Economy Down, Fed Workers Salaries, Up?

I guess if you work for the government (minus the military), this equation adds up. I am referring to an a report that was just put out concerning fed workers pay. According to an article in USA Today,
"The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since President Obama took office, a USA TODAY analysis finds" 
if that is a surprise to anyone. While the rest of us that wish to pursue careers outside of the federal government or the military struggle to make ends meet and face the prospect of higher taxes, those in fed jobs are continuously rewarded for mediocrity. To me it seems amazing that most of these jobs are in sectors that do not have to compete with anyone and therefore can be incompetent and still rewarded. If only they would have passed the raise for the military, we might not have so many soldiers families on food stamps. 
"Government-wide raises. Top-paid staff have increased in every department and agency. The Defense Department had nine civilians earning $170,000 or more in 2005, 214 when Obama took office and 994 in July"


The next thing that cracks me up the most is the increase in pay for physicians at the VA. 
"Physicians rewarded. Medical doctors at veterans hospitals, prisons and elsewhere earn an average of $179,500, up from $111,000 in 2005." 
So, these physicians basically have bankers hours, coming in at 9, breaking for lunch from 12 until 1, and then leaving by 4. I guess if I was a physician the VA is the place I would want to be. Look at physicians that work at other hospitals, they work 24 hours sometimes and after they pay male-practice insurance and loan payments they do not even make half of what these VA physicians are making. This is why veterans receive the worst care in the country and I really want these geniuses at the AFGIE to get their care at a VA hospital, if it is the best care in the country then why wouldn't they want to use the same care they give us? When is this country going to wake up? Once we all work for the government? I hope not.

Efficency of VA health care system....

I am not sure if the articles title is an oxymoron or not? Around October 11th of 2010, I started to get sick. I decided to head over to the newly opened Gloucester county VA Clinic. Upon arrival I was greeted by a polite individual who said she would be able to get me in to see one of the doctors. Once I met the physician I was informed that I would have to head over to Philadelphia VA hospital to pick up my medication and have an x-ray of my chest taken. I was informed that this clinic did not have a pharmacy or an x-ray machine.I was a little dumbfounded since, I was at the supposed new VA clinic that had been built to make it easier for us veterans that resided in South Jersey. This was at 3:45 and I really didn't want to go sit in Philadelphia's ER.The other fact was that I had to be at Coatesville Veterans Hospital the next day and asked if they could just schedule it for that hospital. I was again informed that they could not do that since Coatesville was a different system. So, twice that day I was dumbfounded by the VA and decided to go home.

The next day I headed to the Coatesville VA and was seen in there ER. About a week and a half later I was still sick. I decided to contact the Gloucester county VA and told them what was going on, I was told someone would call me back. Not to my surprise I never heard from them. Now today November 2, 2010, I received in the mail a package of medicine, to my surprise it was more antibiotics. I investigate the package and to my surprise this prescription was filled on October 19th, 2010 and this is November 2, 2010. The package was mailed on November 1, 2010. I cannot wait until all medicine is run by the government, if it is as efficient as the VA no one will receive care but there will be plenty of over paid health care workers.