I got more than one call Thursday from people - state employees, every one - asking me how much money I earn. They were whipped into a frenzy by the publication, on the State Journal's Web site of the salaries of those who work for the state.
"Invasion of privacy!," they cried.
"Sensationalism!"
"A cheesy scheme to pit state employees against each other!"
OK. Fair's fair. My annual pay is $76,544. Date of hire: Jan. 10, 1977. Job description: newspaper columnist. Town in which I ply my trade: Lansing. Now you can still call me a muckraker, but you can't call me a hypocrite.
By the way, I personally have nothing against publishing a list of State Journal employees and their salaries, top to bottom, as some have demanded. But even the most irate state employee has to admit it's not the same thing.
State employees are paid with public money, and taxpayer have the right to know where - and to whom - their money is going.
