Posted on 03/06/2013 6:24:55 AM PST by reegs
With the White House closing its doors to public tour groups in order to save money for the sequester, it's worth remembering some of the other costs the White House incurs annually.
Like the "Chief Calligrapher," Patricia A. Blair, who has an annual salary of $96,725, and her two deputies, Debra S. Brown, who gets paid $85,953 per year, and Richard T. Muffler, who gets paid $94,372 every year.
In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.
Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.
Nice!
I’m surprised that Bambi hasn’t replaced this “oil’ white man’s writing style” with some def down home rappin’ graffiti artists. Spray painted, misspelled name cards would be all the rage. Yo.
Our early Calligraphy customers were skilled. However, Arthritis and Repetitive Stress caught up to them. I doubt many of them ever made this kind of money even with our software.
I can understand how protocol requires elegant entries on awards, placards and menus, but protocol doesn't insist that all calligraphy be performed by hand, and therefore, it seems like these jobs could be performed for far less, and probably by two people at the most.
Thomas Sowell wrote a column on this very thing just recently. He said, approximately and in reductio ad absurdum, assume there is a government agency in charge of 2 things: 1) Manufacturing lifesaving children's medicine and 2) Erecting statues of Benedict Arnold. Which service would be the first to get cut?
The answer, of course, is 1) The Children's Medicine.
Because, eliminating the manufacture of critical children's medicine is sure to cause an enormous public outcry, and is certain to be added back (immediately) in a later budget. Eliminating the Benedict Arnold statues would cause people to wonder why we were erecting statues of a man like that to begin with.
Mr Sowell, as usual, hit it out of the park. Getting rid of volunteer-led WH tours will cause a public outcry. Getting rid of the "Calligrapher's office" (and likely a million+ per year in expenses to run it) causes people ask "Tell me again why we need this?".
That’s exactly where I got the example,
but I changed the statue to Cat in the Hat as an illustration for my kids.
maybe they write / sign all of the checks?
In my opinion, protocol is about getting titles, official addresses, and behaviors correct. Crap like this is nothing but showmanship. We should be setting an example of economy for the world, not keeping up with the Joneses.
Lets not forget that this is the president who shoved the Israeli Prime Minister out the back door so the president could meet with his arab friends.
It was only about a month ago that we read about millions being spent on the finest crystal and silver dinnerware for embassies.
But it's not these odd gov't positions that have run up the debt. Getting distracted by individual trees causes us to neglect the entire forests (programs and departments) that need to be clear cut to bring runaway government under control.
our of the White House Calligraphy Office with Pat Blair...
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/282869-1
Yes, I agree with you. The other stuff is fluff, and in a real effort to show seriousness in controlling spending, the WH would, and should be willing to cut the fluff.
When Calvin Coolidge was president, the White House chef walked out because Coolidge demanded such frugality.
“What in the Hell is a Prothonotary?”
If we can’t afford to keep criminals in jail then we certainly cannot afford $300,000+ for fancy placecards for state dinners. In fact, we probably can’t afford the state dinners and we certainly cannot afford to be paying for all of the royals vacations. Meanwhile, the TSA is spending $500 million on new uniforms. INSANE!
In the Chicago Metro Area federal employees on the GS Pay Scale get a 25% increase in their base pay due to cost of living (I just looked at a GS Pay Scale the other day). And the D.C. area has to be more expensive to live in than in the Chi area. But even if it's the same, tack on another $24,181, for an annual salary of .... ta-da! .... $120,906! -- at the least.
Pretty sweet gig for doing .... what exactly?
IMO, calligraphy is art. A good calligrapher is worth the same as a good artist. The WH calligrapher, if she is skilled at doing calligraphy by hand, is probably one of the most skilled people in the administration. I’d value that above any of Zippy’s advisers and bureaucrats.
Does the WH need one on staff? That is the real question. I don’t have any insight into what the legitimate needs are at the WH, but I suspect the answer is no. I think it’s likely the work could be contracted out as needed.
My wife said I was lazy for not looking it up.
prothonotary 1. a chief clerk in any of various law courts
She stills says I’m lazy or I would be cleaning out the garage.
Exactly. And that was my whole point. And Barry has three of them. For what? Do they write all of Moosehell's weekly W.H. Dance Night party invitations? Or is he having them forge a new Declaration of Independence or say a new U.S. Constitution? I wouldn't put it past that Commie mutt.
In any case, the WH doesn't need a Calligrapher let alone a 'Chief' with a fricken 'staff' of two.
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