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I'm all in favor of paying public servants a good wage, but any money paid toward them which they put back into the economy must first be taken out of the economy in the form of taxes. So there is no financial gain above and beyond the benefit of having good happy police officers enforcing the law.
No. Have you ever taken an economics class?
We aren't talking about taking the same amount out of someone's check that you would just then return to them in the same amount in pay. You are way oversimplifying things.
Money does very little good for the economy when it stops changing hands. Money that is just sitting in fewer and fewer people's bank accounts isn't really "in the economy." Ok, it's barely in the economy. But if it were actively in circulation, say in the form of higher pay that then gets spent all around town, there is a lot of financial gain for a lot of people.
Say someone makes 27k/yr. They spend 27k/yr, mainly in their community.
Now they make 65k/yr. They spend 65k/yr, mainly in their community.
At some point people stop spending all the $$$ they make. So, if you are making 500k/yr, you are no longer spending 500k/yr. A lot of that $$$ just starts to sit around, so-to-speak. Make $20 million/yr? Even a lower percentage of that money gets circulated in the economy. Now you're the banking industry, sitting on some trillions of dollars that never touches you or me (no, it does not trickle down, sorry)...
With the right tax policy (much more like what they have in other civilized countries), and better labor laws ( e.g. higher minimum wages - which would help all workers, including police), there is, in fact large financial gain for people in raising (some of our) taxes and then spending that on people in the form of pay. It gets money moving, and therefore accessible to more people.
This would not only benefit those particular employees, it would benefit the vast majority of people in society.
We aren't talking about taking the same amount out of someone's check that you would just then return to them in the same amount in pay. You are way oversimplifying things.
Money does very little good for the economy when it stops changing hands. Money that is just sitting in fewer and fewer people's bank accounts isn't really "in the economy." Ok, it's barely in the economy. But if it were actively in circulation, say in the form of higher pay that then gets spent all around town, there is a lot of financial gain for a lot of people.
Say someone makes 27k/yr. They spend 27k/yr, mainly in their community.
Now they make 65k/yr. They spend 65k/yr, mainly in their community.
At some point people stop spending all the $$$ they make. So, if you are making 500k/yr, you are no longer spending 500k/yr. A lot of that $$$ just starts to sit around, so-to-speak. Make $20 million/yr? Even a lower percentage of that money gets circulated in the economy. Now you're the banking industry, sitting on some trillions of dollars that never touches you or me (no, it does not trickle down, sorry)...
With the right tax policy (much more like what they have in other civilized countries), and better labor laws ( e.g. higher minimum wages - which would help all workers, including police), there is, in fact large financial gain for people in raising (some of our) taxes and then spending that on people in the form of pay. It gets money moving, and therefore accessible to more people.
This would not only benefit those particular employees, it would benefit the vast majority of people in society.
I don't think Spartanburg County is full of incredibly rich people sitting on large amounts of wealth, and even if there were, Spartanburg County doesn't have a progressive taxation system, with which to take from those people and spend on make-work jobs programs. Spartanburg County will not be getting a progressive personal income tax system anytime in our lifetimes, and if they did, you would see an exodus of wealth from Spartanburg County.
Spartanburg County gets money primarily from property taxes, which take basically the same percentage from everyone, not progressively more as you go up the wealth scale. And so everyone chips in for that officer's salary. And so everyone's spending money is reduced - which offsets the economic gain from the one guy whose spending is increased.
Lastly, money doesn't just sit in bank vaults blocked out from the economy - banks loan that money out for other people to buy houses and start businesses.
I'm all in favor of paying public servants a good wage, but any money paid toward them which they put back into the economy must first be taken out of the economy in the form of taxes. So there is no financial gain above and beyond the benefit of having good happy police officers enforcing the law.
Read this today in the Spartanburg newspaper. That the starting pay for a deputy is $27,000!!!! The writer was in the "citizens police academy" and said he, and all the others, expressed some shock when they heard that.
WTF?? How can police departments in this state attract/retain quality employees with pay that is less than what you can make being a bartender!!
I know the area has had crime and gang problems too. You'd think the folks would be a bit more concerned and motivated to keep the criminal element out of the county.
Just wow, 27K to risk your life?
Well, it's not great for a police officer, but in comparison, many pilots for the regional jet portion of the major airlines, only make in the mid-20's. Think about that the next time you are 32,000 feet in the air with 49 other passengers on a Delta Connection flight......mid 20's salary and this guys has your life in his hands......really sad.
