The recently publicized raise to $500,000 a year for the manager of the Maricopa County Hospital System along with a host of other outlandish pay raises for local public servants can only be described as legalized robbery. Those raises and associated benefits (pensions) are terrible burdens to pass on to the next generations. The pitiful rationale given for all the publicized raises, “This puts our officials on a salary par with comparable office holders,” is ludicrous.” When the U.S. president earns $400,000 per year, the Supreme Court chief justice earns $223,500 per year, and a senator earns $174,000 per year, one wonders why some public officials earn more than that and why they should.
When did the hard-working, conscientious public servants evolve into a bureaucratic aristocracy and their legendary low pay rise to be in the top one percent of the nation. Not so long ago, persons earning that large a salary were volunteering their services to the government for one dollar per year. It is time to stop this ever expanding “we’re only getting pay parity” con game before all our local governments face fiscal bankruptcy.
George Butorac
Mesa
JMJ posted at 2:21 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
D a m n SPAM
JMJ posted at 2:21 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Rich Carmona, who is not 80 or 90, is an example of an impoverished youth who did grab on to that opportunity to pull himself up through the military.
Just some comments and observations. The students we turn out, nowadays, could have been taught to say, "Would you like fries with that?" in Kindergarten. It's their own personal failure not to become educated in this day and age. No one else is to blame except the person in the mirror, and their parents for not steering them into a better life.
K-12 education, the military, trades are all still available. First, however, there needs to be a hunger to set and meet goals in one's own life.
OK, pass the peas. I am done pontificating. And, so is Benedict, apparently...now there's another whole can of worms.
JMJ posted at 2:19 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
I observe that the middle class has fallen to poverty level in our country. There is still an aristocracy of the elite who are happy to keep whole segments of workers in the dregs while stepping all over them to keep rising. So, that aristocracy is no better than the impoverished fools who never try to make anything out of their circumstance, while being handed an education [K-12] from which they could springboard to better lives.
JMJ posted at 2:18 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
The military provides many [not all] with job skills, leadership training, and opportunity. So, women in their 80s and 90s didn't necessarily rise to careers that provided them with opportunity to salary parity.
The military is not for everyone, certainly there is not a draft, any more. Instead of choosing the military, many drifting, uneducated young people never learn to be a contributing part of a whole society.
JMJ posted at 2:18 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
VoR, I would agree with you, partially. When I read the obituaries [fascinating to find out what people have done with their lives], the majority of those in their 80s or 90s, as you say, who rose above their humble beginnings did so by serving their country, generally. And, they are predominantly males who've risen above their humble beginnings. The women are generally housewives who rose to become teachers or nurses. I would venture to say that a military draft, feared by many current citizens, took young men [predominantly, and some women] out of their humble beginnings. If they survived [as with anyone serving during wartime], they then had the benefit of the G I Bill to pursue their education.
VofReason posted at 12:52 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Too willing to believe people who tell them someone else is "holding them down" and that they "deserve" better than their consequense.
VofReason posted at 12:51 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Let me suggest an exercise to anyone who doubts the ability to improve their lot. Read the obituaries. See how many people that die in their 80s and 90s were born on farms or in humble beginnings and went on to do great things- running companies, success in business, became doctors and lawyers. No need to listen to politicians or the internet, get it at the ground level. Again, I belive that the greatest hinderence is the people themselves. Aren't willing to put forth effort.
sockratties posted at 6:38 am on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Actually there has been an increase in mobility at the bottom end of the economic spectrum. More and more middle class families have moved from the lower middle class to the bottom and many who were in upper middle class have moved down to the near poverty level.
An indication of what is coming is the increasing loss of access to higher education due to increased tuitions and reduction of income. Education has historically been one of the 'equalizers.' This resource, even in public universities, is being systematically moved out of reach of the less affluent.
truth posted at 3:33 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
while 39% born to parents in the top fifth remain at the top] Only half of the generation studied exceeded their parents economic standing by moving up one or more quintiles.
truth posted at 3:32 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
However, in terms of relative mobility it stated: "contrary to American beliefs about equality of opportunity, a child’s economic position is heavily influenced by that of his or her parents." 42% of children born to parents in the bottom fifth of the income distribution ("quintile") remain in the bottom,
truth posted at 2:55 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a Republican candidate for president, warned this fall that movement “up into the middle income is actually greater, the mobility in Europe, than it is in America.” National Review, a conservative thought leader, wrote that “most Western European and English-speaking nations have higher rates of mobility.” Even Representative Paul D. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who argues that overall mobility remains high, recently wrote that “mobility from the very bottom up” is “where the United States lags behind.”
VofReason posted at 12:11 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
Is this because you believe that people are too stupid to see their environment and not figure out a way out? That if the Government or someone else doesn't do it for them that they are hapless?
VofReason posted at 12:06 pm on Tue, Feb 19, 2013.
This is good. Perhaps instead of paying for generational welfare, we should give welfare reciepients a one way ticket to whichever of the 30 "supposed" countries that are so much better than us in every way. I am all for that. Self-made millionaires have a different perspective on investing than those born wealthy. 86% of today's millionaires said they did not grow up wealthy, while only 14% said they were wealthy growing up. Guess "every research" is not telling the whole story. Remember the "American dream"? That was where people worked hard and improved their lot? Why Truth, why would you believe that 99% of people stay in the level they are born?
truth posted at 3:26 pm on Mon, Feb 18, 2013.
VofReason, why is it that the far right forgets the 30 other countries that are above the U.S. in every description in the industrial countries and all have social programs. Also every research has proven that 99% of the people stay in the level that they are born in.
VofReason posted at 2:04 pm on Mon, Feb 18, 2013.
"A healthy economy requires that wage earners earn enough to take care of basic need and have some left over for other purchases". Yes, I belive that was the montra of the USSR. How did that work out? Here is a quiz. How many people in this country who go to "free" public education and try hard enough to actually graduate from high school live in poverty? •High school dropouts suffer a long-term poverty rate of 14.2 percent, while high school grads have only a 3.8 percent long-term poverty rate. So in reality, what you do for yourself has the highest degree of whether you are in poverty. Not whether someone else pays their mythical "fair share".
JMJ posted at 6:19 pm on Sun, Feb 17, 2013.
That's the same tripe that was given when the superintendent of MPS was given a raise over the last uperintendent. "Parity". Even the school site administrators drank the Kool-Aid and said, "Oh, our district is one of the lowest-paid superintendencies..."*.
I wonder when the teachers of MPS and other districts in Arizona will, if ever, reach "parity" with teachers in other states. So, here's my number, call me maybe.
*stupidintendencies
truth posted at 2:19 pm on Sun, Feb 17, 2013.
George, the highest paid state salary is !!! your collage sports coaches. This is why the U.S. Is failing, few earn exorbitant wages while the majority earn poverty wages. A healthy economy requires that wage earners earn enough to take care of basic need and have some left over for other purchases.
chatmandu002 posted at 11:03 am on Sun, Feb 17, 2013.
George,
Don't worry the Maricopa county supervisors only have your interest at heart. They realize that Maricopa needs the highest paid professionals and workers so they can provide you with the best of services. Besides the property owners of Maricopa have deep pockets and can afford increases in property taxes to pay for all these lavish pay raises. NOT!!!!