From the comments: Are government employees overpaid?

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on June 24, 2010 at 12:40 PM, updated June 24, 2010 at 1:21 PM
DAS.Bouchard5.JPGMike Bouchard
A Gazette story on MLive, in which Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Bouchard said public employees in Michigan are overpaid and a constitutional amendment is needed to bring their salaries in line with the private sector, is generating conversation.

Bouchard, a former state lawmaker and currently the Oakland County sheriff, is one of five Republicans vying for the GOP nomination for governor in the Aug. 3 primary. He spoke at Western Michigan University’s Fetzer Center during a campaign stop Wednesday.

Are government employees overpaid? User karatkake said yes.

The government employees are well compensated compared to the people whose tax dollars pay them. The federal employees are extraordinarily well compensated. Federal employees are immune to the ebbs and flows of the economy and increasingly stand out as overpaid.

Disagreeing to a point, chuckdarby replied:

That is not 100 correct. Some state employees are overpaid for what they do, however some are grossly underpaid compared to what their counterparts make in the private sector. I do agree with the federal employees though.

User tstickroe said government employees are overpaid, and said until Bouchard does what he says he will do, it hard to believe him.
Government employees in general are overpaid. I don't think that takes away from the pandering he is doing. It's great that he is saying so but until something is done its a bit unbelievable. If he were a real leader he'd start with his own salary. Give back what you think is fair and show us how serious you are. That is when the politicians go quiet.

MLive user zastron explains how he thinks finding whether someone is "overpaid" should be decided.
The test as to whether gov employees are overpaid is whether a qualified person would be willing to do the job for less. If the state advertised for an opening for a clerical position at the current wage rate, there would likely be a hundred qualified applicants for the position. An even better example is the post office. Hundreds of people apply for each opening. Government should be run like a business and pay what is required to get qualified people, not significantly more.

dcar11 agrees with candidate Bouchard that public employees in Michigan are overpaid and a constitutional amendment is needed to bring their salaries in line with the private sector.
That's all I need to hear...he's got my vote!

Why is it that the people that are being paid by the tax payers of Michigan make more, on average, than the Michigan tax payer? It's a travesty and a joke.

Liberty Hawk says Bouchard should start with himself.
If Bouchard is really serious about reducing state workers' salaries, let him start with his own.

What do you think? Join the conversation.