I would suggest you have little choice. You won't stop buying anything because of the exorbitant executive pay of the manufacturers'/service providers' executives. And you won't stop using the services of the state, the city, the county and the school district, either.
We all want all of the services we receive to be of high quality and effective. I would wager that it's all too easy to be critical of public employees and elected officials because we have more control over the public sector. And we should. That doesn't mean we expect any less of them than we do when buying groceries or a walkman or Scotch tape. But we're all too willing to pay a pittance for the professional quality we demand from our public servants while also feeding the profit margins of private corporations by paying whatever they tell you to pay. This has been a very interesting exercise. We should think more about this. My sense is that we find reasons to be critical of public pay without thinking about how totally dependent we are for the services they render. We take all of it for granted. That's OK; but a good deal more appreciation for the quiet, behind-the-scenes work that goes into maintaining them - keeping the semaphore flashing, keeping the streets plowed (most of the time), maintaining some order in our lives. In contrast, we've come to accept some of the most incompetently produced products and services in history - in retailing, manufacturing and service sectors - with a certain resignation that we have no power to change any of it. We're wrong, of course. We just feel powerless and we don't want to be bothered by the effort it takes to correct the circumstances. I'd never suggest for a minute that we loosen our grip on the public sector, but we should make the same demands on the private part of our world as well. I also believe we must start recognizing how deserving professionals in public service are for adequate and level compensation. September 11 seems to have created a keener awareness of the value of public employees, thanks to those in New York City. This should translate into less government bashing and a better understanding of the public-private partnership government is and ought to be with its citizens/taxpayers. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul ------ "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral" --Dante > From: "Pamela Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 07:13:55 -0800 (PST) > To: "Gary Bowman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Superintendent pay in tight budget times > > Hey, > > That was going to be my reply as well. I am not in a > boardroom hiring or firing those folks. There is no > real comparison to make for us. > > Pamela Taylor > (Shivering in Florida on the first day of winter, who > is sure she will receive no sympathy from list members > in Minnesota) > > --- Gary Bowman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Andy makes a good point below. It IS insane that >> people don't throw a fit at indirectly paying >> towards astronomical salaries when we are getting >> upset about public servants salaries. >> >> I would suggest the difference is that I am not >> required to buy products from 3M if I feel that I'm >> supporting a $10M salary by buying Scotch tape. >> However, I am required by law to pay my taxes, >> unless I want to incur heavy consequences. >> >> Gary Bowman >> 1-1 >> >> >> On Thu, 20 December 2001, "Andy Driscoll" wrote: >> >> "Why do we not seem to flinch at the outrageous CEO >> pay in corporate circles, even when thousands, nay, >> tens of thousands in those same corporations' employ >> are pushed out the door? We're speaking millions >> here. >> >> This insistence citizens have for low salaries for >> public servants while tolerating the inflationary >> spiral executive pay in the private sector generates >> is beyond me. >> >> I guess people don't feel privileged to bitch about, >> say, the 3M Chairman's pay at $10 mil (whatever) >> while screaming bloody murder over the $190,000 >> salaries paid CEOs of major urban school districts. >> But guess what: the cost of your Scotch tape and >> all of 3M's products just jumped 3%-5%, maybe more, >> because of it. We just want to complain about taxes, >> not the prices we pay in the marketplace for far >> more egregious financial assault on the consumer's >> pocketbook." >> >> --------------------------------------------------- >> Get your free web based email from Crosswalk.com: >> http://mail.crosswalk.com >> _______________________________________ >> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic >> Discussion - Mn E-Democracy >> Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: >> http://e-democracy.org/mpls > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Check out Yahoo! Shopping and Yahoo! Auctions for all of > your unique holiday gifts! Buy at http://shopping.yahoo.com > or bid at http://auctions.yahoo.com > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
