faterikcartman – I think a public sector employee certainly did have the ability to go out in the private sector to make money.
Many people were getting a real estate license and selling. I remember hearing how the amount of licenses issued had increased greatly in California during the bubble. Do you suppose this happened b/c there was money to be made?
Why do you think money wasn’t made in the bubble? Perhaps you didn’t hear the Giant Pool of Money. It is worth a listen.
They discuss the story of the bubble and crisis and one guy, Mike Gardner – man who got into the mortgage industry after getting hired away from his previous job as a bartender.
An area sales manager named Glenn at WMC Mortgage made 75 to 100k a MONTH. Over a million a year. I do not think these are exceptions. It was common.
I’m glad you brought up the military. I’m not sure what the income is for military, but they do have benefits, medical, dental, housing, food. And from what I understand, if you stay on for 20 years, you get a pension, also.
The military offers these incentives b/c otherwise they might have difficulty getting people to sign on. They offer to pay for education. Many people take advantange of that, as well
Some of the cops that I know had served in the military. They said the psych requirements were much lower in the military than SDPD.
Lastly, ever hear of Blackwater? They’re private and the mercenaries are making much more than our public military.
And yes, now that our unemployment numbers are so high, certainly more people turn to public service. And the list is long b/c right now the City does not have the money to hire anyone. During the bubble, the City had a hard time keeping positions filled – and that’s even w/the lure of benefits.
