIR.
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| 00:30:28 |
HOST, -
CALLER: I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE TOTAL COMPENSATION. LISTENING TO THE PURPOSE -- THE PERSON WORKING ON
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| 00:30:35 |
CALLER, -
THE POST OFFICE -- I WORK FOR AN ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANY AND I'M RETIRED. WE ARE WORKING IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER, AND WE'VE WORRY ABOUT FALLING OFF A...
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| 00:31:53 |
HOST, -
WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT A NUMBER OF ISSUES, AND ONE IS
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| 00:31:57 |
GUEST, -
THE TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE. HEALTH CARE, RETIREMENT, VACATION BENEFITS AND SO FORTH, AND DO A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON BY JOB, NOT PERSON IN THE...
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| 00:33:37 |
HOST, -
BEEN DECLINING OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR SO.
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| 00:33:43 |
GUEST, -
WE ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH A FIGURE -- I REALLY DO NOT KNOW. 15% TO 20% 80. GUEST: HAVE THE UNION'S OFFER THEIR --
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| 00:33:59 |
GUEST, -
15% TO 20%, MAYBE. HOST: HAVE THE UNIONS OFFERED CUTS? GUEST: I AM QUITE SUPPORTIVE OF THE NOTION OF PULLING OUT JOBS AT THE
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| 00:34:13 |
HOST, -
MIDDLE AND THE TOP. AND DRIVING
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| 00:34:15 |
GUEST, -
THOSE RESOURCES DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. A LOT OF UNION MEMBERS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD, TRYING TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES AND GOODS IN A TIMELY WAY. THEY DO...
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| 00:35:20 |
HOST, -
BETHESDA, MARYLAND, REPUBLICAN LINE, YOU ARE ON THE AIR. SEATO I FEEL THERE ARE PROS AND CONS ON EACH SIDE. IN MY OPINION, THERE DEFINITELY ARE SOME...
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| 00:37:04 |
HOST, -
THAT SPEAKS TO A DELIBERATE APPROACH OF DEALING WITH THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT. WE CANNOT
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| 00:37:09 |
GUEST, -
TAKE THE BLUNT AX TO IT, AND IT SPEAKS TO COMPENSATION VARIATION BY LEVEL. WE OUGHT TO BE PAYING DOCTORS AND RESEARCHERS AT NIH MORE. MAYBE WE PAY OTHERS...
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| 00:38:01 |
HOST, -
DEBATES
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NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.