I don't think Spartanburg County is full of incredibly rich people sitting on large amounts of wealth, and even if there were, Spartanburg County doesn't have a progressive taxation system, with which to take from those people and spend on make-work jobs programs. Spartanburg County will not be getting a progressive personal income tax system anytime in our lifetimes, and if they did, you would see an exodus of wealth from Spartanburg County.
Spartanburg County gets money primarily from property taxes, which take basically the same percentage from everyone, not progressively more as you go up the wealth scale. And so everyone chips in for that officer's salary. And so everyone's spending money is reduced - which offsets the economic gain from the one guy whose spending is increased.
Lastly, money doesn't just sit in bank vaults blocked out from the economy - banks loan that money out for other people to buy houses and start businesses.
Spartanburg County has received MILLIONS of FEDERAL dollars, not to mention state funds, to hire sheriff and police officers in the past few years alone. ALL counties in this country do that, and they have for a long time.
Spartanburg County is not an independent island state, it's a County in the State of South Carolina in the Country of USA and receives millions of state and Federal funds to hire and equip it's police and Sheriff departments.
Spartanburg County has also LOWERED its taxes recently, despite the horrible pay it's Sherrif's deputies make.
Lastly, the Trillions of US dollars sitting in offshore bank accounts pay nothing into the US tax system. Banks only have to hold like 3-5% of what they actually loan out. Imagine how much money we could borrow to start new businesses if those trillions were here in the USA!
Imagine how we could pay the Sheriff and Fire and Police officers if taxes were paid by those corporations just holding all that money overseas.
Well, it's not great for a police officer, but in comparison, many pilots for the regional jet portion of the major airlines, only make in the mid-20's. Think about that the next time you are 32,000 feet in the air with 49 other passengers on a Delta Connection flight......mid 20's salary and this guys has your life in his hands......really sad.
Supply and demand, and cost of living in the area. that $27k is not that unusual in low cost of living areas where a lot of people are out of work and willing to work for that. San Diego ranks #25 in the highest starting pay for city police at $48,480, #1 is Austin Texas at $52,374. Most have great benefits, and a lot of overtime pay.
Here in Seattle it's $47,340 to start but many make well over $100k with the overtime.
And many metro areas in FL are very close to that number as well. Firefighters starting pay is close to $50k. That's starting pay.
Spartanburg County has received MILLIONS of FEDERAL dollars, not to mention state funds, to hire sheriff and police officers in the past few years alone. ALL counties in this country do that, and they have for a long time.
Spartanburg County is not an independent island state, it's a County in the State of South Carolina in the Country of USA and receives millions of state and Federal funds to hire and equip it's police and Sheriff departments.
Spartanburg County has also LOWERED its taxes recently, despite the horrible pay it's Sherrif's deputies make.
Lastly, the Trillions of US dollars sitting in offshore bank accounts pay nothing into the US tax system. Banks only have to hold like 3-5% of what they actually loan out. Imagine how much money we could borrow to start new businesses if those trillions were here in the USA!
Imagine how we could pay the Sheriff and Fire and Police officers if taxes were paid by those corporations just holding all that money overseas.
Does Spartanburg County currently run a surplus? If not, then all that money is already being spent, and increasing police salaries will require either a) someone else's salary or spending be reduced, which will negate any potential stimulus benefit, or b) increasing county taxes, which are not progressive.
Attracting foreign capital back to the US would be nice, but that's not Spartanburg County's decision. Spartanburg County must decide what to do based off of its current financial situation, and not factoring in changes in federal law that we wish we could have (and which Spartanburg County only has tiny influence over.)
Astounded by the pay to be a deputy in Spartanburg County SC
There is something wrong with this pay scale for all LEO's. They risk their lives with every call. I would like to know what can be done to pay these men and women their worth. They are who comes when you need help. Who can I contact to place my dismay that will do some good. It is atrocious to train them to protect us and my husband is on disability and receives just $200 less exactly and we struggle daily. Money is hard to stretch. I want to be active in all that can be done to help them all get what they deserve for putting their lives on the line every day they put on that uniform for almost poverty level. That is so sad.
hey, teachers start at roughly $31-32k a year and we get shot at too (bad taste?)
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Astounded by the pay to be a deputy in Spartanburg County SC
