I got a phone call from my brother last night. He was very agitated. To say he was “pissed” would be an exaggeration of biblical proportions.
He was not the only one.
He asked me if I had seen the Chronicle lately. That’s like asking have I’ve seen my neighbor, but so what. “Well yeah, but could you direct your outrage a bit?”, I asked.
Bottom line, he saw the Chronicle Houston public employee salaries in 2007 database, which is online. While it may seem like a good idea to keep up with the highly paid or those abusing overtime, what you may not know is that all police and fire department employees, as well as every teacher, cook and bottle washer are on it too. By name.
The only thing missing is their Social Security Number, then we would be having a very good time…
My brother is a fire fighter.
This is creating a lot of stress within his department because everyone is looking up everyone else. Questions are being asked as to why one person gets this, another gets that and both came on about the same time. It is putting out fault lines and anomosity where none existed before.
That was not necessary.
In his call, he was practically yelling back at me when I told him that I imagined that the Chronicle had vetted this with their attorneys for being “legally” OK. His response? “They didn’t pass it by my attorney!”
My brother is experiencing a lot of pressure from others to come join them for the amazing high pay in oil field right now. If he walked out the door, he could easily double his pay. All he would have to do is quit. He won’t because he loves what he does and believes in it.
If you were ever in an accident, you want him there to pull you out in one piece. If your home were on fire and a loved one did not make it out, he would get them. Trust me. He has. (And he has been scorched and/or burned from one end of his body to another to show for it.) But you especially want him around if a warehouse near your home is on fire; he will know, because of the chemical content, that putting water on it instead of a special foam or whatever, will send the entire East Side (including your home) into orbit.
He is the best, and yet the Chronicle has stuck a big stick in his face and shook it for no good reason at all.
He is not the only one feeling this way. He is minion in this…
Trying to find “fat” on our public budgets is a good thing. We need public accountability.
The information in this database maybe found other places. Sure got that.
But trying to make a point on the backs of those that serve our community that do so under difficult conditions anyway is not making a point. It is being a bully.
Calling out teachers, firefighters, cops and other lowly employees by name for all of the world to see is being a bully.
Especially when you won’t disclose your own house.
I put this right in the same hypocritical category as those going on and on about how the world will end because of how everyday people live and how they need to sacrifice and change their life; then they jet off to another “function” in their private jet. Or live in a 15,000 square foot home. Or have a bunch of gas guzzling SUVs.
It’s good enough advice for thee, but not for me.
It’s a good enough database for thee, but not for me…
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I have absolutely no problem whatsoever being able to look up the salary of every public employee. Sorry, but that goes with the territory. Now they could have saved a little ink and perhaps not listed full name and address, etc., but each and every one of those jobs is important (otherwise they should be eliminated), and I believe that payroll is in fact public information. For once, I think the Chron got it right, and that’s the first time in a long time they got something right. I’m sure their motives are not pure, but I believe their actions were proper. Now if they got some of the salaries wrong, which is highly likely, then there’s a problem.
When I heard of this I was angry as well. If the Chronicle found some wrongdoing, then let them investigate (yeah, right) and report it. To simply display everyone’s wages for all the world to see is reprehensible. If there is abuse of overtime, report the abuse. If there is a screamin’ discrepancy in salaries to (1) underlings or (2) comparables in other municipalities (and I’m thinking Metro and HISD leadership here), then report THAT.
To open everyone’s salary for public display is totally uncalled for. The only positive thing that this accomplished was to get the Chronicle some free publicity at the expense of…. Oh - maybe I’ve stumbled onto something…
Ree,
I have mixed feelings about this. I kinda believe that the standard salaries or salary ranges for public service positions should be published.
The salaries for specific people should not be published.
Perhaps the Chronicle in the spirit of things would publish the salaries of their employees.
Simple
Good governance requires openness in all aspects of the public arena. Because political patronage is only a few minutes younger than the world’s oldest profession, the subject of government jobs, who they go to, and how much they pay, has been an important subject for not decades, not centuries, but millennia.
One of America’s great contributions to government has been to introduce openness. To the Founding Fathers, freedom of the press was entirely about the right of private individuals (this would include a newspaper) to print factual information about the dealings of public officials and the government in general. President Washington fretted about the establishment of a postal service specifically so they could circulate newspapers with information about government affairs.
