Why does the average republican think that government workers are overpaid when the fact is that they are?

Yes and No, Lets take Local authorities as an example, the chief executives are vastly overpaid and so are departmental Directors and deputy Directors.To my mind it is difficult to justify such standards of wages given to these people. The wages are worked out on scales from low earners on a 1 to 10 basis rising to SO1 to SO2 and thereafter P01 to PO8 then the grades continue up to the chief executive.. All grades above P04 are vastly overpaid and given golden handshakes when they leave usually out of the pension funds this is wrong. Grades of P04 and below earn their money and as Sceptic has already stated how do you compare differences in job descriptions as the private sector is unlikely to be faced with the same workloads or political intrusions from MP's, Councillors, Community Representatives etc. The public sector is not overpaid but needs outdated practises closed with new ideas based on savings and prevention of waste.

ATB Red.

We've been here before, NLV. Public sector workers are not a single homogeneous mass of workers. Some are pen-pushers, probably over-paid.

Some are extremely skilled, very highly paid and could probably earn more in the private sector. Some are grossly underpaid, doing dirty jobs that few would want. The poor providing for the wealthy?

Possibly, but why don't you apply that to those on benefits who provide the profits for the Tesco board. But then, as a well paid (but nowhere near one of the 38,000) public sector worker, I would say that, wouldn't I? EDIT: And have you read how your own link ends.... "We're not comparing like for like here.

A lot of the real bottom-rung jobs in the public sector - like cleaning hospitals for example - have been 'outsourced' to the private sector. So average wages are bound to be higher - and rightfully so. You could ping-pong back and forth over the issue of pay all day long - by which time you'd have sensibly given up listening.

So let's ditch the mudslinging and get right to it - what does this all mean? Honestly? It means nothing.

Let me explain. Salaries not the point You can't meaningfully compare the wages of a social worker and a bank clerk - they do entirely different jobs. And you can't put a value on the fact that public sector staff generally have more job security than those in the private sector.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.