1. People work in education because they love the work, not the money.
2. We don't need to pay educators well because they're not the tops in their fields.
3. We can't recruit top candidates because the pay is shit.
4. Rinse, repeat.
I think it's a lost battle but I used to rage whenever I saw a company talk about their 'Vision'. Unless you're a poet, religious mystic or philosopher king - then you're being pretentious and grandiose.
You're typically expected to take a pay cut if you're doing any of these.
And don't forget life-long pensions at 80% salary.
How many distinguished engineers make anywhere close to these amounts (whether public or private)? Close to zero.
I mean, public service can pay well if you are a commissioner or head of a for-profit part of public service. I'm not sure there is much of a comparison to be made for software developers, though.
FERS gives you 1.1%years of servicehigh 3 average salary, which is about 40% salary for a lifetime of service.
The NYPD give 2.1%years of serviceaverage salary and early retirement at 20 years of service (less 50% social security upon that kicking in) which is a hell of a good deal, but hardly representative of what most government workers get. I think they are probably among the only 80% pay.
You also end up with the (generally state) government worker problem of the government just deciding that paying your pension is expensive, and then having it reduced or removed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