[Northendzone]

in some fairness to the city employees i do not believe that they receive perks like bonuses and of course there are no stock options. These are two comp items that (some) employees in the private sector get.

it would be an interesting exercise to track two employees of similar age and similar base earnings thru their career and see who is better off financially at age 65.

i go back and fourth about elected officials pay. on one hand they do seem to put in a lot of hours, and i think you want to ensure they are well compensated or else we get larry the cable guy as mayor.

but the reality is that the cost of benefits - generous pension plans and generally better than average benefit plans that mostly cover 100% of most things with little employee contributions are getting more and more expensive.