Why firefighters in Memphis are calling it quits

People want government services, but don't want to pay for them.
This is a subset of the fact of the almost universal welfare mentality of humans, who want to get more than they give. Including CEOs who want good service from their employees, but don't want to pay fair wages.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/16/wonkbook-why-firefighters-in-memphis-are-calling-it-quits/?postshare=5251426550814632

By Max Ehrenfreund March 16, 2015

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When it's easier to find a job, people are more likely to quit the one they have, and no business can operate smoothly if it constantly has to recruit, hire and train new workers to replace the dissatisfied ones who are quitting.

That's true not just of businesses, but also of fire departments -- which makes Timothy W. Martin's report from Memphis in The Wall Street Journal especially worrying. The city council there, realizing there isn't enough money to pay the city's pension debts, voted for a less generous plan in December. In response, at least 250 police officers and firefighters quit their jobs, and the city is having trouble finding replacements.

"I can't justify me putting my life on the line, and not knowing if my family would be taken care of," a firefighter named Joseph Vaughn told Martin.

A stable pension is an important reason that many people go into public service. But these pensions are in the red across the country, and if local governments want to continue to function, they'll need to find more money, whether to close the gap or to raise pay instead. Otherwise, not only will we all be less safe, but local government won't be able to adequately fulfill its other crucial responsibilities either.

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