While economy tanks, Obama hands out pay raises

[henryclay]

Apparently little known, (and if known by the media, it must have been was considered protected speech and kept quiet), while the rest of the country has been struggling, Obama has culled his White House staff so that everybody probably sings the same songs, all of them being one note melodies and handed out pay raises of up to 82 percent, with the average being ~~8 percent~~.

However, he must be given some credit. He initially froze White House staff pay, , , ,

, , , , , But the across-the-board freeze didn't take effect until January 1, 2011, so the most recent report (which goes back to July 2010) features some eye-opening raises, like special assistant to the president for economic policy Matthew Vogel's $59,000, 82 percent raise to an annual salary of $130,500, or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike, Gawker reports.

According to a survey conducted last year by the human resources consulting firm Mercer, most firms were projecting a 3 percent increase in base pay for executives. White House workers did nearly three times as well.

www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/white-house-raises-obama/2011/07/06/id/402751?s=al&promo_code=C914-1

[privateinvestor]

While economy tanks, Obama hands out pay raises

Thanx for letting us know Henry but I hate to complain again but Obama forgot me ..and have not received a raise for quite some time..

[Deleted]

Eighty eight percent of the growth in national income for the last 18 months has gone to massive corporate profits while only 1 percent has gone to wages www.clms.neu.edu/publication/documents/Revised_Corporate_Report_May_27th.pdf

Top executives enjoyed a 23 percent pay increase in 2010 www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/03pay.html?_r=1

[privateinvestor]

Jul 7, 2011 19:26:32 GMT -5 oped said:

Eighty eight percent of the growth in national income for the last 18 months has gone to massive corporate profits while only 1 percent has gone to wages www.clms.neu.edu/publication/documents/Revised_Corporate_Report_May_27th.pdf

Top executives enjoyed a 23 percent pay increase in 2010 www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/03pay.html?_r=1

Are you trying to start class warfare here?? Some of these Execs also got huge bonuses while their companies tanked.. And some Execs in the Public Sector did OK especially out here on the Gold Coast..

[handyman2]

Well P.I. if things work out as I expect you will have less to take home especially if you are on SS. Don't forget the inflation rate has already reduced you pocket money.
I draw SS but some months I have to give back as much or more than they send me. A penalty for being industrious.

[reasonfreedom]

oped, I hope your not trying to defend an 86% increase that would be a little hypocritical since I know you said before you don't like the big execs making the money they do.

[Deleted]

I think the OP says an average of 8%.

I'm not sure i'm reading the OP correctly... the only place i see 86% is in the statement: or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike,

Meaning that 86% of his prior salary = 36K. Meaning he made 41K and now makes 78K... apx. I do not know if there was any change in his job description? I do think that it sounds like a very significant raise. I would be interested in learning more about it...

For some reason though, knowing he got an 86% raise and how earns 78K... does not bother me so much as execs like the CBS guy... who only got a 32% raise.... increasing his income to a paltry 56.9 Million for last year ....

[djAdvocate]

Jul 7, 2011 18:34:48 GMT -5 henryclay said:

Apparently little known, (and if known by the media, it must have been was considered protected speech and kept quiet), while the rest of the country has been struggling, Obama has culled his White House staff so that everybody probably sings the same songs, all of them being one note melodies and handed out pay raises of up to 82 percent, with the average being ~~8 percent~~.

However, he must be given some credit. He initially froze White House staff pay, , , ,

, , , , , But the across-the-board freeze didn't take effect until January 1, 2011, so the most recent report (which goes back to July 2010) features some eye-opening raises, like special assistant to the president for economic policy Matthew Vogel's $59,000, 82 percent raise to an annual salary of $130,500, or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike, Gawker reports.

According to a survey conducted last year by the human resources consulting firm Mercer, most firms were projecting a 3 percent increase in base pay for executives. White House workers did nearly three times as well.

www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/white-house-raises-obama/2011/07/06/id/402751?s=al&promo_code=C914-1

perfectly OK when it happens in the private sector.

regarded with heaps of disdain when it happens in government.

