Senate GOP seizes control in political coup

[Barrister]

What are you smoking?

I think he's trying to point out the flaw in your "I save the state this much ergo it justifies my salary" argument.

[lustindarkness]

I would never want to justify my salary, I might lose it if I tried. 

[DGuller]

I would never want to justify my salary, I might lose it if I tried. 

You're saving the Iraqi mothers all the expenses of raising their children.

[Strix]

What are you smoking?

I think he's trying to point out the flaw in your "I save the state this much ergo it justifies my salary" argument.

The problem is that there is no flaw. All the numbers are cold hard facts. Well, to be honest, I downplayed some of the numbers. The average cost to house an inmate in prison is roughly $40,000+ a year and only correction's officers just starting out make $36,000, so the numbers are higher all around. The number of officers I replace is probably low as well because it probably takes 3-4 officers a shift to watch 70+ inmates and they run three shifts.   

It suits Berkut's argument to suggest that I am being fanciful but the numbers are all there if he is willing to take his head out of the sand. 

[Jaron]

I'm depressed because I've been looking for months and can't find any job...except one, and I refuse to take it. You all know what it is.

[citizen k]

I would never want to justify my salary, I might lose it if I tried. 

You're saving the Iraqi mothers all the expenses of raising their children.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you even know what Lusti does?

[DontSayBanana]

Randomness: All I've gotten from speaking with a few people up there is that those actually in Albany don't really give a damn because their broken EMS system is a bigger deal, and that according to Albany residents, Spitzer is "the Love Gov" and Corzine is "Governor Crash."

[Berkut]

Point:

It is true

You know who is REALLY underpaid in New York?

lawyers.

Just think, for every client a lawyer keeps out of jail, they save the state at least a billion dollars!

They really need to pay PDs a LOT more!

Of course, the reverse of that is those damn DAs - they are a clear expense, what with their incredible cost to the state every time they convict someone. They should have to pay the state to do their job.

Counterpoint:

I think the DAs deserve more money as they keep those criminals off the streets. While it might cost a lot to hold those criminals, just think about how much money it costs to have police officers catching repeat offenders.  With no one going to jail, we'd need a much larger police force for the equivalent of a catch and release program. DAs are your best friend.

PDs on the other hand are horrible. They help scum get away with their crimes, allowing those "criminals" to run rampant. They should pay the state for their jobs.

Obviously the solution then is to get rid of the police.

[Sophie Scholl]

You're totally missing Berkut's point Strix.  He's saying that it doesn't matter how much you save or cost the state nor the bottomline of the budget.

[Barrister]

What are you smoking?

I think he's trying to point out the flaw in your "I save the state this much ergo it justifies my salary" argument.

The problem is that there is no flaw. All the numbers are cold hard facts. Well, to be honest, I downplayed some of the numbers. The average cost to house an inmate in prison is roughly $40,000+ a year and only correction's officers just starting out make $36,000, so the numbers are higher all around. The number of officers I replace is probably low as well because it probably takes 3-4 officers a shift to watch 70+ inmates and they run three shifts.   

It suits Berkut's argument to suggest that I am being fanciful but the numbers are all there if he is willing to take his head out of the sand.

But Strix a street sweeper earns minimum wage, but if we had no street sweepers our cities would become ugly and filled with trash, leading to plummeting property values.  That would cost the city billions.  Does that mean we need to dramatically increase the wages of street sweepers?

You can come up with all kinds of examples and counter examples.  Like Berkut suggested, directly I only cost the government money.  So should they cut my salary?

The only proper way to determine salaries is by reference to the free market.  On an open market what does a position with this kind of experience and training receive.  Yes it means sometimes you get "undeserving" people earning huge sums (I know rig pigs with no education and experience doubling my salary), while other "deserving" people earning peanuts.  But there's no other way to do it.

[Berkut]

It suits Berkut's argument to suggest that I am being fanciful but the numbers are all there if he is willing to take his head out of the sand. 

The fallaciousness of your argument has nothing to do with the numbers, hence my suggestion that you go take a basic course in economics, which would clear it right up for you.

[Barrister]

You're totally missing Berkut's point Strix.  He's saying that it doesn't matter how much you save or cost the state, your job should be based on the value of it as it benefits society more or less, not the bottomline of the budget.

At the risk of trying to speak for Berkut () I don't think he means that at all.

Strix's job should be based on the free market, not on any artsy-fartsy evaluation of "value" or "worth".  If the State needs to pay $70k to get people to work in that job, then fine.  But if they can get away with paying $45k, then thats all they should pay.

[Sophie Scholl]

More or less what I meant, I just screwed it up by typing it fast.

*fixed the prior post.

[Berkut]

You're totally missing Berkut's point Strix.  He's saying that it doesn't matter how much you save or cost the state, your job should be based on the value of it as it benefits society more or less, not the bottomline of the budget.

Well no, his job is worth whatever it takes to attract people with the requisite skills to the position in a free labor market.

Somewhat less than $75,000/year plus insanely amazing (and expensive) benefits. His "true" salary is probably at somewhere in the range of 50-100% more than his base salary, if you consider his actual cost to the state over his lifetime. Possibly much more, I haven't done the numbers.

But he can "retire" after 20 years at 50% salary for the rest of his life, for example. How much is that worth?

[lustindarkness]

I would never want to justify my salary, I might lose it if I tried. 

You're saving the Iraqi mothers all the expenses of raising their children.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you even know what Lusti does?

I'll answer for him, no. 

Actually, my civilian job is not known here and does need to be either. I can say i do serve the american people to the best of my abilities (not much abilities, I know).