This reminds me of the 'Bullshit Jobs' article by David Graeber. While I don't know how much I agree with the article, it does touch on your pet peeve:
> Yet it is the peculiar genius of our society that its rulers have figured out a way, as in the case of the fish-fryers, to ensure that rage is directed precisely against those who actually do get to do meaningful work. For instance: in our society, there seems a general rule that, the more obviously one’s work benefits other people, the less one is likely to be paid for it.
Where did you get those numbers? http://www1.salary.com/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Salary.h...
Re:Starting an Airline
by FireBeyond on Wednesday September 25, 2013 @01:34PM
(#6445998)
That number is a hybrid number for EMT Basics and EMT Paramedics (- and admittedly I'm guilty of doing the same thing in my original comment)
http://www.indeed.com/salary/EMT.html
Shows EMT-B salary at $19,000, and EMT-Paramedic salary at around $41,000.
Source Two: I worked as an EMT-B. Starting salary was $9.60/hr ($19,200), with 3% annual pay raises.
Paramedics, who do even more, including being entrusted with cardiac drugs, narcotics, and skills up to and including cricothyrotomy, often fare barely better than said barista.