Normally we only have about 400 to 500 page loads a day here at this sleepy, little corner of the Internet.
But since I posted county documents on Monday that list the salaries of Miami-Dade employees who make over $100,000 a year, I've experienced an explosion of visits to my blog. And many of those stopping by work for the county! More on that in a bit.
Yesterday, I had about 7,400 unique visits and and some 13,500 page loads. Today traffic is off but still way above my normal daily numbers.
It goes without saying that an issue like this is going to generate a lot of emotion. You can see some of that in the comments on my original post. Comments on Miami Herald's story have passed the 200 mark,
It's pretty easy to tell who's leaving those comments. Simply put, commenters who defend the high salaries obviously work for the county and those who condemn the high salaries are taxpayers.
No one is saying that all county employees are lazy or don't deserve what they get paid. This comment left on the Herald's website speaks for itself:
20 plus years on the job and I've seen 2 friends shot and murdered,2 die from heart attacks and 2 from accidents. Thats not counting several that left on disability for injuries and psychological problems.And a Herald reader responded:
How much money is it worth to you to walk into a warehouses dark alley at 3 AM alone,because you heard a strange sound or go into a dark house knowing that a deranged person was inside and waiting for you. Do you think that you would like to be covered in blood and tell a mother that your CPR failed and that her daughter was dead.
Sir. This is a job that you and your friends took by choice! We have brave soldiers fighting wars for this country that do not demand such high salaries! The problem is government in employees empowered by unscrupulous unions and politicians have used taxes to fill there wallets. When their is no money to make payroll most of us downsize. Government sticks its hands into someones wallet. Please remember government is an means not an end.The outrage from taxpayers comes from the fact that somewhere in the county's 28,000 member workforce there are people who aren't pulling their weight.
The documents reveal that a lot of those earning six figures do so by working overtime.
But as I looked at my blog's stat counter this morning, I was left wondering how many of the Miami-Dade county workers who have visited my blog in the past few days have put in for overtime this year? Or how many of my blog's new readers from county hall make more than $100,000 a year?
Here's a screen shot showing a number of visits coming from the county-run Miami International Airport. (Click all images to enlarge.)
And here's a screen shot showing numerous entries from Miami-Dade county IP addresses.
The screen shot below also shows visits from a county IP address.
There's also an intriguing entry that shows numerous entries from the Department of Homeland Security in Centreville, Virginia. The entry shows visitors landing on my blog after clicking on a link at MiamiNewTimes.com. I can't imagine how the DHS is keeping America safe by visiting my blog. Or how Miami-Dade county workers justify those high salaries when they spend so much time surfing the 'net!
By the way, some Miami-Dade employees want you to know that they don't spend all their time surfing the 'net.
Here's a page on the county's website that explains what else they do: We run the Airport and the largest Seaport in the Southeast. We protect our delicate ecosystem. We recycle your Christmas trees after the holidays.
To borrow a phrase from a friend: "...I wonder what 6-figure crony came up with this drivel."
And another question: How many more like this guy are pulling down those six-figure salaries?
