Why the thumb on the scale, Governor Snyder?

[murstein]

This week, Governor Snyder released a report titled "Dollars and Sense: How State and Local Governments in Michigan Spend Your Money." I looked through it, and found it interesting that, in this period of economic hardship, Governor Snyder had an outside think tank/expert witness firm produce the analysis cited under every chart and in every

Comments

[luke_jaywalker]

I'd see an inherent conflict of interest in asking state employees to evaluate whether state employees are/aren't overpaid. It's like asking your CFO to audit his own accounting; you don't, you call in objective outsiders

[murstein]

Two data points: First, you're assuming that the skill levels of government workers are higher, on average, than private-sector workers. (To an extent, we're not even talking degrees - we're talking 'does this job NEED a degree?') I'd dispute that, unless you could provide evidence.
Step through any government organization chart, and you'll see a lot of places where basic competence should suggest a lot of expertise

[murstein]

They also employ secretaries, laborers and data-entry clerks. Are these individuals compensated equivalently to what secretaries, laborers and data-entry clerks get in the private sector?

During my great job search of 2005-2006, every one of those positions that was advertised, came with a lower salary than similar duties for a private employer. And I was looking at private employers in the same county, so the same wage dynamic should apply.

Now, it's entirely possible that Washtenaw County, MI, is the only place in the country this is true. When I've looked into complaints about overpaid government workers in other cities and states, the subject that was brought up always was the other end of the salary scale. One that stands out in myu memory was Colorado city manager who was overpaid . . . at less than 1/10 of the average pay for CEOs of businesses headquartered in the same county, with smaller revenues than the city.

. . . you're simply assuming that government employees *are* the gold coins.
Given what they do, the highly

[murstein]

Since the government isn't going out of business, this money can be absolutely relied on . . .

Not entirely. When Vallejo, CA, was in bankruptcy court, the judge broke the existing pension setup. The replacement took away about a third of the money you say "can be absolutely relied on," while increasing how much is taken out of paychecks to go into the retirement pool. Yes, money goes from employee paychecks to the pension funds; I've got a few bucks in the Michigan Education pension fund, because I worked tech support for a community college part time. I know that's not the tale in the mainstream news; on the other hand, the "welfare queens driving Cadillacs" of the '70s were the last stops for rusty old clunkers before the junkyard.

I know that the Wall Street Journal said something else about the pensions; in this case, I'm inclined to think CalPensions.com probably is closer to reality.