An excerpt from...
TEACHERS, POLICEMEN AND FIREFIGHTERS MAY BE PRICELESS - BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN LITERALLY

We live in a society where celebrities make millions of dollars for their work. Do they deserve it? Sure they do - we purchase the tickets to professional sport games, blockbuster movies and the tickets that pay their income. This is fine. What is not fine is that regardless of how the system has developed, entertainers make millions while the heart of our nation earns pennies in comparison. Teachers, policemen and firefighters may be priceless, but that shouldn't be taken literally. They work three of America 's most important public service careers and they are usually not paid what they're worth. They are one artery in the heart of our nation.

There is not a direct relationship between entertainers and these three government industries, but the comparison is a prime example of America's values. It's not to say that movie stars or athletes don't deserve the money they make. Anyone who has seen the making of a movie would know that the behind the scenes interviews explain the incredible efforts of Hollywood. Athletes work hard and have a huge commitment to their careers as well. It is important to clarify that entertainment is valuable to the lifestyles of many people; entertainers are amazing contributors to societies' needs. They donate loads of money and they host numerous fundraisers. However, the employment of our teachers, firefighters and policemen is necessary for society to function in order to enjoy America's entertainment. This comparison is for the sake of illustration. For the most part, America is safe and educated enough to enjoy entertainment, to work to pay for entertainment and supportive enough to keep it alive. America is this way because of our educators and protectors. Unfortunately actors pretend to be teachers, firefighters and police but are paid more than the real ones. This is logically backward.

While a teacher is in a classroom feeding the minds of the future, a policeman puts on a bulletproof vest, not knowing what the day will bring. At this same time a firefighter, somewhere, is engulfed in flames. The median base salary of each of them is between $30-45,000 because their services are free for the citizens. The government has yet to figure out a satisfactory method of granting these professionals the luxurious lives they deserve in exchange for their selflessness. Incidentally, the system has valued 30-second commercials at millions of dollars, therefore, feeding the mouths of consumerism the caviar that should be shared with those who are the infrastructure of society. America's main artery. Our bloodline: Teachers, police and firefighters!

These professionals choose their careers regardless of the income because they love what they do; they want to make a difference. The professionals spoken of here can truly say they are not compensated appropriately for getting a drunk driver off the road, for influencing a senior in high school to go to college or for carrying a human from a burning building. That drunk could have driven into and killed any one of our family members; that senior may be a future hero; and that person saved by a firefighter could be any one of us.

How do we compensate for such valuable work that also strengthens the value of America? I propose: if a significant pay raise is to be formulated and supported, it should hit the taxpayers lightly; otherwise, there will be chaos. Rather than create an entirely new division to government budgets, these additional tax dollars need to be skimmed from all the different funds that can afford it. Give me the Government's expense sheet and I'm sure I can find funds to skim from and give back to America's police, firefighters and teachers.

 

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