They want a big, fat raise.

The State Employees Compensation Commission wants Gov. John Hoeven to ask the 2009 Legislature to provide an 8.1 percent “catch up” raise for employees. That would come on top of annual 4 percent raises in 2009 and 2010.

The panel also wants the Legislature to continue providing fully paid family health insurance coverage for workers. State employees do not have to chip in a share of their monthly health insurance premiums.

The pay and benefit increases will cost an estimated $76 million over two years if adopted by the 2009 Legislature.

I wonder what these bureaucrats have done to deserve a massive raise (on top of the annual raises they feel they’re entitled to)?  Has government efficiency gotten better?  Has anyone noticed an up tick in the qualify of service down at the DMV?  In the private sector, if you want a raise you’ve got to increase your value to the employer.  These sort of across-the-board raises that are based on a sense of entitlement instead of merit and achievement illustrates everything that’s wrong with government.

I say give the bureaucrats their 4% raise, and if they don’t like it they can work somewhere else (not that they’ll be able to find another place where they can get fully-paid health benefits and 4% annual raises for pushing paper around).