By Toni Thayer
December 4, 2008, 2:15 am

	State and local governments are cutting budgets to stay afloat in these hard economic times since things aren’t going quite like they expected when they first approved those budgets.  While the governments nearest to the people slash and reduce, the United States federal government keeps adding new multi-billion dollar debt schemes onto the already out-of-control pile.

What have these federal bailouts and rescues actually cost every man, woman and child in the United States?  How much is doled out by taxpayers for federal salaries to the officials who’ve built the current economic chaos?  Can every man, woman, and child afford our federal government?  The numbers are staggering – lots of 000,000,000,000 – so hold onto your seat.

Americans’ Per Capita Income

First, let’s look at per capita income for Americans to see how much they’re making.  Why use per capita income?  Because it reflects the wealth of the nation as a whole, distributed equally to every person living there.  Likewise, this article also distributes the nation’s debt to every man, woman and child since it impacts everyone’s future.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, per capita income “is the mean income computed for every man, woman and child in a particular group.”  In 2007, they say there was a group of 299.1 million citizens and non-citizens living in the country with a per capita income of $26,804.

2007 was used for this comparison, because that was the most recent year for which data could be located, except leader's salaries that are based on 2008.

Leaders’ Salaries of the Three Branches of Federal Government

The U.S. President of the Executive Branch is the highest paid federal official in the land at $400,000 annually (from The Washington DC Job Source).  This means the President’s salary is 1,492% higher than America’s per capita income.  Other top Executive Branch leaders are the cabinet officials who make $191,300 each, or 714% more than per capita income.

Wages for leaders of the Executive Branch then total $3.3 million, or 1 cent per year from every man, woman and child in the country.

In the Legislative Branch, leaders’ salaries range from 627% - 825% higher than the country’s per capita income.  Their salaries are as follows:

• Vice President $221,100
• Speaker of the House $217,400
• House and Senate Majority and Minority Leaders $188,100
• Senate President Pro Tempore $183,500
• House Representatives and Senators $169,300
• Comptroller General and Librarian of Congress $168,000

Total of legislative leaders’ salaries is $92 million, or 31 cents per year from every man, woman and child in the country.

The Judicial Branch has the highest payroll for leaders’ salaries of any branch of government just due to the shear number of judges scattered throughout the various federal courts – 1,780 of them.  These salaries range from 567% - 811% higher than the nation’s per capita income.

The top wage earners are the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at $217,400 and Associate Justices at $208,100.  Wages for the remaining judges, from the Courts of Appeal down through Magistrate Courts, range from $175,100 to $151,984. 

Total payroll for leaders’ salaries of the Judicial Branch is $281 million.  This equates to 94 cents per year from every man, woman and child in the country.

Total Payroll by Department & Agency

The 2007 total payroll of the U.S. departments and agencies was $451.2 billion for a cost of $1,508.57 from every man, woman and child in the country.  The table below reflects the breakdown of this payroll by department and agency from the highest payroll to the least (from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget), which, presumably, indicates highest staffed to the least.

Federal Budget and Deficit

After deducting annual payroll, the balance of the $2.73 trillion budget, and all of the recent bailouts and corporate rescues, every man, woman and child in the country would have $10,911 income remaining as shown in the table below, or $909 per month.  Well, that is, if the U.S. government operated under a balanced budget and if taxpayers were required to reimburse spending through tax payments, but they don’t.  In the meantime, every man, woman and child in the country is racking up an astronomical national debt to be dealt with at a future date.

So, what does this all mean?  It means that, collectively, U.S. residents are bankrupt just due to the national debt.  Factor in their personal debt and a few necessities like shelter, food, and transportation, and the average American is sinking in debt.

What's the solution? What are your priorities for our federal government?  What’s overfunded and underfunded?  If you had to balance the budget, what areas of spending would you cut?  Can you personally afford to pay the neverending list of corporate and high swindlers jumping on the bailout bandwagon?  What are your feelings about our leaders’ salaries compared to your own? Printer Friendly Version