Obama sequester hypocrisy: WH Calligrapher salaries: $96,725, $94,372 & $85,953 per yr.

C'mon, Barack!!! REALLY? Give us a break!!!

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.

www.weeklystandard.com...

reply to post by IAMTAT


Every President maintains the Calligraphy office at the White House. A staff of three also served under George W Bush, led by Rick Paulus. How is this an "Obama" thing again?

reply to post by IAMTAT


...and to think... I worked most of my adult life driving a truck. Some of those loads literally FED the White House and THIS President, as a matter of fact. (One specifically went to a Mass holding area for Secret Service quality control before going on to the White House...it was an interesting load of produce to haul)

70-90 hours a week I worked so everyone could have their widget at Walmart to buy or their orange, whatever season, to eat from the store. For all that? I made between $35,000 and $42,000 a year over my career. I didn't even make HALF what those people are making as Calligraphers? That makes sense. While Obama cries and whines about no money .....his staff are literally making more than the VAST MAJORITY of this nation;s population ...to write things we can see and read? Well... I'll skip the crap they write if it'll go for better uses.

reply to post by IAMTAT


Don't forget the other 467 worthless people!

2012 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff"

www.whitehouse.gov...

edit on 6-3-2013 by Deetermined because: (no reason given)

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by IAMTAT

 

Every President maintains the Calligraphy office at the White House. A staff of three also served under George W Bush, led by Rick Paulus. How is this an "Obama" thing again?

You know... I spent 8 years listening and watching the Bush Presidency. I didn't have to hear about how Clinton had, did or had thought of every dumb or criminal thing Bush did. Although, in many cases, Bush didn't have the brain power to think things up himself. He was simply rehashing and re-tuning the plans of past Presidents.

Are we going to hear about Bush's actions in justification of Obama's bad or stupid moves ALL EIGHT of his years or will he EVER be seen to own his own Presidency and his own White House conduct? He's in his SECOND TERM. Does he EVER own his own conduct?

If not... Do we get to blame Obama for all 8 years of the next Republican's Presidency? I mean this is quite a pass for a President to have. Pretty much everything goes and nothing is accountable with this game to play.

Just think, when they are boarding up your local library, your local hospital, your local firestation, they are giving money to terrorists and rogue states.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by IAMTAT

 

Every President maintains the Calligraphy office at the White House. A staff of three also served under George W Bush, led by Rick Paulus. How is this an "Obama" thing again?

Because unemployment wasn't over 8% then and they didn't mandate a government sequester. Try critical thinking for a minute. The Obama admin releases illegal felons, shuts down some government due to lack of funds; then gives hundreds of millions to Egypt, buys a ridiculous amount of ammo and tanks, and upgrades all the TSA uniforms. If any of this makes sense to you then you are probably a Liberal.

139 employees, or nearly 30 percent, earned $100,000 or more — a respectable amount, though certainly a lot less than what these same individuals could make on Wall Street or at one of D.C.'s white-shoe law firms.

Along with the president's small army of assistants and special assistants, policy advisers and senior policy advisers, this group also includes two ethics advisers and someone whose job is simply listed as "director."

We also learned that the White House has three in-house calligraphers, who earn between $85,953 and $96,725. There are also two full-time, $45,000-a-year vetters. What, exactly, they spend all their time vetting isn't clear, but we're sure they find a way to keep busy.

nymag.com...

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I'm not justifying anything. I am just telling you: keeping a staff of people at the White House who do things truck drivers don't understand is something every president does. Paulus served under Clinton too.

And -- shocker! -- people who work in the White House make more than other people who do the same thing in Omaha. There are no cooks at the white house making $8 / hr either. Or gardeners. Or Janitors. Or secretaries.

You are shocked that those who serve on behalf of a sitting president (of any fake-political faction) make more than those who work outside the White House?

Let's not forget the oil painting portraits of every department head that costs anywhere from $20,000.00 to $60,000.00 each. Some might think this is drivel but every penny counts when you are supposedly "broke or poor".

In case they are behind on technology, you can print a digital picture to canvas for a couple hundred bucks...that is...if these "portraits" are really and truly a necessary vanity...

What does a calligrapher do for 40 hours a week?

Couldnt they just use the same autopen the POTUS signs bills with or are fancy invitations more important than laws?

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
What does a calligrapher do for 40 hours a week?

