Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Just a little Vent
I was going to write about women faking orgasms..but something happened today that pretty much pissed me off and I need to get it off my chest.
Hubby, up until today, was a columnist on a local online news website. This news source and I use the term "news" loosely decided that since the budget was such a hot topic and everyone is grumbling about where the money is going, yada, yada, yada, that they would create a program in which you could plug in a city employee's name and find out what they earned last year.
What the fuck? (excuse the french)
So you put in the city employee's name and it comes up something like this:
Divacowgirl's husband
Salary Overtime Total
xx,xxx xx,xxx xxx,xxx
I'm sure many would say, well what's wrong with that? It should be public knowledge. And perhaps it should. It is, actually information available to the public, should they request it. However, it's inaccurate. Let me explain why.
I'll use the hubby as an example He works with a specific department. He supervises officers that are part of a special detail. (You'll have to excuse my vagueness but it is a matter of privacy and safety) Half of his salary isn't paid by the city. It's paid by a completely different entity. It is also part of anti-terrorism and is supported by grants. Now...overtime. Hubby normally works overtime for one of two reasons. Lots of filming is done here in Long Beach. They use PD as a form of security during filming. He also works a DUI checkpoint once a month. The company doing the filming...they pay the costs of the officers working. The DUI checkpoint is covered by a federal grant. One checkpoint a month for a year, that is what each grant covers.
This featured "story" doesn't include any of this information. Nor does it include the amount of money the hubby pays in union dues, equipment, healthcare to cover his family, etc.
My husband took the editors to task on the story and they admit it's meant to encourage discussion. I'm not sure how giving readers a small part of something is supposed to be helpful in any way, shape, or form.
And not that he needs defending but my hubby works hard. And he works twenty-four seven. His phone rings at all times, and he answers and if he's not at the office he takes care of what needs to be done and doesn't even turn in those hours.
I just don't understand why my kid's teachers, my employees, my neighbor.....needs to know what my husband earns.
Will people look at me differently once they see my husband makes six figures? Because I'm still the woman that drives a 1995 Jeep Wrangler, doesn't have a television in her bedroom, is paying off a gazillion in student loans, and rents a house.
Not only that but does anyone consider that some people take this information a litle too personally? Isn't law enforcement's job difficult enough without throwing this into the mix. Comments on this website have already included personal attacks naming specific officers.
How is that helpful?
There are those who might say that perhaps then husband shouldn't be in this job if this issue is a concern. In fact, that's what one of his former editors told him. That's akin to saying that celebrities have no right to privacy because that's the life they chose.
I call bullshit.
Hubby, up until today, was a columnist on a local online news website. This news source and I use the term "news" loosely decided that since the budget was such a hot topic and everyone is grumbling about where the money is going, yada, yada, yada, that they would create a program in which you could plug in a city employee's name and find out what they earned last year.
What the fuck? (excuse the french)
So you put in the city employee's name and it comes up something like this:
Divacowgirl's husband
Salary Overtime Total
xx,xxx xx,xxx xxx,xxx
I'm sure many would say, well what's wrong with that? It should be public knowledge. And perhaps it should. It is, actually information available to the public, should they request it. However, it's inaccurate. Let me explain why.
I'll use the hubby as an example He works with a specific department. He supervises officers that are part of a special detail. (You'll have to excuse my vagueness but it is a matter of privacy and safety) Half of his salary isn't paid by the city. It's paid by a completely different entity. It is also part of anti-terrorism and is supported by grants. Now...overtime. Hubby normally works overtime for one of two reasons. Lots of filming is done here in Long Beach. They use PD as a form of security during filming. He also works a DUI checkpoint once a month. The company doing the filming...they pay the costs of the officers working. The DUI checkpoint is covered by a federal grant. One checkpoint a month for a year, that is what each grant covers.
This featured "story" doesn't include any of this information. Nor does it include the amount of money the hubby pays in union dues, equipment, healthcare to cover his family, etc.
My husband took the editors to task on the story and they admit it's meant to encourage discussion. I'm not sure how giving readers a small part of something is supposed to be helpful in any way, shape, or form.
And not that he needs defending but my hubby works hard. And he works twenty-four seven. His phone rings at all times, and he answers and if he's not at the office he takes care of what needs to be done and doesn't even turn in those hours.
I just don't understand why my kid's teachers, my employees, my neighbor.....needs to know what my husband earns.
Will people look at me differently once they see my husband makes six figures? Because I'm still the woman that drives a 1995 Jeep Wrangler, doesn't have a television in her bedroom, is paying off a gazillion in student loans, and rents a house.
Not only that but does anyone consider that some people take this information a litle too personally? Isn't law enforcement's job difficult enough without throwing this into the mix. Comments on this website have already included personal attacks naming specific officers.
How is that helpful?
There are those who might say that perhaps then husband shouldn't be in this job if this issue is a concern. In fact, that's what one of his former editors told him. That's akin to saying that celebrities have no right to privacy because that's the life they chose.
I call bullshit.
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