Posted on 11/19/2017 2:24:12 AM PST by mairdie
...The island nation is a paradisiacal land of jade hills dotted with grazing sheep, golden-sand beaches surrounded by Jurassic Park-like jungles, snow-capped peaks that rise steeply from azure fjords, and pastoral villages serving gourmet meals and world-class wine.
Brown spends his days as if he is campaigning across this terrain. He gladhands mayors and their constituents, bearing patriotic gifts: US-New Zealand flag pins, and military challenge coins imprinted with Brown’s signature. He introduces himself to chambers of commerce, noting that he, too, was once a business owner. And he connects with Kiwis over rock music and rugby, trying to parry their considerable concerns about President Trump. Advertisement
In the evening, Brown and his wife, Gail Huff, might dine at another diplomat’s house. Or they might stay at the ambassadorial residence, Camperdown, a palatial estate with a sweeping front lawn and a chef who prepares meals for the couple and their guests. The official soirées sometimes stretch past midnight. It stays warm late. Summer in New Zealand is just a few weeks away.
The pay is $155,000 per year. The benefits are priceless.
While other Trump appointees are lawyering up in fear of special counsel Robert Mueller or fretting about being undermined by an early-morning presidential tweet, Brown is happy, fit, and free — 8,800 miles from Washington, D.C. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonglobe.com ...
Northern New Zealand is very beautiful. Perfect weather as well.
And still a fairly youngish man to be rolling in, what, three government pensions after this?
$155,000 or about 30% of of Bill Clinton’s one-time “speaking fee” for the Uranium One deal.
If so, I’m glad for him. He’s kind and truly cares about people. He’s a rare politician and I hope only good things for his future.
Excellent point. And his salary is for a year’s work, not just a few hours of being surrounded by sychophants.
The academic I work with is from Auckland and makes it sound like heaven.
Joshua at the Boston Globe writes to curry favor with his leftist scumbag editors.
I had NO idea he was an Ambassador!! Can’t WAIT to see New Zealand next this spring!!
It seems like every Josh and Joshua are PUNKS....kind of like Jessicas......I apologize to any nice Joshua, Josh or Jessica...you are rare birds.
I hear they give Lord of the Rings tours. Very exciting plans.
Typical leftist hit piece. Lots of snide gratuitous insults. They wanted you to give a legit e-mail address to read the article. The obscene one I gave did not work.
Ah, the Beantown beyotches are just jelly that somebody whose last name is not Kennedy got the post.
The only disadvantage to New Zealand, from what I understand, is that you better be self sufficient because you will wait forever to get anything from anybody. They all take their time over there. It’s like a countrywide Petticoat Junction.
trying to parry their considerable concerns about President Trump.
...
What a snippy article by a biased creep.
Good for him. What a plum assignment!
Agreed, but I still like reading between the lines that Scott is having a great time.
Fascinating. All I know about NZ is Lord of the Rings beautiful, and stories from my academic friend. His parents were teachers in a completely isolated part of the country and only got supplies occasionally. He grew up wonderfully happy and deeply educated. A good man who is happy there, so it makes me feel good about the country.
There are countless federal employees who make over $100,000 per year. You only have to be a journeyman, mid level GS 13 to do that.
A GS 15 federal manager in an obscure Washington DC do-nothing position can make $150,000. And there are tons of people like that.
Being an ambassador is a prestigious job with lots of perks, for sure, but the salary is far from exorbitant as this biased piece of whining suggests.
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