GovCentral

nothing on the 40 + Czars. Are they not White House

Our government has grown way too much over the past 50+ years. Let Obama and any future President write their own speeches. Everything government does and every government employee is paid with hard earned tax dollars. Too many administrators, assistants, and deputies. Government needs to get back to the basics. It's become one giant pyramid scheme. A lot of people getting paid good money to shuffle paper and programs. Like President Reagan said, "The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away." He also said "Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States." Not big government and certainly not 27-year-old White House speechwriters...

Brwnsugar09, your head is in the clouds. You seem to be a proponent of utilitarianism, but you lack a clear definition of the term. Taking pay from one appointed official and distributing it to only a very miniscule and select group of the populace is by no means "the greatest good for the greatest amount of people." If you care so much for the homeless "problem," you should do something about it besides complain to people who may or may not share your sentiments. Perhaps you could add to your post the URL to a website that you have created, or at least know of, which requests donations to save the homeless from other heavy-hearted citizens.

The President delivers enough speeches to keep a handfull of writers busy at all times, so I see nothing wrong with one savvy writer earning the stated salary. If the Star Speech Writer's salary is the true cause of your complaint, then you should lobby with other like-minded individuals to make the necessary change.

Speechwriter of that level in salary, could feed 34,400 homeless people a lunch at $5 meal. Whomever, holds this position is equal to Adminstrative Officer on my level doing the same things. For you to think, they are STARs, you need to come out the clouds and come back to reality... Would you rather see 34,400 homeless people happy for hour, or wasted money of individual... If you say one individual, then next time you see a homeless offer them a $5 meal on you...Or think of it like this, his/her salary divided by 3 people, could put 3 people to work at $57K a year.

While I cannot see job descriptions and requirements, looking at titles, I suspect that many are not receiving the compensation that they would in the civilian sector. Job titles with salaries over $100K appeared to be critical and require qualified and dedicated people. It really comes down to whether or not the Whitehouse and the public value the services provided by civil servants. Can we afford to lose our star speechwriter? Is the star speechwriter really a star? I am thinking people staffing the Whitehouse positions ARE stars. I am saddened that the report identified people by name and not just job titles. Is there a violation of privacy here? There are problems that managers and employees may have to deal with from the fallout caused by peers knowing each other’s salaries. Bottom line, based on the information provided, the Whitehouse staff is not overpaid as long as they are engaged and their workload justifies their position.