Letter: State corrections officers overpaid

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998 | 2:47 a.m.

Appalling discrepancies like this are the reason why private-sector workers like myself only earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by a state worker.

I was disgusted with the lame argument, " ... the starting salary for a state corrections officer ... married with two children ... after deductions ... leaves little left for a viable savings much less a decent living. To reach the top level of salary range requires eight years of service."

First of all, a guy who can't earn much should think twice before he conceives two children, instead of expecting the taxpayers to support his breeding habits. Secondly, do they mean to tell me that they receive automatic, annual raises (in addition to cost of living raises), for eight years? Why, I didn't realize that they are still improving their prisoner-watching skills after eight years.

When you argue that local correctional workers (at $2,758 to $3,630 per month, plus cost of living increases) earn much more than their state counterparts, you only lend ammunition to the argument that all these correction centers should be operated by private companies such as Corrections Corp. of America, which is operating the state women's prison in North Las Vegas at a much lower cost, and with fewer problems than our state-operated prisons.

Dana Moss