God Bless NewsMax for their singleminded assault on all things non-private sector!

[Deleted]

does not bother me so much as execs like the CBS guy... who only got a 32% raise.... increasing his income to a paltry 56.9 Million for last year ....

I don't know, maybe the CBS guy is worth it. I'm pretty sure the Obama guy isn't.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 7, 2011 23:29:22 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

does not bother me so much as execs like the CBS guy... who only got a 32% raise.... increasing his income to a paltry 56.9 Million for last year ....

I don't know, maybe the CBS guy is worth it. I'm pretty sure the Obama guy isn't.

tex, not to tell you anything you don't know here, but i am guessing that the Obama guy has far more supporters than the CBS guy: deserving or no.

[Deleted]

I've been trying to research the Lewis kid... not a lot out there, what i read was positive, but again, i'm not sure of his exact duties and if/how they have evolved in his position...

Deserving. Interesting concept. I guess I'm not sure in my thoughts what anyone might do to 'deserve' more than the 42.2 million the CBS guy got last year... what he could have done that he 'deserved' a raise of 14 million dollars this year...

Median income in this country is right around 50K. Do i think the white house guy deserves a raise equal to 72% of the median income? ... so that he now makes 1.56X the median household income ?.... I'm not sure. I'd like to know more.
X
Do i think the CBS guy deserves a raise equal to 280X the median income.... so that he now makes 1138X the median household income? No... I don't think you are ever going to convince me he 'deserves' that...

[privateinvestor]

While economy tanks, Obama hands out pay raises

He may as well since so many are about to jump off the sinking ship of state....

[Deleted]

He can't any more... there is a freeze on ALL pay increases at this point. Has been since January.

[privateinvestor]

Jul 8, 2011 9:45:58 GMT -5 oped said:

He can't any more... there is a freeze on ALL pay increases at this point. Has been since January.

Over the last year nearly half of the Obama White House’s staffers have received raises during a time when employment is stagnating and the vast majority of people in the private sector are doing without a raise.

Of the 270 White House staffers who have been there for more than a year, 146—or 54 percent—received raises, according to Gawker. The average salary increase was 8 percent. If you look at only staffers who got raises, the average increase was twice that.

That's a much bigger raise than the average white-collar worker got. According to a survey conducted last year by the human resources consulting firm Mercer, most firms were projecting a 3 percent increase in base pay for executives. White House workers did nearly three times as well.

And the White House's salary budget contracted only slightly, from $38.8 million to $37.1 million, largely because the number of staffers fell. The average salary also dropped from $82,721, or 65 percemt above the median household income, to $81,765—or 65 percent above the median household income, Gawker reports.

One of Obama's first acts as president was to freeze the salaries of all White House officials earning more than $100,000 because "during this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington." Two years later, he extended that policy to all federal workers.”

But the across-the-board freeze didn't take effect until January 1, 2011, so the most recent report (which goes back to July 2010) features some eye-opening raises, like special assistant to the president for economic policy Matthew Vogel's $59,000, 82 percent raise to an annual salary of $130,500, or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike, Gawker reports.

Meanwhile, one Republican congressman on Wednesday criticized the White House for paying staffers too much in salary.

"I guess there's just so much greatness when you're associated with this White House that you deserve to be paid more," Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, said. "Let's face it, when you're a dictator, you need to be paid more."

Gohmert made clear his remark was meant to be sarcastic. However, he criticized the White House for paying 141 aides more than $100,000 per year. A report from the White House released Friday listed the salaries of 454 employees and showed that no staffer is paid less than $40,000, The Hill reported.

"It sounds like the only thing that's truly shovel-ready is all the bull that they've been feeding to us over the last two and a half years," Gohmert said on the Fox News Business channel. "That needs to be shoveled out in a hurry."



