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Show me the money!

By Christopher Curran
Posted 4/14/16

In the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., repeatedly shouted into the phone the now iconic phrase “Show me the money!”

His …

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Show me the money!

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In the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., repeatedly shouted into the phone the now iconic phrase “Show me the money!”

His repetitive standpoint was that he was worth much more than he was currently paid under his contract.

However, the difference between a wide receiver with good hands and all the new hires in the Raimondo administration is that we know what a reliable football player can add to the competitiveness of a team. Whereas, we have no idea what most of these new hires are doing and why they are being paid so much.

During the gubernatorial campaign, Gina Raimondo spoke about changing the mentality of the “I know a guy” state. What we did not realize at that time is that she would replace that scurrilous adage with “I know Gina and she is the governor now and thus I will get a high-paying job.” Raimondo’s past stated campaign aspirations to streamline government and eliminate waste and fraud have given way to the Raimondo Employment Agency.

In a true Democrat fashion, Raimondo is expanding an already bloated, over-stratified, and top-heavy government to greater excess. Of course, the taxpayer will be further burdened for this folly. Traditionally, in Rhode Island, politicians administratively and legislatively create public sector jobs for the friends of elected officials through statute or directive, and they pass them out like candy from a Pez dispenser to friends and supporters.

Even existing positions have received raises that are far afield from the reasonable rate of compensation comparatively to what is paid in the private sector for similar responsibilities. All these escalations are occurring while wages in Rhode Island have remained virtually stagnant for years.

Yet, our government continues to betray the public confidence and persist in spending our money like drunken sailors. This is why we have the seventh-highest per-capita taxation in the nation. Additionally, this reckless manner of conducting government has propelled a mass exodus out of our state of the middle class and an influx of lower-echelon residents who were attracted to the Ocean State because of our easy welfare policies.

Consequently, our financial tentativeness is not far from critical mass. Instead of implementing needed austerity plans, the governor is spearheading various, costly initiatives which enlist the theoretical, farfetched hope that through some process of osmosis, Rhode Island’s economy will magically turn around. However, that Pollyanna paradigm forgets the fundamentals of good government.

Stunningly, according to the Rhode Island State Transparency Portal, the Ocean State has some ridiculously engorged payroll statistics. The cost of the state’s payroll has grown astronomically, from $857 million in 2010 to over $1 billion currently. Less than a decade ago, 620 state workers – approximately 4 percent of public sector workers – received salaries over $100,000 per year. Now, that figure has more than doubled, with 1,378 state workers making over $100,000 – a whopping 9.4 percent. Furthermore, 30 state workers make over $200,000 per year, with 20 making between $211,000 and $340,000.

Certain Rhode Island employees make extraordinary compensation packages. University of Rhode Island President David Dooley makes $340,000 a year. This immense salary is much grander than other public universities of similar size student populations. The school’s basketball coach makes $330,000 per year, but when one adds in a percentage of gate receipts and various perks, that figure escalates to $586,000. Quizzically, coach Dan Hurley’s package in comparison to other coaches in schools of similar size is actually bafflingly competitive.

Similarly, nascent Community College of Rhode Island President Meghan Hughes is paid $250,000 per year. This is about 9 percent more than the national average for community college presidents. Because of contractual timing, we taxpayers are still paying outgoing President Ray Di Pasquale his $245,000 salary simultaneously with the new president’s salary for a five-month period. This dual salary situation is yet another example of the reckless wasting of citizen’s money due to poor management.

More strikingly, the cabinet officers and department heads are paid lavishly. The new Department of Transportation officer will be paid $156,000. Stefan Pryor, secretary of commerce, is paid a whopping $206,000. Considering the recent wreck of a tourism campaign rollout, perhaps that salary amount should be revised.

