Labor Secretary Hilda Solis rewarded six former staffers from her congressional office with political appointments and huge raises upon taking over at the Department of Labor. The appointees had significant pay increases averaging 50 percent upon changing jobs; one employee’s salary nearly doubled.
Solis, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California, began hiring the employees shortly after she was confirmed by the Senate in February 2009. Political appointments are non-competitive government jobs that differ from career positions, which often involve a long hiring process.
The information was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Americans for Limited Government. The pay raises stand in stark contrast to the Bush administration, which had a rule that employees shouldn’t make more than a 20 percent increase from their previous salary unless there were extraordinary circumstances. Only one Solis staffer made less than a 20 percent raise upon taking the political appointment.
In the case of one Department of Labor appointee formerly employed by Solis’ congressional office, the salary nearly doubled from $44,500 to $86,927. One appointee left Congress making $82,000 and is now earning $145,000 at the department. The six appointees also enjoyed sizable raises over the course of the year they worked at the department. A complete list at The Foundry.
Aaron Gardner
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
IF we had a media
gwalt Monday, May 10th at 5:26PM EST (link)Thesr people would be out so fast, it would make you sea-sick. Instead we get:
All Repubs=Bad
All Dems= Good.
See? I can do the news—every day in less than 5-seconds.
“A lot of briefing for a 2 hr. special with Dan Rather. Saw the show & wonder why we bothered”. –Ronald Reagan, The Reagan Diaries (January 27, 1982)
You got that right
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Monday, May 10th at 9:56PM EST (link)The media are too busy fellating Obama and the other Democrats every hour, only on the hour, to do any actual news gathering.
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
Three possibilities
cwilson (Diary) Monday, May 10th at 6:52PM EST (link)1) When it was her own money, Hilda Solis was a cheapskate and paid her employees slave wages. Now that Uncle Sam’s footing the bill, she’s giving a fair salary — and individuals’ job transitions were, for the most part, lateral.
2) When it was her own money, Hilda Solis paid a decent wage. Now that Uncle Sam’s footing the bill, she’s throwing money around like water — and individuals’ job transitions were, for the most part, lateral.
3) Hilda is hiring under-qualified staffers for jobs way over their heads. The salaries in each case are in line for the duties associated with each job (e.g. she previously paid a chauffeur a decent chauffeurs’ wage; she’s now paying a union negotiator a decent union negotiators’ wage), but Hilda is putting her old chauffeur in charge of all negotiations with the auto workers union, because “she know all about cars and stuff”.
Which is it? And which possibility is the worst?
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom — go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! –Samuel Adams
Her own money?
ffc99 Monday, May 10th at 8:05PM EST (link)You do know that she wasn’t paying her congressional staffers from her own pocket? We (the taxpayers) were paying them then (when she was in Congress) and now (at the Labor Dep’t).
Who you know or blow are the only qualifications
Achance (Diary) Tuesday, May 11th at 9:35AM EST (link)for either a Congresssional staffer or an Executive Branch appointee, so you can leave qualifications out of your calculations. Which isn’t to say that SOME staffers and appointees aren’t highly qualified and dedicated, but they don’t have to be in any formal sense. The front desk clerk, even though usually technically an appointee in an elected or appointed official’s office, will have minimum qualifications since somebody really does need to know how to answer the phone and file things, but beyond that, “friend” of the member or officer is all it takes, and some of them are very good friends. Back in my single days, I really enjoyed trips to DC and forays into Georgetown bars.
Oh, and no elected official has ever paid for anything with their own money! (OK, maybe a few really odd ones have, but most don’t even carry a wallet.)
In Vino Veritas
Chicago Ward committeeman Timothy O'Sullivan is most succinct
pilgrim (Diary) Tuesday, May 11th at 9:57AM EST (link)The embarrassingly sad thing about this datum is that nobody is surprised
E Pluribus Unum (Diary) Monday, May 10th at 10:01PM EST (link)With the astoundingly criminal things going on in this administration, from top to bottom, this rates as small potatoes.
Yet it is extremely telling. These Democrats have not one tiny bit of respect for the responsibility of those in positions of governance. They see only opportunity for using the position to gain and keep power.
Kill the Terrorists
Protect the Borders
Punch the Hippies h/t IMAO
What's worse, EPU, is that almost half don't care... nt.
LaborUnionReport (Diary) Tuesday, May 11th at 9:23AM EST (link)“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine December 23, 1776
In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.-Ayn Rand
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Promised a new tone in Wash
talgus Tuesday, May 11th at 10:45AM EST (link)We got the new tone. It is called DOUBLE DOWN on all the bad and toss anything that was good. It is the destruction of a way of life and country,and it is proceeding according to plan.