In the process of tooting his own horn, Governor Tate Reeves said last week in defense of his line item vetoes of millions of dollars of “earmarks” in bills recently passed by the Mississippi House and Senate, “I want to make sure you know why we make these decisions! It always makes people, even my friends, angry when we can’t spend on everything they want. But it’s important to be responsible with the money because it doesn’t belong to politicians — it is yours.”
It is yours?
This is some of what he red-lined.
• $1 million to build a parking lot at the Jackson Convention Center.
• $1 million to the Scenic River Development for their golf course.
• $250,000 to Briarwood Pool.
• $2 million for the city of Jackson Planetarium.
• $500,000 to the city of Greenville for green space next to the Federal Courthouse.
• $13.25 million for, among other things, a golf park and trail at LeFleur’s Bluff.
• $1 million to the city of Pascagoula to assist with renovations of city offices.
Apparently he didn’t feel the same way about who the money belonged to when he allowed a pay raise bill for statewide elected officials — including the governor — to pass into law without his signature.
The pay raises don’t go into effect until after the next election cycle, but assuming the incumbents will all be re-elected, as they usually are, the new pay scale is as follows:
• Governor: current annual salary $122,160, new annual salary $160,000.
• Attorney General: current annual salary $108,960, new annual salary $150,000.
• Secretary of State: current annual salary $90,000, new annual salary $120,000.
• Insurance Commissioner: current annual salary, $90,000, new annual salary $150,000.
• Treasurer: current annual salary $90,000, new annual salary $120,000.
• Auditor: current annual salary $90,000, new annual salary $150,000.
• Agriculture Commissioner: current annual salary $90,000, new annual salary $120,000.
• Transportation Commissioners: current annual salary $78,000, new annual salary $95,000.
• Public Service Commissioners: current annual salary $78,000, new annual salary $95,000.
• Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House: current annual salary $60,000, new annual salary $85,000.
So, if my cyphering is correct, the governor is getting a $37,840 pay raise, the attorney general is getting a $41,040 pay raise, secretary of state a $30,000 raise, insurance commissioner a $60,000 raise, treasurer a $30,000, auditor a $60,000 raise, agriculture commissioner a $30,000 raise, transportation commissioners and public service commissioners (3 each) a $17,000 raise each, and the lieutenant governor and speaker $25,000 raises each.
That would mean the total raises for these “public servants” is $440,880 per year. They get elected to another four year term and they get to pocket an additional $1,763,520 over their current term.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
But wait, didn’t the governor say this was our money? Mine and yours?
What were his exact words? Umm....“it’s important to be responsible with the money because it doesn’t belong to politicians — it is yours.”
Ours! Yes, ours! He was directing his comments to us. That be the case, I believe they are taking our money.
Granted the governor didn’t sign the bill, but he didn’t veto it either, and he was having no problem striking off those other items one by one. Most of them I agree with him on. Maybe not the Planetarium renovation, I thought that was a good idea, but parking lots and green spaces I’m not so sure about.
He did know, and he does know, that by not stamping a big ole “veto” on the pay raise bill it would automatically go into effect when the deadline to sign or veto it arrived. And, it did.
Now then, let me think. What was the figure those folks were all boasting about that they raised teacher’s salaries? Hmmm...an average of $5,140 a year I think. We thought that was pretty good at the time, but it doesn’t sound like that much anymore, now does it.
I can’t help but wonder if that nearly half a million dollar per year raise for the public servants elected to office, including the governor, had any bearing on Reeves signing the teacher pay raise bill. Keep ‘em quiet maybe?
Hmmmm!
