Can you tell my hubby is out of town today? Not usually able to write so much.
We are public servants but we have to make a living. Generally a public servant is a paid employee of a government branch, therefore we are a bit different than them. The public servant title is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income and lifestyle. Examples of public servants are fire fighters, police officers, the army, social workers, etc. These are all people being paid and they must service all citizens regardless of ability to pay or who they are. Equal treatment for all. We on the other hand are having to make our living by the service we provide. We are not employees. We cannot refuse someone service based on their income, how they live their life, etc. We also have a maximum per signature fee set by the SOS and from there we are on our own.
Our serious commitment to public service has nothing to do with the fees we charge. We will do a job for absolutely anyone. That is our public service duty. If your fee is too high they have the right to shop around. How you set your fee has nothing to do with whether or not you are willing to provide a service. Of course, we have the flexibility in what we charge when working with someone living under a hardship situation. That too is a personal choice.
For a couple of years I was confused about this issue. I believe many are. This is my simple explanation of my conclusion. |
