How much does society gain from personal-care aides who assist the elderly, convalescents, and persons with disabilities? Likely more than their average pay of $9.67 an hour, or just over $20,000 a year.What's the social worth of hospital orderlies who feed, bathe, dress, and move patients, and empty their ben pans? Surely higher than their median wage of $11.63 an hour, or $24,190 a year.Or of child care workers, who get $10.33 an hour, $21.490 a year? And preschool teachers, who earn $13.26 an hour, $27,570 a year?Yet what would the rest of us do without these dedicated people?Or consider kindergarten teachers, who make an average of $53,590 a year.That may sound generous but a good kindergarten teacher is worth his or her weight in gold, almost. - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/work-and-worth_b_5645607.html