[irishjuggler]

The simple fact of the matter is that our political class in the US is composed of people who aren't bright enough or competent enough to make it in private industry. And we let these people make funding decisions with our tax dollars, with the expected results.

Very true. The other problem is that the people making these funding decisions are typically public employees who are themselves eligible for the very gold-plated benefit packages they're creating. The foxes are in charge of the hen house.

[roadcat]

Very true. The other problem is that the people making these funding decisions are typically public employees who are themselves eligible for the very gold-plated benefit packages they're creating. The foxes are in charge of the hen house.

Bingo! Very true, and you stated it nicely. I've seen this up close, having worked in government. The leaders in unions come up with surveys of what workers are getting in other local municipalities, saying they need to be on a par with others. The surveys are skewed to support their viewpoint. Because of various city charter rules, managers must get paid more than those they manage (often at least 5 percent above the highest paid worker). The ones making the benefit funding decisions know they'll get a large bump in pay, automatically, when the lesser workers receive theirs. They don't care about the ability of the city to handle the burden. Also, most of the leaders in the unions come from the rank and file workers, and quickly rise in promotions and pay for themselves. They are not there for the rank and file workers, but for their own self-interest.