Couldnt they just use the same autopen the POTUS signs bills with or are fancy invitations more important than laws?

Microsoft word has a very nice Calligraphy font, though if your government is anything like ours, they'll find a way to make you pay £500,000 more for the software than if they had just sent one of the staff down to PC World.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I'm not justifying anything. I am just telling you: keeping a staff of people at the White House who do things truck drivers don't understand is something every president does. Paulus served under Clinton too.

And -- shocker! -- people who work in the White House make more than other people who do the same thing in Omaha. There are no cooks at the white house making $8 / hr either. Or gardeners. Or Janitors. Or secretaries.

You are shocked that those who serve on behalf of a sitting president (of any fake-political faction) make more than those who work outside the White House?

Actually, you ARE justifying Obama hypocrisy, as he is saying there is no waste in the WH, and is forced to close WH tours to the taxpayers due to the sequester. Obama is playing politics instead of maturely leading.

Originally posted by MildCat

Microsoft word has a very nice Calligraphy font, though if your government is anything like ours, they'll find a way to make you pay £500,000 more for the software than if they had just sent one of the staff down to PC World.

As someone who works in gov in tech that is exactly what they would do and do do everyday.

Then they'd hire some firm for six figures to run "staff training" for weeks.

The waste I see everyday is obscene and attempts to reduce it and increase efficiency are at best ignored and at worst met with threats of termination.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I'm not justifying anything. I am just telling you: keeping a staff of people at the White House who do things truck drivers don't understand is something every president does. Paulus served under Clinton too.

How can you say your statement wasn't meant to justify or explain (if you prefer that word)? The thread is about how Obama is ending public tours of the People's House (That IS OUR HOUSE, NOT HIS, after all) while keeping Calligraphers on staff, without interruption, for upwards of $100,000 per year. The average salaray for an American citizen is pathetic across the country, while Obama lays off more..fires others...and tells us all he can't do a thing about it what HE THOUGHT UP and HE SIGNED into law. Umm...

U.S. Census Per Capita Income Rates 1967-2011

Our President needs to at least give lip service to the pain of the rest of the nation and get a clue.... The accepted and standard index average for American income is:

Latest index
The national average wage index for 2011 is 42,979.61. The index is 3.13 percent higher than the index for 2010.

(Source: U.S. Social Security Administration )

Either way, it makes the retention of professional fancy writers at over TWICE the average salary...during a period of whining about being so broke, tour guides need cut ....pathetic hypocrisy right in the man's own house.

The fact Bush did it...makes BUSH just as BAD...not Obama any better.

Better / worse? Who gives a rip?

I am telling you that the sequester is just another ginned up crisis from the puppet show. Both parties, all leaders, etc are pushing the only product that matters: fear.

But there are still plenty of people on ATS who think the blue puppet is responsible for their troubles, and others certain it is the red puppet who did the dirty deed.

I am telling you in the most basic language I can use: Both puppets are being held up by the same guy (the money).

reply to post by IAMTAT


zOMg they are paying people who work at the White House a real wage.

Damn that Obama for paying people.
Who does he think he is.
Those people should be volunteering their time.
OBAMA RAGE!!!!! OBAMA RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!

Really you guys are starting to sound like the guy from Ancient Aliens.....
It's not Aliens but it's Aliens.

Sheesh get over it. So the White House pays people.
Do you work for free?
Did that Calligrapher work under Bush as well?
Did you complain about that guy getting paid so much when Bush was in office?

White House Calligrapher has a wikipedia entry, for anyone who wants to know...
wiki

And judging by this video of her office, it seems writing invitations is a lot of what the job involves...
c-span

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by IAMTAT

 

Every President maintains the Calligraphy office at the White House. A staff of three also served under George W Bush, led by Rick Paulus. How is this an "Obama" thing again?

geez...don't you know that here on ATS, Obama is the sourse of every bad thing that happens. nobody else in government has a say, because Obama writes the laws, votes on the laws, puts the laws into practice...he's a commie, pinko, dictator, king.

Originally posted by alfa1

White House Calligrapher has a wikipedia entry, for anyone who wants to know...
wiki

And judging by this video of her office, it seems writing invitations is a lot of what the job involves...
c-span

Those calligraphers are probably being kept very busy writing beautiful invitations to all of those people paying $500,000 to get private meetings with Obama.