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(Edited extract from a letter in New Scientist)

consider a short, random list of human occupations - two dozen or so, say - ranging from farm labourers, sewage operatives and hospital cleaners to supermodels, investment bankers and famous sportsmen, Now arrange these under two different criteria. In list one, arrange the people in order of the reward paid to them by society That's the easy list.

The second, trickier, criterion requires ranking in order of "usefulness", which is just about as subjective a decision as one could hope for. But consider it this way: if the occupation in question suddenly and completely ceased to exist, how long would it take for the rest of us to decide it was necessary to reinvent it? In the case of some, the answer could well be as little as a few hours. In the case of others, we may decide not to bother.

Thus arranged, it is my observation that these two lists can now be overlaid with very close correlation - provided, of course, that one of them is turned upside down first.

How did this situation come about? What, if anything, can be done to redress the ballance?

Discuss.

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"The road to a police state is paved with public safety legislation"

There is a massive imbalance in the way society rewards certain jobs and this is simply a function of our misplaced sense of importance and priorities.
Although I love my football, professional players are rewarded way in excess of the relative importance of what they actually put back in to society as a whole. Yeah they have a short playing career, but in that time many can amass in a year, a remuneration that would take those working to feed, clothe and maintain the health of the nation a whole lifetime to earn.
The balance will only ever be addressed if we are suddenly forced to realise that tilling the land and making things to sell are vital to our countries well being, and that selling money to each other to buy things made on foreign shores is less important.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

First delete from the list all the jobs which, if not done, would result in no change in the lives of the vast majority. So you can ditch footballers, models etc. straight away. Take the "real" jobs left and then arrange these in a pecking order based on "can man A do man B's job". Then see how this correlates with salary.

For example, a surgeon can probably turn his hand to cleaning the wards.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

The trouble its, its far too subjective and depends laregly upon our own view of how the world is and should be.
Why do we need stockbrokers for example? Do we really need to buy and sell shares in companies? Couldn't businesses be run by the workers, so why do we need highly paid executives?
Football, the music industry, and even fashion (much though I loathe the whole pretentious industry) all generate revenue and create jobs in sales, manufacturing, entertaininment, and the media.
The world of economic is what it is. What pays well today may earn peanuts tomorrow.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

It's very easy to suggest supermodels/footballers etc. are useless and overpaid and that dustmen etc. are useful and underpaid.

However, while I think Jo/Joe Average could probably be trained to be a dustman relatively easily, he or she would most likely not be able to become a supermodel or world-class footballer after a short familiarisation course.

Nobody forces football clubs to pay their stars huge sums, except the willingness of other clubs to do the same. Good old free market. If a dustman/hospital cleaner etc. wants to say "sod this low paid drudgery, I'm off to Man U" no-one is actually stopping them from trying to do so.

Hey!... I and my colleagues work in an industry which:...if stopped tomorow...would result in your deaths within a week,......OK a fortnight at the most!

Please all, send your £1M cheques to "Draco" via Safespeed .org.uk

BTW: I wasn't kiddin'......I really do work in such an industry...........and I do go out in the wee hrs to make sure that all is well, For 30K a year.

I'm a "saint" aren't I?..........