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In the Money

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The economy is down, but some businesses are still bustling. Take the business of running local government in Washington, D.C. Money must be rolling in. The mayor just asked the city council to raise the highest compensation level he is permitted to pay employees by $100,000.

No, not to $100,000. Mayor Vincent Gray wants to raise the top salary by $100,000 — from $179,000 to $279,000.

One council member called the new mayor “tone deaf”; another said the idea is DOA. “These [salaries] are in excess of federal Cabinet officials,” a third pointed out.

Sounds like the council is putting its collective feet down. It just isn’t going to overpay for manpower, right?

Well, not really.

The mayor stuck the new pay levels into a bill already asking the council to okay salaries for the police, fire and school system heads, all of which exceed the current legal limit. News reports say the council is “likely” to approve those.

That how DC “works.” Pay limits are set in law, and then, when the mayor wants to overpay, he has to get the council to approve the higher pay.

While allowing higher pay in some cases, the council is unlikely to make it easier for the mayor to overpay without their deliberated say-so. Why? To provide fiscal accountability? Or, more cynically, to give the council more political leverage to get more political spoils?

Did I mention that I’m pretty cynical about the motivations of politicians?

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

9 replies on “In the Money”

You just can’t get good help for $179,000. Isn’t that the pittance that Robert Gibbs decided to dump?

Guess Mayor Gray will have to go back to the old fashioned way- paying folks under the table.

You don’t understand, Paul. Apparently DC is one of the very few major housing markets in the country where home prices are actually rising. DC bureaucrats need big pay increases to help them buy their dream homes.

Presbo’s apologist press secretary who bailed to make bigger bucks on K St. Presbo gave a send off commiserating on his having to survive on such miserly wages while taking all that heat for relaying such inane unbelievable things.

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