Steele Gordon points to an issue through which Republicans can help ensure that the debt remains an Achilles heel for Dems -- public employee compensation

Across the country, public employees earned, on average, $39.66 an hour. The private sector? The average was $27.42. In other words, public employees earn 44 percent more.

As with any winning political issue, anecdotal evidence brings these statistics to life:

[In San Francisco] a third of the city work force makes more than $100,000 each. The retired deputy police chief earned $516,118 in his last year, thanks to saved up vacation days, sick leave, overtime, etc. It is, of course, the last year's compensation that largely determines the size of the pension public employees get.

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