That having been said, I think the Chronicle was foolish. I think they could have accomplished everything I just described by publishing the pay amounts by position title rather than individual name — similar to the way they do in the city budget. But the truth is, a fire department would be a completely typical place for patronage and favoritism to occur. The more inconvenient it is for the workers, the more useful it is for the voters. I’m not thrilled to be saying that because I do sympathize with the firefighters, but government workers should always be exposed to more scrutiny than those in the private sector.
As a former public employee at one of the “County Agencies”, I was listed as well.. however unless you search for me by name you can’t page out enough since others made more than I.. The Commical might want to fix that.. :rolleyes:
I’m torn.. I can see how some people could be upset about their salaries posted, but I’m not in particular.. Within our “County Agency”, the pay scale and rates for positions were already posted within the department.. Matching it up with names I guess could be crossing the line..
2 things that bothered me about the information. The disclosure itself is not a problem especially since it is public information anyways.
1) The highest 2 salaries. And what are the chances of those 2 being released from their jobs?
2) A lot of overtime pay for some.
In general, it seemed to me that pays are about right.
A reminder and warning against jealousy and a lesson in freedom to contract:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=20&version=31&context=chapter
Matthew 20
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1″For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3″About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7″ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8″When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9″The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12′These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13″But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16″So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
I, too, believe that only the ranges should have been published. And you certainly shouldn’t make more than the range just because you been on the taxpayer payroll forever. If want to make more then learn more and that will justify your salary increase. There is a point of diminishing return. Its just the fact that it is taxpayer money and not private or corporate money that there is overpayment. And I’m not thrilled that unions get salary increases for jobs that are done the same way over and over like the auto assembly line. That’s one of the reasons why our cars cost more to buy.
I work for the courts in Montgomery County. I do believe that there should be transparency when it comes to a lot of information, but I can honestly say that there was no nepotism, political favors, or patronage involved in getting this job. I got this job 9 months after moving from out of state. This was pure competition. Remember this is Conroe we’re talking about.
A side note; a lot of those court personnel in Harris County making 60,000 a year have been there for 15 years or more.
My husband was outraged as well. There is no reason that ANYONE should be able to go on-line to find out what he makes for a living. Ranges are acceptable by duty rank only. It is acceptable for Elected Officials since they run publicly for an office.
This happened several years ago. When commissioners court found out that some HCSO deputies were making more than the commissioners (because they worked about 80-90 hours a week and got overtime) the commissioners promptly took away overtime and only gave comp time. Last year, overtime was reinstated since there were losses of personnel due to retirement and other agenices enticing experienced members away. However, you only receive overtime pay if you have 240 hours of comp time on the books - anything over that is time-1/2.
I do have to complain about the way Harris County pays overtime, and according to the Federal Labor Law it is illegal. An employer is supposed to pay overtime in the same paycheck for which the regular time is paid. In other words, if you are paid weekly and work 8 hours over in week one, when you receive you check for week one you are to have the overtime included. Harris County is on a 2-week pay schedule. However, the overtime earned during the 2-week period isn’t paid with the regular pay of that period. They hold it over for another 2 weeks and if you take a vacation day or sick day during the NEXT 2 weeks you lose the overtime you earned 2 weeks earlier. This has been brought up as illegal before but the county somehow manages to violate federal law.
I had absolutely no problem with it and, in fact, I applaud the Comical(and that rarely happens). If you have a problem with it, don’t sign on the public payroll, period.
John Q. Taxpayer not only has the right, but is entitled to that information.
In an era of sky high tax burdens, the taxpayer “needs to know” how his/her money is being spent.
I guess my recommendation is - if you don’t like the light of day, put on a pair of sunglasses.
I work for a small software company. Been working for them for over 15 years. My total salary is $67K/yr. I could go somewhere else and earn a whole lot more but the intangibles — such as long established relationships with owners of the comapny and clients, trust that I get things done whether I work 80hrs in a week or 30hrs and many others — is why I stay. No gurantees in life so my job may/will not be here in the future. I have not seen a raise in a number of years. Very few bonuses. Just when we were begining to reap some financial benefits of the long hours of work years ago, whan, we get hit by a lawsuit and our lawyer gets the money. I hope we can even survive the pre-court hearing expenses..
So, people, spare me the sad stories about “only” earning so much for working so many years. Yeah, they are the only ones. (sarcasm off) Lon time ago I worked in the aerospace industry where it seems, even to today, annual increases and bonuses are a given.
