Why government workers are fairly paid

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by bhunter

Perhaps government workers ought mostly be part time or volunteers. I do not think the analogy is valid. I also question the notion that government bureaucracies are inherently more democratic. I tend to think of government as the employer of last resort—an employer that accepts those that can't be competitive in the private sector.

Do you have data to back that up? I tend to doubt it. There are plenty of intelligent people with a strong sense of service. Think the service academies get the dregs. They produce government workers. Many schools of education are selective in their entrance requirements. There are plenty of wannabe cops working for private security companies, because the standards for getting into the academy are high.

If you want to believe that government services are superfluous, I can see why you would want part time or volunteer workers. I would rather have competent workers who bring credentials and develop experience and expertise in their jobs. Wouldn't you rather have an experienced food inspector, building inspector, fire marshall, law enforcement officer, air traffic controller, and yes, regulator?

BTW, it's not valid to compare people who for wages with people who work for wages? Or it's not valid to compare the salaries of people whose companies trade in paper with the salaries who run a state-wide or nation-wide (actually world-wide) operation? It's not valid to point out that the compensation in the private sector is extremely top-heavy, particularly compared with the compensation of people who work for us?

Regards,

D-Ray