America's economy is plagued by high unemployment, family budgets pressed to stretch every dollar, declining wages and a longing for improvement that still seems very distant.

That is unless you work in the Barack Obama White House.

In the three years of President Obama's tenure, the payroll at the People's House has expanded by almost $5 million, to $37.8 million. In 2008, the last year of the Bush Administration, the pay for White House personnel cost totaled $33.1 million.

The 14.1% increase in salaries documented in the Report to Congress on White House Staff for personnel working at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue certainly does not reflect the American taxpayers' appetite for cutting spending and balancing budgets.

Much has been said, yet little done, to address the escalating wages in government compared to the private sector.

According to a report by the Congressional Budget Office, there were significant advantages to being on the federal payroll. "Federal civilian employees with no more than a high school education averaged 36% higher total compensation than similar private-sector employees. Federal workers whose education culminated in a bachelor's degree averaged 15% higher total compensation than their private-sector counterparts," the 28-page analysis concluded.

With bureaucrats raking in dollars much faster than workers in the private sector, when we ask our children, "What do you want to be when you grow up?," they may soon answer, "A government employee."