Posted on 03/06/2013 6:24:55 AM PST by reegs
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.
In all, the White House appears to employ 3 calligraphers for a yearly total of $277,050.
Despite sequestration, there's been no announcement of the White House scaling back on calligraphers.
What does the “White House Calligrapher” do?
Wastes a lot of taxpayer money and adds to our $1 trillion + per year deficits.
Probably not a lot more than the city farrier in Detroit.
The art of fine handwriting.
The White House calligraphers man the official top secret calligrograph - which as stated is top secret.
Add in another $100,000 per year, at least, for their benefits, and they probably have some VERY FINE office space. Another bargain for the US taxpayers!
The “Calligrapher” operates the InScribe Calligraphy system that WE make. It’s a modified Plotter that uses real Chiselwick pens and runs off our software.
$100,000 a year for benefits, $400,000+ a year for retirements of previous calligraphers, and knowing this administration, likely another $400,000 for office supplies. Can’t let the script of a hand written invitation be artistically scribed with anything less than a gold plated tip, can we?
But vacuuming up the footprints of the unwashed is certainly a bill which could be avoided, therefore tours are axed, while The One enjoys his glass of fresh blood orange and papaya with his awakening meal.
By Washington standards, these salaries are not really high. A fairly common working level grade GS-13 starts around $90K and can be paid up to around $115K. The next two grade levels typically get paid around $120K and $140K, respectively. And then there are those great benefits....
Feds have been on the gravy train for a long time.
I know what calligraphy is, but just wondered what its function was in the White House.
Wikipedia says the WH calligrapher is in charge of writing the place cards for State Dinners and official pronouncements. Well worth $100K, I’m sure.
I’m sorry. I just noticed their account marked as “inactive”. We also had systems at the Vice President’s Office, The Department of Energy, Fannie Mae, NASA, Pentagon Building Op-004a and the SCOTUS. So all of them, instead of using the best, most efficient and HIGH QUALITY calligraphy system there is. Went back to hand held pens. We also have a Perfect Print return Policy. Just in case the system makes a mistake....
On FOX last night they said that the White House tours are/were conducted by volunteers.
I think one of the people was Kirsten Powers who said she used to work in the White House and had first hand knowledge.
So the cancellation of tours is just an attempt to make a highly visible political move pushing the false notion that it was caused by Sequestration cuts.
So, the “Calligrapher” isn’t even a skilled in the art of calligraphy? I can understand an expert in their craft, the best of the best, demanding a higher salary ($96,725 is still ridiculous), but if this person is simply running software, it seems like a complete waste.
They will only cut those expenses that are highly visible and hurt the most people,
with the twin goals of hiding the waste
and causing public outcry against any cuts.
“What does the “White House Calligrapher” do?”
I would imagine they do the fancy writing on invitations, awards, and those things with your name on them that show where you’re supposed to sit at a table. I could see how that would keep three people busy. If you’re going to do it, and protocol pretty much requires it, then it’s a position of some responsibility. The salaries sound like they’re in the GS-12 to -13 range with DC locality pay.
They are probably several of the small number of Federal employees who actually perform a useful function and do it well.
Another Federal employee could do it in his spare time with a computer.
The Federales never computerize anything that will eliminate jobs. There are at least 500,000 Federal jobs that could be rationalized and eliminated by computerization same as has been done in the private sector
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