Just back from a few days in Northern California, where we visited an Aged P, my 91 year old father-in-law.
It's a whole different feeling fiscally from the "let the good times roll" of my native state. And, of course, we've not fallen so far from a state of extreme affluence.
In addition to the bitterness about bonuses for bankers, we heard a lot of bitterness about state workers. No wonder! A front page story in the local paper, which was presumably carried by many other papers, concerned overtime earnings. The story began with the example of a prison nurse, whose $102,000 salary was reduced by $10,000 to $92,000 after a furlough. Then she earned $177,000 in overtime, bringing her salary to well over $250,000. She said the furlough had made things hard.
I try so hard not to let stories like this get to me.
Here's the story
How about you?
P.S. Thanks for sticking by me and commenting, Dear Readers. Will respond as I have time.
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5 comments:
Wow, state jobs are better than they used to be! I remember during the Oklahoma oil boom everyone else was wearing gold nugget rings and secretaries got $200 bonuses for just coming to work on Friday. We at the state office got our usual pay - I'd say set at a fairly low rate, but off set by benefits. At the time of the bust I told myself I might not have got rich, but I still had a job.
Doesn't say if the overtime she worked was in the same job or in the private sector; doesn't say what sort of nurse she (Neonatal intensive care or ER might get better pay) is or where she lives in CA (some states give higher travel allowance if you're going to an expensive city; those living in London get a small cost of living increase -- not enough by a long shot). All those things might influence her pay.
Studies seem to show that we feel our own wealth only in comparison to how much others have. I think that's rather sad, but can't say I'm above that. I resent the bankers as well.
Oops - that me up there - Shelley -- I'm making another blog, just to keep up with my blog list!! Silly, isn't it?
California must be very different. Everyone I know who has a State job gets paid less than their private sector counterparts. Benefits, retirement, and better job security seem to offset the pay differences.
Can you just imagine, though, doing your overtime in a prison?
@Shelley--The paper I picked up at the airport had a story on how public jobs now pay more than civilian counterparts--$7000/on average.
@Cubicle--See above comment. It was USA Today. Front page. Weekend edition.
@Duchesse--That's where her regular job is! So she must have made her peace with it.
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