Don’t want your salary posted, go work in the private sector.
The private sector learned a long time a go that overtime was unproductive and inefficient.
I also hope we survive the “new and improved,” income, er strike that, franchise tax.
These might be the folks Phil Gramm was talking about!
Glad I’m a man of character & self restraint. I chose not to go there and gawk. Not much different than having the opportunity to see your Mother or Sister naked and passing up the chance.
Simple solution - if you don’t want your salary published, go work in private industry.
Otherwise, if you’re salary is paid by the taxpayers, suck it up. Seems to me most of these folks have it pretty good, they’re just embarrassed that everyone knows how good they have it.
Even though the Chronicle may have had the right to publish names, they showed poor judgement. If the intent was to show how tax dollars are wasted, it makes more sense to go after the elected officials and administration to hold them accountable.
Wait a minute, that guy Greg Abbott making $160,000+ per year to be the HISD spokesperson is crazy. All he has to do is read a statement that was checked and approved by a lawyer and in reality whatever he says does not mean what he said.
That is all a spokesperson has to do, talk for a long time and usew important sounding words without meaning anything.
And I thought we couldn’t use the word p.i.s.s.e.d.?
Headshaker #15
I agree whole heartedly. They work for us the taxpayers, we hire them.
Don’t forget that government jobs carry with it all those great retirement benefits.
Government hiring has escalated by about 60% is this correct?
It’s no wonder people want to work for the government.
Individuals such as airline pilots and those who drive 18 wheelers are limited to the hours they can work per week, but a police officer can work unlimited hours?
An officer can double or even triple their income by working massive amounts of OT and there is no potential risk to themselves and/or the public?
Publishing individual comparative salaries for “individual contributor” type employees is not wise, for the same reasons as in the private sector. I know that the rules change in public sector jobs, but there’s no reason to just plaster it in these guys’ faces…
Shakey
IMO that is a snotty and degrading statement. The point is, the rank and file employee should not have everyone in the world know their exact paycheck. I previously stated that a rank and range (such as teacher year 1-5 range xxx - xxx) is appropriate, but to name each employee stinks.
Oh yeah, we have it reeeeaal good - after 25 years and still no weekends off, you’re lucky if you get a 3% pay raise every 5 years, private employees generally get their parking for free - not so for county employees (unless you are a commissioner or sheriff or judge). And you pay into both retirement and s/s just like everyone else. The retirement program is NOT free. It is no different than if it was a private employee doing 401K matching.
You want the privacy that comes with working in the public sector, then go work there.
Phil Graham was right.
Shannon - since when did choosing to serve the public and putting your life on the line every day reduce your right to privacy about your exact paycheck? How very snobbish of you.
23 dc
When he chose to be paid by the taxpayer.
Let’s dispense with the name calling, please.
If we are going to use the tired old line….Well they work for us so we have a right to know…. how about this - since all of us are getting killed by gas prices, all oil company employees should have their salaries exposed. You can say this about any industry from automobiles to food suppliers. I happen to work for a defense contractor. Since tax dollars are used to pay our invoices, does that mean you have a right to know my salary? Do you really want to go down that slippery slope?
Shannon - I didn’t call you any names. I said it was snobbish.
Shannon
What industry do you work in? If I buy a product from that industry, should I know your salary?
AL - I would say that there is less risk to the public than having medical interns working horrendous hours and operating on people with 2 hours of sleep in 48.
dcgirl: I will agree with you the day that oil companies can put a gun to my head and handcuff me if I do not “choose” buy their products/services.
“Oh yeah, we have it reeeeaal good - after 25 years and still no weekends off, you’re lucky if you get a 3% pay raise every 5 years, ”
Well, welcome to my private sector, uncertain revenues supported job world
“private employees generally get their parking for free - not so for county employees (unless you are a commissioner or sheriff or judge).”
That can be remedied … ride the bus and quit centralizing everything.
“And you pay into both retirement and s/s just like everyone else. The retirement program is NOT free. It is no different than if it was a private employee doing 401K matching.”
You get 401K matching?
I get free parking you get matching, we are even.
The Chronical should have had the common decency to splat out the names of those that were not elected or appointed.
#27 dcgirl, No you shouldn’t. The relationship between you and a merchant is voluntary. Your financial relationship with the government is not.
