Our Tax Money at Work?
One thing is sure in life — when people start spending tax funds, money is no object. Taxpayers of the State of Arkansas are learning this lesson all over again watching legislators and Lottery Commission members go about setting up the lottery voted in last year to provide college scholarships.
First some legislators had to meet to work on the legislation to set up the Commission. But they couldn’t meet in just any old conference room. The only place meeting their stringent requirements was the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain. After all, it’s tax funds so money is no object.
Apparently they enjoyed the digs enough to recommend the place to the Commission itself because they then scheduled a two-day retreat there. They needed to hear from the director of South Carolina’s lottery, a Mr. Ernie Passailaigue, to discuss all the issues concerning lotteries and select a director from the 70 or so applicants. And the winner was . . . (wait for it) Ernie Passailaigue. Oh, snap, he pulled a Cheney and got the job himself. Oh, man, too bad for all you guys who acted in good faith and actually went to the trouble of going through the process of applying. And Passailaigue didn’t come cheap. He allowed as how he could see his way clear to come to Arkansas for only $324,000, which is a raise of about $100,000 from what he was making in South Carolina. One director seemed to be a little confused, thinking they were hiring a coach, which may explain the amount of the salary; and don’t worry about the fact that most similar-size states seem to pay their lottery directors under $200,000, because after all, this is tax funds, so money is no object.
A couple of fun facts: the Governor of Arkansas makes about $87,000. As Vice President, Cheney made about $208,000. But it’s not like those jobs involve doing something important like being a lottery director. And it’s not like we need the money for anything else, like roads. And remember, it’s tax funds, so money is no object.
I guess next is procuring office space for the lottery director. It’s obvious he’s a high maintenance dude, so that’s probably going to be expensive. Think he would settle for that luxurious triple-wide Huckabee brought in? And staff. And probably a car or two, or maybe a fleet of cars, hybrids, hybrid SUVs maybe. Only the best for our lottery director. And remember, it’s tax funds, so money is no object.
A word of advice to any students out there hoping for a scholarship out of this mess: better be working on Plan B, ’cause you’re gonna have grandchildren trying to get into college before this bunch lets go of the public teat.
http://arkansasnews.com/2009/06/09/lottery-commission-approves-directors-324k-salary/
