Posted on 01/29/2005 11:14:29 AM PST by Rakkasan1
The way State Rep. Marty Seifert figures it, taxpayer money effectively pays the $374,341 yearly compensation for the Walker Art Center director, and there's $59 left over for arts programming.
He bases the calculation on the $375,000 the state gave the Walker last year.
The Walker is among dozens of nonprofit groups that get state appropriations or grants and pay outrageously high salaries, Seifert, R-Marshall, said Thursday. He proposed legislation to cut off state funding to nonprofits that pay salaries higher than the cap for most state executives, $114,506.
"Unfortunately, many nonprofits beg for donations from the public and the taxpayers while at the same time paying their top employees hundreds of thousands of dollars," Seifert said. "It's time to bring some accountability to this money right now."
Kathy Halbreich, director of the Walker, was out of town Thursday,
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Truly a racket. The manager of the Portland (OR) Goodwill receives a PA of about $250,000. Plus bennies. While I respect the free market, don't ask me for freebies to support his salary.
I agree it's a lot of public money for the Director of the Art Center, but I'm sure the salary of the U of MN football coach tops $1 million and doesn't draw many complaints.
I say don't prohibit large salaries, but just don't give tax-deducible status for contributions you collect that pay these outrageous salaries. Like exempting that part of contributions that go to PAC activities. Paying someone a salary of 300,000 is NOT a "charitable" activity.
Here's a story from a few years ago that still bugs me.
William Aramony Is Back On The Streets
March 1, 2002
"Aramony, the former United Way boss convicted of stealing from the organization, is free from the Federal Prison Camp at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, near Goldsboro, N.C., where he finished serving his seven-year term."
"Aramony, fired in March, 1992, was convicted in 1995 on 25 counts including conspiracy to defraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, transportation of fraudulently acquired property, engaging in monetary transactions in unlawful activity, filing false tax returns and aiding in the filing of false tax returns."
What really made me mad was that while he was the United Way boss he flew on the Concorde to London, and I think he kept a mistress in a condo in Gainesville, FL. I don't think this is behavior appropriate for the head of a charity.
I don't know about Minn's football coach, but here in Wisconsin, the Athletic Dept of our grat U, is self-supporting and gets NO tax dollars. If they can continue that, I hope Barry Alvarez gets a big raise every year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/writers/mike_fish/12/19/coaching.contracts.data/index.html#minnesota
base salary is $300,000 but with bonuses ,exceeds $1.5 million.
The Salary Club
$2 million-plus
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