#11 mentioned:
True for some jobs, but as usual the government has their nose in our business. For some jobs, employers don’t have much latitude at all.
more…
I lived in Norway for a few years, and EVERY taxpayer’s salary, from the king on down, was listed in a publicly accessible web site…. Everyone’s! Looks like the Comical’s socialist attitudes have overcome their journalistic ethics.
bobo42: thanks for the link. Good thing we live in a free country otherwise the government might tell us how we are supposed to handle private remuneration agreements.
Trollman: We have been in a fascist (economic definition) trajectory for many, many years. Norway might be a nice to place to visit but I would not care to live there. I take it that private versus public is lost on socialists, of whatever stripe.
Now, if I could afford to move Chile …
bob42
Exactly. My customers voluntarily contract for my services not knowing–or particularly caring–about my cost of doing business, which includes whatever salary I pay myself.
Public sector salaries are public information, properly available to anyone that wants to know.
My family members and friends employed in the public sector have all agreed with my position on this issue. In fact— everyone of them— when I tell them there are those that think otherwise screw up there faces and say, “These people are clueless
But then, every one of them is a conservative.
And a taxpayer entitled to the information.
There are many things in City, County and State government that is public information, not just employee salaries. Take for instance court records, civil, criminal, family, etc. Do you guys think that it would be ok if the Chronicle got a list of say all divorce cases in Harris County, then put together a list of the names of all involved along with who got what, who’s paying child support and how much, then stuck it out here on the internet so it shows up on the drudge report for every lunatic on the face of the earth to see?
Not the same thing, you say? Public Information is Public Information.
But is Public Information to become Internet Information at the whim of a newspaper reporter?
Dcgirl I agree these doctors work too many hours when they are interning but that is a seperate issue. The police officer working that many hours of overtime without any
restrictions regarding their rest periods is a danger to the general public.
They are underpaid for the crap most put up with but working three times the normal hours is not the solution.
I have my own business, it is not my clients business how much I earn, they pay for the product I sell not for my income.
Public employees have only one client they serve, the taxpayer.
And remember public employees do not add any positive revenue to the government bank account, only money from private sources adds positive cash.
Yes.
And, and because of it, counties are having to spend time and money to delete Social Security numbers and other info from public databases.
So the Chron and HPD go to war. I bet we’ll see a spike in tickets for broken tail lights on Texas Avenue.
The only thing left to do is sit back and watch the fireworks, my lone regret being that both sides can’t lose.
The second he went on the public’s dime. That said, there is a big difference between the necessary, proper, and legitimate right of the public to find out that information through FOIAs and the sort, and a band of news media agitators publishing it all online just for the heck of it.
Yes, they do. And they should have an unchallenged right to obtain that information on an individual case as they desire.
But there’s a big leap between that and a newspaper gratuitously publishing everyone’s salaries online. Simple decency dictates that they should use discretion in how much they publish.
If some cop is reaping in too much by gaming the overtime system then by all means publish his name and salary in a big splashy front page article. But there’s no need to publish every single salary just because you can.
Sorry folks but taxpayers are NOT clients. Clients are by definition individuals who exchange something of value for an equivalent VOLUNTARILY.
Taxpayers are that taxpayers. Taxpayers ought to be treated better than clients, after all, we are forced, under threat of deadly force, to pay for services.
I guess all FOIA information that are used to write books are improper too?
There was nothing improper about the Chron releasing public information in an easy format to follow.
BTW, I quit my subscription to the Chron around 1990 because of its liberal bias. And that was when I was beng told by prominent conservatives that I should not unsbscribe.
Ah the good ole days of overtime…
– Time and a half after 8 hours in a day, even if part of the week was vacation or sick time.
– Time and a half on weekends, plus a day off in the following week.
– Double time after 8 hours worked on Sundays and holidays.
OT typically accounted for 50-60% of my W2 gross. But I usually worked 50 weekends each year, and was on call 24×7.
My employer started backing away from that sweet deal in the mid-90s, so I convinced them to reclassify me as exempt.
/off topic nostalgia
Yes, Shannon, you are correct about the extra expense. However, I do believe that most counties do this right now on a voluntary basis. To my knowledge neither the Congress nor the Texas Supreme Court have enacted any rules regarding the redaction issue, which is why family cases are not available on-line in Harris County except for access by the attorney of record.
I have no problem with government salaries listed in the public domain, or even on the internet. My problem is with full names posted and possible identity theft. Probably doesn’t bother anyone if their name isn’t out there on the list, but what the hey. Public employees don’t deserve any consideration.
