Mike Ash wrote:
In article ,
Dallas wrote:

Government sector jobs are now more than 50% of total employment in
this country and considering benefits, they now make double the
average private sector salary.

I usually stay out of these discussions but this is just absurd.

50% of total employment and 2x the average private sector salary would
imply that 67% of total salaries in the US are paid to government
employees, and only 33% of total salaries are paid to private
employees.

Just for the record, historical federal income and expenditures are
available he

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy05/hist.html

Obviously not included are state and local taxes (typically income, sales,
and property taxes being the most well known.)

Federal outlays alone accounts for ~19.4% of GDP.

Including such state and local taxes, I think it is reasonable to assume
that government burden approaches a third of GDP - could be even one half.
I leave the actual research on the local government burden to someone who
isn't about to go to bed, as I am. ;-)

Also, because not all U.S. federal government expenditures are on direct
labor to government employees (think all that capital expenditure and use
of private services,) it is plausible (even if it may not be true) to claim
double salary compensation over private sector without having government
salary account for 67% of all salaries, public and private.