Why did it take the media so long to begin covering public employee salaries, benefits and pensions?
Good question.
I was thinking about this the other day after we did a story on the Vancouver fire chief’s retirement. Pretty deep into the story we noted what he was earning and that his state pension would give him 70 percent of his salary. We also noted that he was retiring at age 54.
And although the story didn’t do the math, my brain managed it. It came to a yearly pension of $90,000.
“Sheboygan!” I thought to myself. Then I did a little more math. If you are also 54 right now, before you see your first dime in Social Security — say, at age 65 — the chief already will have collected $1 million from his state pension.
Roll that around in your brain a little bit: $1 million.
ooo
But back to the question. What took us so long?
• Was the media frightened? Certainly, we appreciate — and agree with — the idea that firefighters and police officers have a difficult job. And any time you even remotely mention or question them, you will feel the consequences.
But the media are in the consequence-feeling business. No matter what we write, no matter whom we endorse, you’ll find someone opposed. As it should be.
So we’re pretty used to it.
• Were we too pro-labor? It’s true that many newspapers — way back in the day — began to give a voice to the downtrodden worker. Newspapers gave a voice to the voiceless.
But today, big labor is every bit as powerful as big business. Labor needs no help. If anything, the voiceless now are the taxpayers who try to navigate the potholes between these two giants. They pay the bills for both of them.
So we’re certainly are not protecting anyone.
ooo
I think in the end, we simply were slow on the trigger to recognize how much public salaries and benefits and pensions are costing all of us.
But the media now are stepping up.
The Columbian recently did its own package on this issue. In part, it documented how hamstrung local governmental negotiators are because of the system.
Police and firefighters can’t strike, so they often go to arbitration. Arbitration looks at what some others are making and gives our guys a raise. And the vicious circle goes on and on. And the taxpayer has to dig deeper.
ooo
Just this month the National Review — a conservative publication, to be sure — tackled this issue.
Neutral publications have dealt with the issue, as well.
• USA Today said this a couple of weeks ago:
“At a time when workers’ pay and benefits have stagnated, federal employees’ average compensation has grown to more than double what private sector workers earn.”
Another USA Today story showed that federal workers had higher average salaries in eight of 10 occupations.
• Time Magazine wrote that things are no longer equal.
“Public and private workers increasingly live in separate economies.”
Today it’s no longer a philosophical question. It’s a reality. Things need to change. The little guy — the taxpayer — simply can’t take it any more.
And the media are finally stepping up to cover it.
Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505 or lou.brancaccio@columbian.com.