Kicker is the list out there is so convoluted that one can’t even figure out the annual salary on many of the names. Mine, for instance. Same job for 12 years, name is in there 3 times all with different figures, none of which is the annual salary. Go figure.
So nobody got the accurate info on my position, but there is probably someone in Nigeria applying for a Visa card in my name as we speak.
Cheers!
Wow, philm and I agree for once…
You obviously think that the bus schedules run 24/7. Cops don’t work normal business hours so the majority cannot take the bus.
It is pretty standard in private industry that companies that have 401K programs match a certain percentage of what the employees put in.
#33 Shannon - my husband and I and our friends are all VERY conservative and NONE of us think it is proper to put names and annual total salaries out for public consumption.
Why is it that people think they have a right to know exactly what each INDIVIDUAL makes? What is wrong with putting ranks and ranges of pay for those ranks? Does that not satisfy the taxpayers “right to know” or are we all getting so nosy that this is not enough information to satisfy us.
The overtime that the cops put in is due to the fact that they are understaffed. Would you rather have them work overtime (and they aren’t a danger to the public like you think) or just not have the cops on the street. Which would you rather have?
#45 dcgirl
Not really. Some do some don’t. I work for a company that has a generous match. Others for which I have worked did not match at all.
GovGal - you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Those that think there is nothing wrong with it and the attitude of “if you don’t like it get a private sector job” don’t have any consideration for their fellow citizens (who also pay taxes). Only those seeking election to office should have this information out there. The rest are employees who deserve the same consideration as private sector employees. No names, just ranks/positions, period.
43
On No, jimb, say it ain’t so!!
This is not a discussion about the many sacrifices made by public employees.
It is about taxpayer entitlement and sacrifice.
#50 Shannon ~ What many sacrifices made by public employees? Those of us who believe in good govenment love our jobs. Did my job, did it well and did it proudly with a smile even when dealing with the cranky full mooners (I think some of them are posting on this blog).
But gave it all up last year and retired from government service, so now I’m just a real person demanding my taxpayer entitlement and sacrifice.
How come government can’t figure out that 1) After 8 hours, productivity plummets and 2) It’s much more efficient to hire additional staff at straight time rather than pay existing staff premium time(time and a half or double time)?
I can tell you why - they don’t care about efficiency and they have an endless (and virtually guaranteed) stream of taxpayer funded revenue. Their incentive is to spend ever increasing amounts so that they can increase next year’s budgeted funding level. They don’t have to turn a profit to eat - the taxpayer tit produces plenty of nectar for all.
Lawrence
The police department is having trouble hiring due to the better paying jobs out there, coupled with the nasty attitude that many citizens have towards the police these days and the constant threats of lawsuits being filed by criminals and their do-gooders if their innocent lambs are looked at crossways. Then the brass is ready to throw anyone into the fire to keep inquiring eyes from shifting to them. That’s why you have cops on overtime. The job was never easy, but at least the public had a modecum of respect for the officer - that is sorely lacking these days.
I simply will not get on the bandwagon that says all government employees are listless, shiftless bloodsuckers chewing on the necks of the taxpayers. I’ve known too many of them that are truly dedicated.
I will say that at all levels of government you will find those individuals that never had a clue as to whom their employer really is. And don’t care. It is these individuals that have a permanent chip on their shoulder and make their employer resent them.
Shannon - it’s not that the employees don’t know who their employer is and don’t care, but it should not be floated around on the interent for ALL to see (not everyone that has access is “their boss”). That is a invasion into their personal finances. Why do you have a problem with not posting names, but simply position and years served?
55
I am the employer. I demand to know whom I am paying and for what I am paying.
As have every employer I have ever had.
I make no distinction between driving to the government agency to review the public record and pulling it up on the internet.
#54 Shannon
I agree. Although, I have mixed feeling about releasing the names of rank and file employees. I haven’t decided exactly where I would draw the line, but I also find myself agreeing with much of Phil’s comments. Likewise, I find the actions of the Chronicle to be high-handed and asinine which is nothing new.
My opinion of them would be much higher if they published the facts and truth about, for instance, the rampant waste and financial malfeasance on the federal level. With this action the Chronicle has created alot of hostility in the public sector for themselves and I expect the payback will be felt like a thousand cuts by many on Texas Avenue.
