JESUS LOVES YOU!

All readers are welcome to comment on my journal entries. I enjoy everyone's opinion rather or not I may agree. It is not my position to cause a fight or argument over any individual's career. An overwhelming majority of my family and friends are employed by govenment agencies. I love each of them dearly. However, when we start taking a deeper look at the salaries and benefit packages of government workers we can clearly see a remarkable difference between the private sector and government.

We are a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Yet those who "serve" us often enjoy far better employment salaries and benefits than the folks who are privately employed. Government workers often have unions to protect them when the private sector does not.

I acknowledge that there are great many government workers who are very hard workers and dedicated to their positions. But the average American works just as hard and is not nearly as protected by unions, health care or a number of other job-related benefits such as retirement.

The following is by no means conclusive. In the course of a few moments I am throwing together some links to facilitate a debate of rather or not I am on the right track when I say salaries (and benefits) have a great deal to do with why homelessness has not yet been eradicated. Of course, these are often a generalization of government workforce and not simply those dealing with homelessness per say.

Again, I realize and understand that many of you are government or nonprofit organization employees and I am not attempting to attack anyone personally.

       Benefits of Employement with the State of Nevada (From Day One) 

               http://dhhs.nv.gov/Brochures/SocialWk10-2007.pdf

41 paid days off per year beginning with first day on the job. Paid health insurance. Excellent retirement benefits. In order to fully weight the median income it must be considered that governmental employee salaries are factored into the results.

                   Clark County, Nevada Employee Benefits Package

       http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/human_resources/Pages/benefits.aspx  

                         Social Services Manager (Clark County) 

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/clarkcounty/default.cfm?action=viewclassspec&ClassSpecID=66700&Agency=1282&ViewOnly=Yes

 Clark County Job Descriptions & Monthly Salary Range (All Positions)

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/clarkcounty/default.cfm?action=agencyspecs

This Issue is Hot! Over 167 Clark County Firefighters Earned Between $100,000 and $150,000 Plus Added Perks! An April 20, 2003 Review-Journal Article Reporting on the Number of Government Workers Paid Six-Figure Incomes. (Be sure to read the sidebar articles, related stories, to as well)

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Apr-20-Sun-2003/news/21122252.html

  Um... I didn't make this up and this was published six years ago.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Dec-28-Sat-2002/news/20368602.html

Las Vegas Sun Editorial: Painful Public Pension Plans "The kind of pensions common to most workers 50 years ago remain common in government."

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2007/apr/17/editorial-painful-public-pension-plans/

Las Vegas Sun: State Retirees Health Cost Loom Large; "Work long enough for the state and when you retire, the taxpayers will subsidize your health benefits, often completely, for the rest of your life." Loaded with articles, reports, debates on the subject.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/mar/16/state-retirees-health-costs-loom-large/

The National Conference of State Legislatures. Facts; "States provided coverage for about 3.4 million state government employees and retirees. State and local employees health plans cover about 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce and hold more than 20 percent of the nation's total pension assets."

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/stateemploy.htm

United Way of America, President, CEO Compensation $504,436

Charity CEO's Salaries Compared:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_charities_salaries.htm

Charity Navigator

http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm%3Fbay=search.results%26cgid=8%26cuid=23

2005-2007 Charity CEO Compensation Study

http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/catid/68/cpid/304.htm

Salvation Army Median Salaries:

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=The_Salvation_Army/Salary/by_City

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3435

And this is not even a well-organized research into the salary and benefit question. Nor does it look at federal-level agencies.

Thank you for joining me. God Bless You.

And always Remember, JESUS LOVES YOU!

River

Las Vegas, Nevada

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• #3 Comment from aimer 
  5/1/08 6:49 PM | Permalink

  More...
  As for retirees, I work for the state. I could earn a lot more as a private sector attorney, but I choose to work for the state because I believe that access to legal help should be provided to everyone at reasonable costs. I darn well expect that the state will subsidize my health benefits when I retire. I will have worked hard to earn those benefits. There is certainly waste in government spending and there needs to be better accountability for how money is allocated and spent. But I just can't agree that the reason that homelessness has not been eradicated is because of teh salaries and benefits paid to government employees. Cut those salaries and take away the benefits and what you will have is an increase in the homeless population as more people find themselves without the financial income to provide their families with food and shelter.--Sheria
• #2 Comment from aimer 
  5/1/08 6:49 PM | Permalink

  River, the CEO salaries are generally disproportionate to the salaries of most regualr working people. I can't share your dismay at the salary ionformation for the other jobs. A salary between $38,000 and $65,000 is not ouitrageous, it should be the norm. According to the federal guidelines, a family of four with an annual income of $41,000 is considered low income. Vacation time, sick leave, and paid holidays should be the standard. Rather than looking at these job positions as offering too many benefits and too much pay, they should be the standard for working people; no one should receive less.  The waste isn't going towards paying people these salaries, the waste lies in not having clear cut plans that produces results. Do you honestly think that these workers are over paid? They are barely earning a sufficient wage to support their families. As you have previously pointed out, it is the system that is broken. You can't fix the system by cutting the salaries and benefits of the average employee. Ass for firefighteres earning $100,000, given the nature of the work that they do, I don't begrudge them a single penny.
  
  It seems to me that you are focusing way too much on the average government worker and not on the upper levels of corporate America where the true wealth lies and the outrageous salaries.  The salaries and benefits that you cite aren't outrageous. Earning those salaries doesn't mean that you have money for luxuries or splurging; with good management, you can keep a roof over your head and food on the table, but you're one step away from financial ruin--a major medical catastrophe can leave a family destitute by the time they pay their 20% of the hospital bill (most state or federal health plans pay 80%, you're responsible for the other 20%).  Cont'd in next comment
  
  Sheria
• #1 Comment from sybilsybil45 
  4/30/08 11:39 PM | Permalink

  Well friend, I can't comment on what happens in the US.  however I have always held much the same belief as yourself about the wages paid to people who are supposed to be helping various poorer parts of our community... I look forward to your next very interesting journal edition.  Love Sybil...and as I finish all my entries with....LOVE ONE ANOTHER.