Government overpays undereducated

The federal government does a lot of puzzling things, economically speaking. Now data from the Congressional Budget Office highlights another blunder: overpaying the undereducated.

According to a January report by the CBO, federal workers who have a high school education or less actually make 36% more in annual salary and benefits compared with comparable workers in the private sector. This probably shocks anyone who has survived the grueling experience of the DMV.

Overall, the government pays 16% more to federal employees when accounting for workers' different characteristics.

Another striking fact from the report is that employees with a professional degree or doctorate make 18% less than their private-sector counterparts.