I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this
any more.”
TV infotainment/news anchor Howard Beale—portrayed by Peter
Finch in the 1976 film Network—raged against modern times
with that “mad as hell” lament. Reality, however,
demonstrates 33 years later that being mad as hell makes no difference
if we continue to take it.
I’m outraged by big pay for bigwigs in the private sector
nationally and bigwigs in the public sector at the local/state
level—at least in certain circumstances.
One case in point: Wall Street bigwig pay is outsized even as
taxpayers provide bailouts. If businesses that helped get us in this
fix pay the bailouts back with interest, fine, but until then
executives at large firms that got tax money should put on a happy face
and live with restricted pay as ordered by the so-called pay czar.
And anyone in a large financial services firm with half a brain
should forego the arrogance of insulting Americans via piggish pay
packages for already well-off hotshots.
This is written by as big a private enterprise advocate as you will
find. Despite my praise of capitalism, however, I decry capitalists
when their greed undercuts common sense. Each such executive numbskull
exhibits the PR grace of a rhinoceros in a tutu.
I’m even angrier when over-compensation in the (now
semi-)private sector nationally is mirrored in local/state
government—albeit with smaller yet overly generous pay
packages—and too many tax dollars are spent.
My second case in point: the Washoe County School District
advertised this month for a director of government/intergovernmental
affairs, public policy and strategic planning. The listed salary range
is $83,452 to $128,625 annually. Yes, you read that right.
This is an inappropriate use of tax money to lobby for a particular
point of view (say, as one district among many or to tap the treasury,
etc.).
Yet I’ll forego belaboring that argument in Cornucopia Nation,
a place where tax dollars are used to bail out banks and car companies,
to entice folks to trade in clunkers or buy homes, and to bribe geezer
guys like me with $250 because there won’t be COLA hikes in
Social Security checks due to disinflation.
Let’s just forget the argument that using tax dollars to lobby
for a point of view with which any old (or even young) taxpayer might
disagree is questionable. Valid or not, this standard was breached long
ago.
Let’s also forget that paying top dollar in hard times would
only occur to a big bank exec or government, in this case robbing Peter
Taxpayer to over-pay Paul Lobbyist.
Let’s focus instead on this question: Must we pay this
lobbyist (and manifold administrators for that matter) scads more than
classroom teachers?
The Washoe County School District pay classification provides a
10-year teaching veteran with a bachelor’s degree $45,312 a year.
Someone with a master’s degree and a decade of experience gets
$51,710. A teacher with a doctorate in philosophy or education and 21
years classroom experience tops out at $70,697 a year.
Yet a PR schmoozer with policy wonk skills who knows
legislation—or, better yet, legislators—will out-earn all
such veteran teachers from the git-go in this new job that Reno area
school administrators want taxpayers to fund.
Of course it’s all for the students, right? Yes, but
let’s not forget that includes future tax burdens at the
national, state and local levels.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hotter than Hades. We
shouldn’t take this in Nevada or our nation. Ever.