PRIORITIES - WHO MAKES THEM

It has always amazed me the status the public (in actuallity I reckon about 1% of society- ie, judges, newspaper editors, professors, senior civil servants, and of course politicians of all stripe) place certain professions/careers/ jobs, based of course upon the wages paid to them, for the service they provide society.



This has been very apparent in British Columbia lately. In the news there has been news involving the BC parmedics and ambuance drivers negotiating for a new contract. In this same time frame are reports of "important persons" wages and perks that boggle the imagination.

The one thing that very quickly becomes apparent to any thinking person is that what one receives in pay, has absolutely no relation to what they contrubute to their fellow citizen and society a a whole. Indeed it appears to be the opposite!

One the one hand we have dedicated persons like the paramedics (and firemen) that daily work strange shifts, are called out in the worst weather in the middle of the night, to attend to THE injured or dying on a daily basis. Anyone who has been attended/rescued or has had a loved one saved by this concientious group of professionals probably have a life long feeling of gratitude in their heart.

This relatively small group of essential (as decreed by us the public) employees
are paid a modest salary of about $30 per hour.

On the other side of who is truly important to society are those "succesful" members of society that are fortunate enough to be 'Appointed' to various boards such as the BC ferries board of directors.

"Board members receive $48,000 annually and $10,000 extra when they chair a subcommittee. The board chair is paid $154,087. In addition, board members receive $1,500 a day to attend a meeting in person, and $750 to participate via teleconference" [Vancouver Sun July 30 2009]

Think about these numbers - one person is paid three times as much to stay at home and listen on the phone for a few hours, as a person actually doing the public an essential service . What do you think would be missed by the average citizen of this country - those listening in to a phone call - or the ambulance service?
Who is worth more - I mean actually worth more - when was it you last phoned a board member when a loved one needed help?

Now I must admit I have never attended any of these meetings. Although if they are anything like some of the board meetings I have read of, in sworn testimony recently, at a famous trial south of the border, these dedicated citzens are not overworked. I understand there are about 40 meetings per year, if they attended each meeting a member would make about $100,000 per year. Not a bad part time job.

However, we average brain washed members of our democratic society, as represented by the BC Governments Transportation minister, cringe at the thought of paying the actually important members of are society the same amount for a full time position.

SOMETHING IS VERY SERIOUSLY OUT OF WHACK SOMEWHERE!