Congressional bureaucrat needs to be fired

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 4/7/2002 | Robert Novak

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Bureaucrat soldier of fortune

A staffer on the House Appropriations Committee publicly proposed Wednesday that he and his colleagues become eligible for the 4.1 percent pay increase that President Bush has requested for the military. Such policy recommendations are usually reserved for elected members of Congress.

John Scofield, the powerful committee's spokesman, told The Hill newspaper: ''Congressional staff who are crafting legislation, whether it is a defense supplemental or a crime bill, are just as important as someone who is serving on the front line.'' Scofield's $72,500 annual salary is more than double the pay and fringe benefits of an enlisted soldier with four years' service.

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The letter below was sent to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The more, the merrier:

To: bill.young@mail.house.gov

CC: john.scofield@mail.house.gov, talk2hal@mail.house.gov, texas.granger@mail.house.gov, murtha@mail.house.gov, sf.nancy@mail.house.gov, budmail@mail.house.gov, nita.lowey@mail.house.gov, novakevans@aol.com, opinionjournal@wsj.com

Congressman Young,

Below you will find an excerpt from Robert Novak's 4/7/02 column. As chairman of the committee that employs Mr. Scofield, I hope you will investigate whether he made these comments. If he did make these comments, I urge you to fire him immediately.

I have never served in the military, but I find Mr. Scofield's delusional self-importance beneath contempt. Any half-wit bureaucrat on the Hill who thinks his job is comparable to that of a front-line soldier should be given the opportunity to prove it. Send this man to the front lines immediately -- with a BB gun and a target on his back.

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(http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak07.html)