Read more on Newsmax.com: Audacity of Hope: White House Staffers Got 8+ Percent Raises
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

[privateinvestor]

It sounds like the only thing that's truly shovel-ready is all the bull that they've been feeding to us over the last two and a half years," Gohmert said on the Fox News Business channel. "That needs to be shoveled out in a hurry

[Deleted]

Did you read what you just posted? ....

Including this paragraph:

"But the across-the-board freeze didn't take effect until January 1, 2011, so the most recent report (which goes back to July 2010) features some eye-opening raises, like special assistant to the president for economic policy Matthew Vogel's $59,000, 82 percent raise to an annual salary of $130,500, or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike, Gawker reports."

[privateinvestor]

Jul 8, 2011 9:51:34 GMT -5 oped said:

Did you read what you just posted? ....

Including this paragraph:

"But the across-the-board freeze didn't take effect until January 1, 2011, so the most recent report (which goes back to July 2010) features some eye-opening raises, like special assistant to the president for economic policy Matthew Vogel's $59,000, 82 percent raise to an annual salary of $130,500, or director of African American media Kevin Lewis' $36,000, 86 percent pay hike, Gawker reports."

Yea and that is why I reposted it Why did it take Obama two years to implement another one of his many promises in 2009??


After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

[ugonow]

Funny.When I posted an article about congressional staffers being handed raises,despite the freeze, people here defended it.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 8, 2011 8:42:26 GMT -5 oped said:

I've been trying to research the Lewis kid... not a lot out there, what i read was positive, but again, i'm not sure of his exact duties and if/how they have evolved in his position...

Deserving. Interesting concept. I guess I'm not sure in my thoughts what anyone might do to 'deserve' more than the 42.2 million the CBS guy got last year... what he could have done that he 'deserved' a raise of 14 million dollars this year...

Median income in this country is right around 50K. Do i think the white house guy deserves a raise equal to 72% of the median income? ... so that he now makes 1.56X the median household income ?.... I'm not sure. I'd like to know more.
X
Do i think the CBS guy deserves a raise equal to 280X the median income.... so that he now makes 1138X the median household income? No... I don't think you are ever going to convince me he 'deserves' that...

nobody DISERVES that much money. they may have permission to take it. but that is about it.

Americans have no sense of scale.

[Deleted]

So. I say he can't give more raises any more because there has been a freeze on everyone since January... and in response you post a source which backs up what i just said... ?? ....

[ugonow]

In the article I posted about congressional staff members being handed raises,I thought the same thing, there was a freeze on federal pay,but when I looked into it,there were exeptions.

[privateinvestor]

Wasn't one of Obama's first pledges to freeze White House pay raises when he was out on the campaign trail in 2008 and during his debates with Hillary Clinton??

Promises made and promises kept are completely different for Obama

[Deleted]

He initially froze all incomes on staffers making 100K or more. That took place immediately. The freeze on ALL income levels was added later, and took place in Jan 2011.

[thyme4change]

WooHoo - My government-employee / husband just got his! Thanks y'all!

[Deleted]

Is he a white house staffer?

[thyme4change]

No. I always have reading comprehension issues with HenryClay's posts because I'm distracted by the useless and superfluous commas.

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[ed1066]

For some reason though, knowing he got an 86% raise and how earns 78K... does not bother me so much as execs like the CBS guy... who only got a 32% raise.... increasing his income to a paltry 56.9 Million for last year ....

In related news, the "I don't understand the difference between private money and public money" club is now closed to new members...it's just gotten too big.

[Driftr]

The question I haven't been able to get past all day is why we even have a director for African American media.

[Deleted]

Jul 8, 2011 13:28:42 GMT -5 Driftr said:

The question I haven't been able to get past all day is why we even have a director for African American media.

It was decided, that in order to not be racist, an African American media director position would be created to co-exist alongside the White media director and the Hispanic media director. Since all of these represent large segments of the US population.

[Driftr]

Sounds like Govt at it's finest. Why have one when you can have three for thee times the cost.