[nathanbedford]

This will no doubt raise a lot of hackles on this thread but I think these salaries are entirely too low. When the Chief of Staff of the president the United States makes only $172,000 a year, he is clearly underpaid.

I want a salary to be commensurate with the responsibility and these people are operating at a very high level requiring great sacrifice of time family etc. If they were working at the equivalent level in the private sector they would be making far, far more.

I do object, however, to the revolving door in which these jobs are seen as stepping stones into the private sector in which the public trust is swapped for a very lucrative returns. That is where the real harm to the country comes, not from the actual money paid to these people.

This has nothing to do with the personal loathing I feel for virtually everyone named in this article.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I don’t get why the president only makes $400,000. There were years in the 80’s that I made more than that in telephone sales, and that was back when the president made, I believe, $250,000. That’s just silly. The CEO of a relatively small company makes millions on average. Of course, when I worked at the WH I only made $397 to about $1,600 a month. LOL

[DUMBGRUNT]

these jobs are seen as stepping stones into the private sector in which the public trust is swapped for a very lucrative returns

And that is what it's all about.

[ilovesarah2012]

I agree and I hate all those people. I imagine there are perks, though. Lots.

[Repeal The 17th]

“... at $172,000 a year, he is clearly underpaid ...”
-
I’d do it for $165,000.

[Michael.SF.]

Sorry, but this is classic supply and demand at work. He can pay low because of the prospects of huge salaries after they leave the WH. Look at George Stepanoplis as an example.

[all the best]

“I want a salary to be commensurate with the responsibility”

The responsibilities of these people is way too vast. That’s the problem> You are apparently comfortable with these people running every aspect of our lives. Minimum wsge would be about right for their constitutional responsibilities.

[DoodleDawg]

This will no doubt raise a lot of hackles on this thread but I think these salaries are entirely too low. When the Chief of Staff of the president the United States makes only $172,000 a year, he is clearly underpaid.

It's not the money, it's the power.

[SamAdams76]

You are forgetting about all the perks that go with that $172,000.

I took a job close to that amount in the private sector and it seemed low. That is until I realized I was getting $900/mo for driving allowance, clothing allowance, and expense account which basically allowed me to eat at restaurants at company expense (so long as I was on road performing company work). Whenever I needed to travel, the company had a department that arranged plane tickets, transportation, hotel reservations and so forth. Basically I didn't have to pay for anything out of pocket Monday through Friday.

So when you add in all those perks, the "modest" salary is much more. Then you have the power of the position as well.