Also contrary to performance, Anne-Marie Fink is the chief investment officer of the treasurer’s office. She recently received a raise from $176,000 per year to $196,000 per year. When one considers the paltry performance of the state portfolio, which has lost almost a billion of its value, a raise seems questionable. And Stephen Neumann, who is the governor’s chief of staff, makes $171,000 per year. Considering the succession of mistakes regarding truck tolling, planned vacations on a state educational institution’s forced benevolence, and the tourism rollout, does Neumann deserve such a grandiose salary?

Unbelievably, according the United States Census Survey, the increase in median Rhode Island family income has increased less than 3 percent from 2010 to 2014 to an average of $56,423 per family. Meanwhile, per capita personal income has only increased by 4.4 percent from 2007 to 2012 to an average of $44,990. So why are such healthy salaries and packages being offered to administration appointees when private sector employed Rhode Islanders are facing virtual wage stagnancy? Not to mention the working poor, where 14.3 percent of Rhode Islanders are living below the poverty line.

Adding insult to injury, since January 2015, Raimondo has made 526 new hires and 625 promotions, which in most cases have resulted in greater pay. Furthermore, she has created 271 new public sector jobs, with 130 of them paying over $100,000 per year.

Back in the campaign of 2014, Raimondo stressed she was going to incept policies in order to promote job growth. However, the voters were not aware that the job creation she was actually speaking of would be an expansion of state jobs, which of course burdens the taxpayer.

Administration spokeswoman Marie Aberger has defended the actions of governor’s office, saying: “We are focused on running state government efficiently.” There seems to be no evidence of that thus far. Similarly, and in defense of the salary bumps, Department of Administration spokeswoman Brenna Mc Cabe stated the following: “Eight cabinet members had not had salary increases since 2002, and none had changed since 2008.” OK, but raising cabinet-level jobs to a minimum of $135,000 per year while Rhode Islanders continue to suffer from burdensome taxes and stagnant wages is an anathema to good government. Also, who says that the salary they were previously receiving before the raises was substandard? National studies suggest that public sector workers receive 22 percent more for commensurate employment in comparison with the private sector. Is that fair to the beleaguered Ocean State taxpayer?

Inevitably, retired state workers leave the state and escape the burden of local taxation for such places as Florida, Arizona, and South Carolina. Thereby, they are not supporting the state’s economy in their golden years. They simply receive their checks with the anchor on them and spend the proceeds in another state’s economy.

Foreign to the operational paradigm of the Raimondo administration is the idea of efficient government through apt austerity. Our government is undeniably inefficient, bloated, erroneously job latent, and excessive in its over-stratification. In the private sector, you only expend the payroll you need to effectuate your business operation. In Rhode Island’s public sector, we are permeated with unnecessary positions that Raimondo has grandly added to.

We simply cannot afford to continue to add superfluous jobs while simultaneously we expand social services to accommodate state-dependent newcomers. Our outlandishly large $8.9 billion budget, which has almost doubled in the last 15 years, will keep growing like a financial cancer while the earning taxpayers dwindle as more Rhode Islanders realize there is no sense in staying here.

Raimondo acts confounded when she often speaks of our pessimistic or negative attitude. Psychologically and sociologically, with the lack of quality goods and services and the outrageously high taxes, along with the continuum of reckless government spending and hiring, how is our pessimism not appropriate?

Unquestionably, friends and associates of the governor have presumably stated that iconic command, “Show me the money!” And we unfortunate Rhode Islanders have had to do just that.

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  • Straightnnarrow

    Kudos again. There should be a mass revolt against these parasites who ride us like we are dumb mules. It is obscene what this Governor and her "team" are doing and they have to go now. And remember the Beacon endorsed her and what did CC do? And who will CC endorse when the contest is between Hillary and The Donald?

    Friday, April 15, 2016 Report this

  • Stella

    I GIVE should be our state slogan.I GIVE more that my fair share in taxes and user fees, count me as one more working tax payer that has GIVEN Up on this State.

    Saturday, April 16, 2016 Report this