Cycloptichorn wrote:
It's amazing to me that you would defend a man whose purported mission at the World Bank was to crack down on corruption, yet gave his girlfriend inappropriate raises.
George, have you been able to figure out exactly what it is that Mrs. Riza does for the state dept. now - for which she recieves a tax-free salary that exceeds Rice's? It seems to me that this is the very definition of a useless bueracracy...
Cycloptichorn
His mission at the World Bank involved many things, and it is entirely possible that we are seeing a revolt by a too comfortable bureaucracy against a leader who demanded change they didn't want. International bureaucracies seem to be a bit worse in this area than others -- as we have repeatedly seen at the UN.
I don't know that the raise was inappropriate, as I don't know either her previous or present duties - I doubt that you do either.
I believe Cabinet Secretaries make $250K/year - so your suggection that she makes more than Rice is simply wrong. Government salaries are generally lower than those that prevail in comparable positions in industry & business - particularly finance & banking. There are numerous employees in the World Bank who make a good deal more than the president. Money and power are fungible in the professional world, and the government provides power in lieu of money.
Finally it is worth remembering that the individual involved was transferred involuntarily from a position she had held for some time, for the convenience of the Bank, and on a matter that had nothing to do with her performance. A degree of generosity is rather common in such situations.
The pay raise may well have been excessive. However there has been nothing in the public reporting that would clarify that matter one way or the other. Indeed the absence of any facual details is itself a bit stunning, and tends to confirm my suspicions about the motives of those who appear so outraged and indignant now.
I also find it odd that the outrage over this event is so much louder than that which followed the discovery that former President Clinton was selling legal pardons in the last hours of his term of office.
That plus his girl took the money and ran. Love hurts.
