In defense of public employees

Mike Casey writes, “Government positions paid for by the taxpayer are not jobs, they are a utilization of government funds that drain the treasury and add nothing to the economy” (Villager Inbox, December 5).  By government positions, does he mean police officers, firefighters, teachers, scientists, public works construction and maintenance works, engineers, judges, food inspectors and soldiers?

Government employees have real jobs, and they do pay taxes.  However, it’s nothing like “stealing your car and leaving you bus fare.”  By Casey’s argument, when a government employee buys a car, it’s not really a sale for that dealership: Those dollars somehow don’t exist for the business, so they don’t spend them on overhead or stock or their own employees.

It’s fine for people to think that all government employees are deadbeats, adding nothing to the economy.  But if they really think society world be better off by eliminating all these jobs, I hope they have plenty of money, lots of guns and a compound somewhere, because in the absence of all those useless government employees like cops and soldiers, you’re on you own.

I looked Mr. Westberg up in the State Government White Pages, and he’s not a state employee.  It’s nice to see that some people appreciate the work that we do on behalf of the citizens of the state; these services don’t just happen automagically you know.