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This is a stupid nitpick, but is California's standard of living higher on average, or is its cost of living higher? Implying that teachers get paid more so the
by ja2ke 18y ago
This is a stupid nitpick, but is California's standard of living higher on average, or is its cost of living higher? Implying that teachers get paid more so they can afford California's "standard of living" rings more accusatory to me than if the author had attributed it to "cost of living," but I don't know if he's right, if he's wrong and deliberately wrote that to fan the flames a bit, or if it was an honest mistake.
- astine 18y agoStates with higher salaries and more generous welfare programs tend to have higher costs of living. The extra spending is one factor which tends to drive up prices. It works with the schools too. One of the reasons colleges tuitions have risen in recent years is because subsidies have increased. When there is more money being spent on a good or service, there nearly always an increase in price. So, if the California government pays it's employees more money, and spends more on welfare than average, then the costs of living are necessarily going to increase. Of course, there is more to it than that. Highly paid technical workers can make things difficult for more poorly paid locals as well, but it's certainly part of it.
- ja2ke 18y agoA "standard of living" sounds like an objective or expectation which one sets personally or is set by your lifestyle or professional or personal peer group, whereas "cost of living" seems more like "the minimum amount of money it takes to get by in this region." At least to my ears, that difference is why it sounded a bit odd, like "teachers need more money to support their California Lifestyle," or whatever.