Meet the ARRP. Same as the AARP?

Get ready for bigger government.   Much bigger.

President-Elect Barack Obama today give his weekly radio address.  It was primarily aimed at the economy (and strangely silent on Israel/Gaza) and again discussed the massive government growth plan that is coming down the pike.

Here is the key paragraph:

That’s why we need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.  And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem.  We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.

Three million new jobs, with 80% of them in the private sector.   That means 20% of them - or 600,000 - will not be in the private sector.   600,000 more government employees.

Notice "the plan" now has a name: American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, or ARRP for short.   Given the generous retirement benefits offered by the government, it is ironic this plan's name is so close to the AARP, better known as the American Association of Retired Persons.

The Federal government permits retirement with benefits as early as the age of 50 for certain jobs so long as there is 25 years of service.    Generous pensions and benefits are already contributing to the fiscal crises hitting states such as California.   If the President-Elect wants to add 600,000 people to the government payroll, it would be wise to enact private-sector retirement thinking.   The American taxpayer is already frustrated by Uncle Sam's hand in the pocket.