Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008 | I am struck by the absence of any serious discussion of, or challenge to, the salaries paid to government officials at all levels. It is absolutely appalling that a “director” level administrator for the city of San Diego can make more than $120,000 a year before any consideration of benefits and deferred compensation. Then there are administrators in the University of California system that make more than $250,000-plus benefits and deferred compensation. In both examples cited, what do we as taxpayers receive as a return on our investment? Surely, the financial mess confounding the city of San Diego is not solely the handiwork of elected officials? As for the UC system, the inevitability of annual increases in tuition and fees does not yield the taxpayer a more efficient educational system or more efficiently managed government or entrepreneurs who cannot succeed without the succor of the UC system subsidy!
In short, our tax dollars are wasted by a host of incompetent civil servants who continue to under-serve the community by their lackluster performance. It is time to cut back government salaries – substantially and over time. “Privatizing” government services as a panacea for inefficient governments is the most foolish idea since Upton Sinclair’s “End Poverty in California” campaign in 1934!
Thanks for the chance to voice my opinion.