Shannon, I would be disengenuous if I thought or said all government employees fall under my description. I think leadership, by and large, no longer understands its mission. I know that there are good people performing public service.
Case in point, #53 laments the public perception of police. There are many valid reasons police have lost the respect of the public in this town. Selective enforcement of laws, a policy of municipal leadership, is but one example. Questionable pension changes under LEE BROWN(with no game plan for unintended consequences) that incentivized mass exodus from the department are another. Municipal leadership(including Bill White) that are aware of the ramifications of an aging police force are too little and too late to the game.
Just sayin’
58
Long live Phil Graham.
58 LC
I simply have no contact with law enforcement. The three or four times I have been stopped for speeding in the last 20 years I have been treated with the utmost respect and been given warnings (except once). There has clearly been a change in the caliber of those employed by DPS.
My lack of contact with LEO’s is probably explained by the fact that I don’t go out at night much.
Granted, I don’t live in Houston, but I do travel there often……… I hear the same stories about bad cops around here, but I tend to consider the source of the complaint and cut the cops maximum slack.
Anecdotally, I look a young female Bellville police officer in the eye yesterday, held the convenience store door open for her, and said, “Hi”. She never even acknowledged my presence, much less thanked me or returned my greeting.
My initial reaction was…..B*tch.
But anyone can have a bad day.
She’s probably a Yankee with no manners to begin with.
59
It’s Gramm
“He is the best, and yet the Chronicle has stuck a big stick in his face and shook it for no good reason at all.”
Poor little fireman.
If he *really* thinks he’s entitled to hide the terms of his employment from his employers, he is not the best.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I think employers should know how much their subordinates are making.
Mine was there too. BOO HOO. This is public information and the Chronicle had every right to post it.
The logic behind them posting it is that hopefully an employee of a public entity will see another employee that does less and gets paid more and will call the paper with some real dirt.
The upside for me is that I wont have to worry about some young goodlooking gold digger trying to vamp me for my fortune.
#60 Shannon
You have no idea how many times the female officers get hit on and not given the respect male officers receive. I guess it’s something about the uniform that makes them attractive to some guys. And then again maybe some guys feel they need to be DISCIPLINED.
By the way my HYGF is a cop too.
#10 Just because you work in the private sector doesn’t guarantee your salary will be a secret to everyone in the office.
Salaries of public employees are available for anyone to see. You just have to take the effort to go to the correct office and ask to look at the current books. The Chronicle just made it easier for everyone to do by making it public. Probably needed to add pages to get advertising revenue up since they don’t serve any useful public service. After all you can only run so many stories taken off the AP or Reuters Wires bolstering the BO campaign. You have to have filler material to take up the space left by advertisers who have bailed out.
Alright, I found out my HFD brother is making way too much in overtime. He’s buying next time.
If you thing anyone here is whining, you should go look at the posts on chron.com. I think we are going to have to call the WAAAAAAAMBULANCE!
Smarter people come here. Rational discussion abounds. TGFLST!
Matt, Shannon, et al:
My name is one of the thousands listed by the Chronicle. I earn a reasonable salary in return for doing a job which I enjoy greatly. I consider myself privileged to have this job, and I am always mindful of where the money to pay me comes from. But….
I have to disagree with you - you are NOT my employer! You are roughly analogous to a stockholder in a corporation. You don’t know what I do, you don’t know what skills it takes, you didn’t interview me to hire me, you don’t write my performance reviews, and even if you did know what I do, frankly you probably wouldn’t understand it well enough to determine whether I’m worth the money I’m getting paid.
I understand that the public sector has to operate in a transparent mode, but in today’s society, with the risk of identity theft as high as it is, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a little common sense. What the Chronicle did could have been accomplished just as well without publishing names and instead using job titles.
One of the problems that we have as a nation is that we have driven most of the best people out of public service. If attitudes like the ones I have read here today persist, it will just move more people to the private sector, leaving the incompetents to fill the void.
#68 fat al
You should repost this comment on OC tomorrow. I also agree with you.
Taxpayers are not like “stockholder in a corporation.” Stockolders VOLUNTARILY use their money to invest in a company. If the company does not perform he sells his interest in the company.
Taxpayers have no “out option.” We are compelled by, ultimately, threat of death to pay for services. Those payments are called taxes. If a axpayer moves he then just changes the compulsion team.
Want to offer services to me through compulsion? BEWARE your employment compensation is public information.