Bad Deeds for 9-17-2010

Republican Lies About Public Employees – In August, the New Republic, the New York Times and others warned, “There’s a class war coming to the world of government pensions.” Of course, there’s only one problem with Rush Limbaugh’s claim that public sector employees are “freeloaders” and the charge from Indiana Governor and Republican Mitch Daniels that they are a “new privileged class in America.”

Like so much else conservative mythmaking, it’s simply not true.

That’s the conclusion of a new study by the Economic Policy Institute. Just one of many recent analyses debunking Republican charges about government workers and their unions, EPI found that “on average, state and local government workers are compensated 3.75% less than workers in the private sector.” The report by Labor and Employment Relations Professor Jeffrey Keefe of Rutgers University revealed that public employees are undercompensated compared to similarly skilled private sector counterparts

Boehner and McConnell Aren’t Even Liked by Republicans – A new Public Policy Polling survey finds a majority of Republican primary voters think House Republican leader John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell should lose their leadership posts. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans say the congressional Republican party needs new leadership.

Republicans are split on whether Boehner should win the Speaker’s gavel if the Republican party retakes control of the House this fall. Thirty-three percent say he should, while 34 percent say he shouldn’t. Another 33 percent of Republican voters are undecided.

McConnell is in about the same shape. Thirty-three percent say the Senate Republican party needs a new leader, while 27 percent think the party should stick with McConnell. A whopping 40 percent say they are “not sure.”

Regards,

Jim