A better class of public servant

Recently, the Farmington City Council honored former U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg for his contributions to the community. I’ve always wondered why we honor politicians and call their work "public service". In 2008, the salary for a U.S. representative was nearly $170,000 per year and according to the congressional calendar, the legislature was in session for only 120 days.

The average yearly wage in the United States is below $50,000 and we work about 240 days each year. Apparently "public service" means earning more than three times the average American and working half as much.

To add insult to injury, Knollenberg was honored for securing money for such items as the Shiawassee Park switchback and the traffic light in front of Harrison High School. The federal government takes our money, skims their percentage off the top, gives our public "servants" the opportunity to "secure" it for us, and then returns it for local projects. Apparently it doesn’t take much to be honored around here.

To paraphrase the Joker from The Dark Knight, this town deserves a better class of public servant.

[Letter to the Editor - The Farmington Observer. Published 02/05/2009.]