'Public Service' Is Not About Service
By Harris Sherline
March 30, 2009
Why are politicians and government employees so often referred to as being in "public service," as if they are making some great sacrifice to work for the government?
We live in the era of the professional politician. "Public service" has become a career choice, and one that pays far better than most politicians could earn on their own, along with benefits and retirement plans that generally exceed anything the average taxpayer in the private sector receives.
From my perspective, what I see in politics are people who, for the most part, make a career of being on a government payroll while the rest of the population pays the tab. They often talk about the financial and career sacrifices they make, yet the combination of their compensation and benefits are often better than those in business and industry, without being subjected to comparable market risks.
In fact, most politicians probably could not earn a better living in another field. Yet, they persist in giving themselves raises, or establishing systems that make their raises automatic, without having to declare themselves by voting on their own pay increases.
As far as I'm concerned, this is absolute nonsense. Perhaps the most offensive aspect is that their compensation is not in any way related to performance. They get paid the same no matter how well or how poorly they manage the "people's business" that they so often talk about.
In May, 1999, Gary Ruskin, Director of the Congressional Accountability Project, stated in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives that a 1996 Roll Call study found that "all but six of the 73 newly elected House Members will receive large pay hikes when they take office, compared with their previous employment. . . During the last thirteen years, Congressional salaries grew by $42,900 -- more than $15,000 above inflation."
Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, in 2006 the average annual earnings of four professions: teachers, software engineers, accountants and doctors, makes the case very clearly: Estimated average annual compensation for elementary school teachers was $48,700 a year; for software engineers, it was $82,000; for accountants and auditors, $60,700; and for doctors, it was $142,200.
Contrasting these income figures with the current $174,000 annual compensation of rank and file members of the U.S. House and Senate, it's clear that, by any standard, most politicians receive a pay raise when they are elected to Congress, even compared with some of the higher paying professions.
Most Californians are not aware that their legislators currently earn over $145,000 a year, while the average annual per capita income of the state's residents is only about $39,000. People's Advocate, Inc. has reported that, "California legislators are now the highest paid state officials in America!" Our "public servants" in California receive an annual salary of $116,208 plus a tax free "per diem" allowance of $100 a day (about $30,000 a year), an annual allowance of $5,400 towards a state-leased automobile, plus insurance, along with other perks. In addition, they are allowed to earn outside income over and above their pay as legislators -- as lawyers, doctors, accountants, insurance brokers, whatever.
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