Dear All;
Congratulations to Leslie Mangus our LPSF treasurer who had an LTE published
which spoke out against over-paid police and firefighters in SF.
Ron Getty
Circular salary argument
In the Aug. 6 article “Cops, firefighters tip pay scale,” San Francisco Police
Officer Association President Gary Delagnes attempted to justify high salaries
by citing the high cost of living in the Bay Area. This argument is completely
circular and nonsensical.
A major factor in the high cost of living here is the high salaries and
benefits of public employees, notably police and firefighters. Does anyone in
government ever study economics? Public-sector employees enjoy generous
compensation packages because taxpayers, unlike customers of private firms,
cannot cut off the money.
Wages at a private company are ultimately limited by the willingness of
customers to buy the product and pay the cost. In the public sector there is no
such limitation because governments acquire their resources by taxation, which
is confiscation backed up by threats of fines and prison sentences.
Leslie E. Mangus
San Francisco