This article is really quite remarkable. Why work in a "for profit" business with the added undue stress of potential downsizing? Moreover, one typically gets to retire in his late 50's with a big fat pension.

Why even bother working for a company that has to satisfy customers to stay in business? Why work for an enterprise that requires a continuous revenue flow from the public or other businesses? When the alternative is getting paid through deficit spending....which obviously will never be reigned in.

No knock against PTowne or CCRunner, but it must be nice knowing that the recession/depression main stream America is experiencing never cuases you any consternation. What a comforting reality you folks have in your daily lives.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl2/public-sector-outstrips-private.html

when i graduated college the public sector topped out faster than the private sector and was much less lucrative in pay. Now, just a few years later, people are streaming to the gov't and they are paying just about anyone with degrees $60k when they hit tenure.

I understand the point you are making, Footwedge, but isn't the article referring to the UK? Or are you using this as an example of where our country is headed (which if that is the case, I agree with you).

dwccrew;396866 wrote:I understand the point you are making, Footwedge, but isn't the article referring to the UK? Or are you using this as an example of where our country is headed (which if that is the case, I agree with you).

I do too. The only problem with these lucrative public sector jobs is they are funded by leeching off the private sector where true wealth is created. Sooner or later the parasite ends up sucking off too much wealth from the host and both eventually perish.

Even the governments in the grand socialist experiment known as Europe are finally starting to realize this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/world/europe/23europe.html
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/news/viewdetail/greek_crisis_hidden_benefits_europe.html
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogs/EU-demographics.html
http://www.workforce.com/section/02/feature/23/82/53/index.html

Amazing how things have changed -- and for the worse.

When I joined state service (early 1980s) wages for my position were clearly below that in the private sector, and stayed that way pretty much through my time on the job. I took the job knowing this was the case, because I also realized the benefits were a bit better, even if the job security was not (I was a political appointee for most of my time on the job).

The unionization of public employees has been the downfall in all this, and has created a very bad situation. You can't have a unionized workforce when the employer has basically no limit (like a private business does) on the amount of money it has for wages and benefits.

It's a recipe made for disaster, and we are seeing the results in places like California and New Jersey that will soon be followed by other states.

If there's a way to remove unions from the public sector, it should be done.

Crazy stuff, and i'm a pro-government guy myself.

Though, i'm going to be starting work for the New Zealand government in two weeks, and my pay is about 25k less (American $) than comparable positions at the Library of Congress and other governmental cultural heritage institutions here in the states. But, cost-of-living there is a lot less.

If you've got a Masters degree and find government work in your field...you're going to make bank (in the States).

Writerbuckeye;397312 wrote:The unionization of public employees has been the downfall in all this, and has created a very bad situation. You can't have a unionized workforce when the employer has basically no limit (like a private business does) on the amount of money it has for wages and benefits.

It's a recipe made for disaster, and we are seeing the results in places like California and New Jersey that will soon be followed by other states.

If there's a way to remove unions from the public sector, it should be done.

Exactly!

Writerbuckeye;397312 wrote:The unionization of public employees has been the downfall in all this, and has created a very bad situation. You can't have a unionized workforce when the employer has basically no limit (like a private business does) on the amount of money it has for wages and benefits.

It's a recipe made for disaster, and we are seeing the results in places like California and New Jersey that will soon be followed by other states.

If there's a way to remove unions from the public sector, it should be done.

The notion that public sector workers can strike against the taxpayers is preposterous! It will be worth the fight to get this situation rectified.

believer;396918 wrote:I do too. The only problem with these lucrative public sector jobs is they are funded by leeching off the private sector where true wealth is created. Sooner or later the parasite ends up sucking off too much wealth from the host and both eventually perish.

Even the governments in the grand socialist experiment known as Europe are finally starting to realize this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/world/europe/23europe.html
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/news/viewdetail/greek_crisis_hidden_benefits_europe.html
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogs/EU-demographics.html
http://www.workforce.com/section/02/feature/23/82/53/index.html

We are already seeing the parasite sucking the life out of the host with many municipalities and states almost near bankruptcy.

The situation needs to be rectified and quickly. Bust the unions within the public sector.