Your Secretary of Tax and Revenue, John Musgrave: "Gimme two scoops, please!"
Today the Daily Mail (and supposedly the Gazette too, but it wasn't online) exposed a problem that was basically mentioned 3 weeks ago. Remember where you heard it first, right here (if you haven't read that blog entry, I'd strongly suggest reading it now, to help you get up to speed). Papa Joe Manchin is paying his top "executives" monstrous salaries, for state workers, by leaving them in "acting" positions, in clear violation of state law.
The Daily Mail reported, just as a certain blogger did a couple weeks ago, that "acting" Tax Commissioner Virgil Helton was making more than the statutorily required salary, because he was "acting" Tax Commissioner, and he was able to keep the higher salary of the two positions (Tax Commissioner or Deputy Lottery Director of Finance, which has since been filled by a guy making $79,000 per year - so technically, Helton has no "old" job to go back to). However, Helton's boss, "acting" Secretary of Tax and Revenue, who prior to being acting Secretary, was the Lottery Director, was not just getting the "higher" of the two salaries, he's getting both salaries, for a grand total of a $150,000 per year (for the last 2+ years, he was appointed in October of 2003 by Wise).
Now, I'm sure Secretary Musgrave is a nice guy. Hell, he might even know a thing or two about running the Lottery. But, does anyone but me think it's pure ignorance, to be paying this guy for TWO supposedly 40 hour per week, full time positions in state government? If he's working 80 hours a week, pulling 16 hour shifts, 5 days a week, by all means, give him both salaries. But I'm willing to bet a week's pay that he's not spending 80 hours week at the Capitol and down at Lottery HQ. He supposedly would have been doing this for over two years, non-stop.
This brings up a couple of issues. First, if neither job is so essential, that they can be effectively done by some guy essentially working each job half of the time, then why are we paying them 75,000$ per year for each position, regardless of whether it's one guy, or two? If some guy can do both of these jobs adequately in one 4o hour week, there's no need for two FULL TIME positions for these jobs. Just make them one position, or do away with one position.
Secondly, if these jobs are so easy that one guy can handle both effectively at the same time, then they aren't that difficult to begin with, and as such, they wouldn't warrant even the exorbitant (as far as state employees go) salary of $75,000 each. They evidently aren't so difficult some guy can't handle them in 20 hours per week, each. Hell, pay some poor schmuck working for 30k an extra 15 or 20 grand and let them do it. Average Joe Schmoe State Worker making 30k per year would be ecstatic to get a 20 grand raise. Remember, the job isn't so tough you can't do it in 20 hours. Otherwise, Musgrave wouldn't be doing it in the first place. If he had to truly work 80 hours per week to keep on top of both jobs, he'd say "no thanks, I'll just stay Director of Lottery."
And let's just operate on the assumption he's NOT spending 80 hours a week working for us poor taxpayers (in my opinion, pretty fair assumption to make). If that's the case, then he's flat out stealing. He's essentially collecting a paycheck, for work that he isn't doing. He's being paid to be in two places at one time. That's physically impossible. He's taking money, state money, for work that he's not doing. And not only is Manchin not outraged, he's evidently, supportive of this, according to his mouthpiece, Lara Ramsburg. Doesn't anyone but me see something that's just flat out wrong, with giving state employees one paltry raise in 3 or 4 years, that barely covers their cost of increased insurance premiums, while this guy is essentially getting paid for an entire positions he's not even doing? This guy is stealing state money, for a job he's not doing, Manchin sees nothing wrong with it, and State Auditor Glen Gainer knowingly signs the checks for this clown every two weeks. In my opinion, they are both guilty of ripping off me and every other taxpayer in West Virginia.
However outrageous that is, what is potentially even MORE outrageous, is the ambivalent response of Senator Shirley Love (a guy who's previous claim to fame was he hosted a local tv "rasslin'" show on WOAY Oak Hill TV - and you wonder why this state is FUBAR) to this problem:
"It seems to have been a trend in the past. Other governors have done the same thing. I assume he's doing this because they're qualified, overqualified in some instances."
Love then goes on to defend Manchin's plan to pay his top suckasses more money:
"It would give the governor some flexibility in recruiting for those positions. Someone in private industry can make a lot more than in state government. But if you take someone who manages a major company in this country, it's no different than managing one of our departments."
And Senator Love thinks we have to have these kickass, overqualified private sector success stories coming in and running these agencies? Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised from what comes out of a guy's mouth who announced "rasslin'" matches. Remember what I said above. One guy is effectively doing both jobs, in one 40-hour workweek. If these jobs need such specialized private sector hotshots doing them, don't you think they'd each be a little more time-intensive than something you could do in essentially half a workweek?
You want to get rid of the food tax? Demand Papa Joe Cheerleader and company start cutting some of this waste in state government that ends up in the hands of their suckass buddies.
I actually think I saw this Musgrave clown in Kanawha City the other day. I was at Baskin Robbins and the guy in front of me said "Gimme two scoops. I'm a double dipper."
posted by bingmanch at 9:44 PM
4 Comments:
Nice post. This isn't the first double dip, however. Bob Wise started down this "twofer" road with Tom Susman, who served as the director of PEIA and the Department of Administration.
Great post. I think it is interesting that these high level people in the State (as relative as that may be) are not exposed or dealt with more swiftly. I can remember when some of the Charleston Police were found to be double dipping and it blew up into a huge issue that lead to an investigation. I think that problem was a little bit different, (they were getting paid to work security for private companies) but it still goes to show how the regular people actually have to follow the rules. It is really sad, and I wish it only happened here.
As sad as the private industry arguement may be, it is true. I'm not justifying it by any means because I think if they can make more somewhere else, they should go there. Simple enough.
You mention the assistant band director at WVU. That was kind of a shock to me and it reminded me of something I don't think is right. I love football and I like Rich Rodriguez. He has done an amazing job with the program, but I think college football coaches get paid far too much. Here's an article from 2002...
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/s_109203.html
Just imagine what he gets paid now!
In fact, while I am rambling uncontrollably about salaries, I think everyone in the professional sports and entertainment indutries are GROSSLY overpaid. This country has a serious problem with distribution of wealth. I don't want to go so far as to say we should move toward being a Communist/Socialist country (I've been to Cuba and have seen how people there live) but I think we could take a few notes and see how things go.
Anyhow back to the point. Nice article.
Did you get the "band director" reference was to former Development Office suckass, Dave Satterfield, who's previous claim to fame (before he became Hardesty's knob jockey), was he was the assistant band director at wvu. Wise hired that jackass in and paid him almost 200 grand, and he made like a 70,000 bonus one year or something on top of that. Thankfully, he's gone back to wvu, however, he still makes a king's ransom and basically doesn't do shit to earn it.
I agree with everything except the statement that it would be OK for an official who actually works 80 hours a week in two positions to get two salaries. Unlike most State employees, State officials are not required to work any set amount of hours, but are required to work as many hours as it takes to get their job done. When an employee position is vacant, and his or her duties fare given to an employee, the employee who has to do both jobs would not get both salries. Also, what's to stop a Governor to reward his officials with the salaries of three or more positions?
This double dipping may not be criminal, but it should be investigated by the Legislature, since it is their salary statutes which are being circumvented.Either the Legislature should enact a law permitting double dipping,or it should raise the salaries so that the poor underpaid officials don't have to moonlight at other State jobs. In the meantime, the Legislature or a concerned citizen should sue the Governor and the double dipping officials who have conspired to misappropriate extra salaries.
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