WH Economist: Fed Workers Actually 'Better Off'

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By David Taintor
January 11, 2019 3:26 pm

Federal workers who are without pay as the government shutdown drags on actually have it pretty good, according to Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

He told PBS’ “NewsHour” Thursday that a lot of federal employees were already planning to take time off between Christmas and the New Year — and so the government shutdown essentially gives them a vacation for free.

Link to tweet

“A huge share of government workers were gonna to take vacation days, say, between Christmas and New Year’s,” Hassett said. “And then we have a shutdown, and so they can’t go to work, and so then they have the vacation, but they don’t have to use their vacation days.” He added: “And then they come back, and then they get their back pay. Then they’re, in some sense they’re better off.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) condemned the comments Friday afternoon:

Link to tweet

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Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kevin-hassett-federal-employees-better-off

[ck4829]

1. That's the kind of rhetoric officials say before revolutions happen

[KCDebbie]

24. Let them eat cake...

[dalton99a]

2. Nothing but sheer evil

from this White House

[Freethinker65]

3. Oh, I am sure Kevin Hassett will soon suggest a clawback

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. "Let them eat cake" . . . nt

[flibbitygiblets]

18. My first reaction as well. Wait until the public has a chance to digest this one.

When (if) this jerk isn't forced out, trump will claim to barely know the guy.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. That's the winner! I'm call the Ig Nobel Prize committee this evening.

Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize

[haele]

7. Free vacation days? No, they work for paid vacation days.

"Free" vacation days means leave without pay, as in, you're not working so you're not getting paid. What is he, some sort of trust fund baby who can always rely on $50K - $100K or so a year allotment into his Money Market account whether or not he does anything the rest of the year?

As someone else in this thread indicated, this was something similar to what the wealthier aristos would say before the mobs took over and Robespierre hauled out the guillotine.

Haele

[louis-t]

8. Keep it up, assholes.

These people don't know when to shut up. It's like they have an inherent need to make excuses for their stupid behavior. Do they really think people will look at their own situation and say "He's right, I am better off being broke and not paying my bills."

[durablend]

9. "Drown it in the bathtub"

That's what they're doing. You're all naive if you don't see it.

[llmart]

10. This reminds me of Barbara Bush...

when she told the people of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina that they were better off in the Houston Astrodome.

[yardwork]

19. I thought of that too.

[jmowreader]

11. Now just in...

“Guillotine plans” becomes top search on Google.

[mac56]

12. No other way to say it: this was a dick move.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. What an asshole

[scarytomcat]

14. another clueless dump adviser

Is he getting paid? suppose so.
If a worker takes time off, vacation, at Chistmas they get paid dumbshit.
And what about this last week?

[weissmam]

15. ass whole

[IronLionZion]

16. People like him were first to go to the guillotine

let them eat cake. What a pompous ass. If it doesn't affect him personally, then it's probably not a problem for anyone else, right?

[red dog 1]

17. What a bunch of crap!

K&R

[YOHABLO]

20. Oh yeah, they can just book a trip on Carnival Cruise Lines for a couple weeks. Yeah right.

[maxrandb]

21. Where have I seen this guy before?

You know, the calm, comforting sociopath? Oh yeah

https://m.

[skypilot]

22. Backpfeifengesicht

[Solly Mack]

23. Idiot