From Eric Dondero:

The Associated Press editorializes this morning, in their "Fact Check" story "Are federal workers overpaid."

They quote Republican Congressman Dennis Ross of Florida:

"Our taxpayers can no longer be asked to foot the bill for these federal employees while watching their own salaries remain flat and their benefits erode," said Ross, chairman of the House Oversight subcommittee on the federal work force.

Not ultimately, the "Fact Checkers" at AP side with the Democrats, that fed workers are actually underpaid in comparison to the private sector.

Are federal employees overpaid?

Republican leaders in Congress think so, and they are calling for an overhaul of the entire federal pay system to help slash government spending.

Democrats and other defenders of the government work force say federal workers are actually underpaid compared with their private counterparts.

A closer look at the data shows that both sides have a point but that supporters of federal workers are a bit closer to reality.

What example do they use on the top of story to make their case?

Lawyers.

Among lawyers, for example, the average pay in the federal government was about $127,500 a year in 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average lawyer in the private sector earned $137,540. And the starting salary at large law firms in Washington, D.C. -- where most government lawyers work -- is $160,000, and can grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, according to the National Association for Law Placement.

Editor's comment - Of course, the AP never considered affirmative action hiring by the Feds of far less qualified employees as a potential factor.

Photo h/t lawyersonretainer.com