From eugenics, nuclear armaments (and, yeah, it was a good thing that we got them prior to Hitler), all the way to global warming/"green" energy, the latter seems to influence the former, and not always in a positive way.
I had the privilege to tour the Hanford Works a few years back. Between 1944 and 1945, 50,000 construction workers built the plant that would produce almost all of the plutonium used in the US nuclear arsenal (beginning with the Trinity shot). It was a pleasure to talk with 90 year old nuclear engineers about running the first reactor based on slide rule calculations. But..most extraordinary, this enormous part of the Manhattan Project was done by private industry, Du Pont, specifically. We note in their letter to employees at the time: "We did, however, insist upon two conditions. The first was that du Pont make no profit whatever from the work it did. The contract accordingly gave du Pont a fixed fee of one dollar on work that ultimately was to necessitate the expenditure of about $350,000,000, and the design, construction, and operation of by far the largest plant that du Pont ever built or operated. The second was that no patent rights growing out of du Pont's work on the project should go to du Pont. Our feeling was that the importance to the nation of the work on releasing atomic energy was so great that control, including patent rights, should rest with the Government. The Government accepted these conditions, too." That was then: now we have Blackwater & Halliburton. What happened?
Can't help but a agree, RN. Greed at the expense of public service. The New York transit workers (paid at least 30% more than a fair wage on average...with thousands of them making $200,000 a year) and state government officials who take a million a year are also part of it.
OK, lets look at this. As I found elsewhere, New York transit workers are paid at least 30% above the fair wage (the free market pay of bus drivers, taxi drivers, etc). This does not even count the amount of excessive government pensions, so the difference is probably much much higher.
According to "Find the Best" http://government-pay.findthebest.com/l/1512/Transit
Mean Full-Time Annual Salary: $75,473
According to different sources, average private bus driver and taxi driver pay in NYC is $39,000. This is a fair wage, as it is based on economic realities, and not government intervention.
What the difference here? More than 30%... $36,000 that is the average overpay. Average waste....
I find a 33,000 total employee number for NYC government transit workers. Multiply 33,000 times $36,000.... and this waste adds up to more than a billion dollars a year. Money that could be used for schools, health, infrastructure instead of overpaying tens of thousands of people. And this is just one department in that city.
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Also, according to the New York business insider, "8,074 MTA employees earned $100,000 last year. Fifty MTA employees earned more than $200,000 last year."
This should be treated as a scandal, with prosecutions. Money is taken forcible from New York workers to hand out this money, in some cases 500% of the fair wage.
I had the privilege to tour the
ReplyDeleteHanford Works a few years back.
Between 1944 and 1945, 50,000
construction workers built the plant that would produce almost all of the plutonium used in the US nuclear arsenal (beginning with
the Trinity shot). It was a pleasure to talk with 90 year old nuclear engineers about running the first reactor based on slide rule calculations. But..most
extraordinary, this enormous part of the Manhattan Project was done by private industry, Du Pont, specifically. We note in their letter to employees at the time:
"We did, however, insist upon two conditions. The first was that du Pont make no profit whatever from the work it did. The contract accordingly gave du Pont a fixed fee of one dollar on work that ultimately was to necessitate the expenditure of about $350,000,000, and the design, construction, and operation of by far the largest plant that du Pont ever built or operated. The second was that no patent rights growing out of du Pont's work on the project should go to du Pont. Our feeling was that the importance to the nation of the work on releasing atomic energy was so great that control, including patent rights, should rest with the Government. The Government accepted these conditions, too." That was then:
now we have Blackwater & Halliburton. What happened?
Profit over Principle.
DeleteCan't help but a agree, RN. Greed at the expense of public service. The New York transit workers (paid at least 30% more than a fair wage on average...with thousands of them making $200,000 a year) and state government officials who take a million a year are also part of it.
DeleteDon't forget G.E., Enron, Goldman Sachs, etc.. Can't rightly see any of them sacrificing, either.
ReplyDeleteToss in Koch industries for good measure.
ReplyDeletedmarks, you really have a bug up your arse over the NYTA. Why I'n not sure other than it's not for profit PRIVATE sector.
I don't know but it seems a bit convoluted to me.
Not convoluted at all. It is just that it is very bad to force taxpayers to waste money on massive unearned welfare payments like this.
ReplyDeleteNYTA is welfare?
ReplyDeleteThe welfare amount, the handout, is the difference between the fair wage and the wage paid.
ReplyDeleteOK, lets look at this. As I found elsewhere, New York transit workers are paid at least 30% above the fair wage (the free market pay of bus drivers, taxi drivers, etc). This does not even count the amount of excessive government pensions, so the difference is probably much much higher.
ReplyDeleteAccording to "Find the Best" http://government-pay.findthebest.com/l/1512/Transit
Mean Full-Time Annual Salary: $75,473
According to different sources, average private bus driver and taxi driver pay in NYC is $39,000. This is a fair wage, as it is based on economic realities, and not government intervention.
What the difference here? More than 30%... $36,000 that is the average overpay. Average waste....
I find a 33,000 total employee number for NYC government transit workers. Multiply 33,000 times $36,000.... and this waste adds up to more than a billion dollars a year. Money that could be used for schools, health, infrastructure instead of overpaying tens of thousands of people. And this is just one department in that city.
-----------------
Also, according to the New York business insider, "8,074 MTA employees earned $100,000 last year. Fifty MTA employees earned more than $200,000 last year."
This should be treated as a scandal, with prosecutions. Money is taken forcible from New York workers to hand out this money, in some cases 500% of the fair wage.