Posted on 11/01/2009 3:04:10 AM PST by raccoonradio
Howie thread starting with his Sun Herald column. Howie is in Italy this week as part of Conservative Tours. Fill ins are Jody Applegate (Mon), Avi Nelson (Tue-election day, and Wed.), and Col. Hunt (Thu & Fri)
Another master hack hits pension jackpot
Dave Balfour, come on down!
By Howie Carr | Sunday, November 1, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Admit it: If you had it to do over again, you’d become a hack.
Who’s in better shape to weather this disastrous economy? You, who work, or David Balfour, who - well, we’ll get to that shortly.
Ah, the life of a hack. No heavy lifting, just hours and hours of Facebook, merit pay raises, COLA pay raises, back pay raises, fake state holidays and no fear - absolutely none - of ever being laid off, because Deval’s threats are about as credible as his promises to cut property taxes.
And behind it all comes the pension, the kiss in the mail, yet another one of those perks that used to exist in the Dreaded Private Sector and doesn’t anymore, just like job security and practically free health insurance.
Which brings us to David Balfour, former boss of the old MDC, which is now the DCR, and still a functioning hackerama. Dave spent three decades in one hack state job or another, passing out vanity license plates and grabbing a “confidential” one for his personal state-owned SUV. Those were the days my friend . . .
Dave’s nickname is “Red Dog,” after the can of cheap beer he was once photographed with. The Dog just put in his papers to retire. Dave is 56 years old.
Red Dog’s final stop in the hackerama was at the Turnpike Authority. The Pike confirmed that he has indeed applied to retire from there. They couldn’t give me his exact pension last week, because of the fact that the Pike is going out of business, the same way the MDC went out of business (wink wink, nudge nudge) - by changing its name.
I couldn’t find a listed phone number for Red Dog in Melrose, where he once ran unsuccessfully for mayor. That was, I believe, right after he applied unsuccessfully to get the clerk’s position in the Boston Juvenile Court that Jackie Bulger “retired” from just before he was indicted. That was about the time he was fired from the MDC/DCR by Mitt Romney, after which he was picked up on waivers at the Pike by Fat Matt Amorello, whose foreclosed home is on the auction block in Wenham tomorrow. Red Dog was splashily fired in 2008 to show that the Turnpike meant business about, well, splashy firings.
Do you notice a pattern here? Red Dog always fails - upward. And now he’s failed into a pension at age 56. And that’s quite a shock to all of us, because we figured he would start collecting on his 55th birthday, at 12:01 a.m., the moment he became eligible.
But let’s do the math. Red Dog surely had 30 years in. His top salary at the Pike was $93,000 a year, in his very esteemed position of, drum roll please, director of commuter services.
I’m going to guess his three top years averaged $95,000. Then I’m going to estimate he’s going out at 75 percent of his top three, just under the 80 percent max. Maybe I’m underestimating the Dog, but my bet is his pension comes in at just over $70,000 a year.
More, in other words, than Sal DiMasi, and the ex-speaker’s job involved danger, even if it was only the peril he now faces of going to prison for 185 years.
Regrets? I’m sure Red Dog has had a few. Namely, not getting one of his jobs converted to Group 4/public safety. That way he could have retired even earlier at 80 percent, just like the DAs do. Surely he risked it all as MDC commissioner. Do you realize how badly you can cut your finger opening a pop-top can, especially if you’ve already had a few?
And now Red Dog Balfour rides off into the sunset - in a golf cart, naturally. And by the way, his brother Bob is still on the DOC payroll: director of community services. Made $74,728.85 last year.
Back in 2001, someone sent me an angry all-capital-letters missive: “WHEN IS THE BALFOUR FAMILY AND INTIMATE FRIENDS OF THE COMMISSIONER GOING TO STOP MAKING A LIVING OFF US THE POOR TAXPAYERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH?”
The short answer is the same as it’s always been. Never.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1208719
I wish he’s dump Col. Hunt. I can’t turn the dial fast enough when I hear that voice.
Sandy, when Steve from Montreal PQ calls in during Howie’s absence, please remind the host that Steve’s hatred of America would be better suited patronizing of few remaining Quebec talk radio stations
CBM (95.1 FM) / CINF (690 AM) / CKAC (730 AM) / CJAD (800 AM) / CKGM (990 AM)
Whenever Steve calls with his usual Bush(BPS)/America/Republican/UShealthcare bash of the day, and Howie does not defend his country against a foreign attacker, I turn off the show for the rest of the day
Monday show ping. Guest host Jody Applegate. WRKO’s site says Max Robins will air during the 5 pm hr as usual
Please Jody AND Sandy discussing “Naked Man” faxes during Police Blotter Fax Friday
Just a wish :)
sorry but the colonel will be in on Friday!
I like the Colonel as a guest, but as a host, he tends to let his control of the show drift left
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No Howie column from what I can see at the Herald's site. Hey, he's in Italy.
In Lynn: J.F.K. is the new mayor. That's right, Judith Flanagan Kennedy--a Republican believe it or not, defeating incumbemt Chip Clancy. And the margin of victory, all of 27 votes.
Thu column ping
Sky’s the limit in Mumbles’ fifth term
By Howie Carr | Thursday, November 5, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Hail Mumbles! We who are about to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals salute you!
You’re Mumbles Menino, the boss of Boston, and you’ve just won yourself a fifth term as mayor.
Four more years of letting your greedhead pals put up skyscrapers on lots the size of a postage stamp. Another four years of Bunker Hill Day and Facebook at City Hall. Another four years of payback.
Alla- youse what had them Flaherty-Yoon signs in your front yards or storefronts - keep a close eye on those legal notices every Thursday in the Herald, because there’s a six-story “addition” coming to a shed near youse.
Ward 18 rules. You can’t fight City Hall, unless you’re from Hyde Park, in which case you are City Hall. Ten-inspectors-on-one is Readville fun.
God bless that Martha Coakley. She’s everything a cop should be - deaf, dumb and blind. By God she’ll leave no stone unturned in this e-mail investigation, except of course the one Mike Kineavy is hiding under.
Whew, sure am glad nobody ever thought to ask the question, does Kineavy have any hack siblings on any public payrolls, making over 104 large a year, and has anyone ever taken a peek at that other Kineavy’s hard-drive?
You’re Mumbles Menino, and you’ve got your Carnac the Magnificent turban on and the answer is, Deluxebury and Arlington.
The question is, Where will Baby Flats and Sam We Hardly Knew Yoon be living at this time next year?
Four more years and Mumbles Junior will be just about ready to go out with the kiss in the mail. And then he can go to work full time for Mr. Fish, in addition to managing the investment properties of course.
You’re Mumbles Menino, and people tell you, or would, if they weren’t afraid of ending up on the naughty list, that you should really start looking right now for a parachute, because everything goes downhill fast in a final term. You dodged a bullet with the e-mails and the Licensing Board. What happens if, God forbid, there’s ever a real prosecutor around here?
They whisper, Does he want to end up like Kevin White?
To which you respond with two words: Eminent domain.
Kevin had a lot of laughs in that final term, in addition to the subpoenas. Anybody remember the Langone Funeral Home, and the boulders blocking its parking lot?
Think of your developer pals, the guys what always do the right thing. They pay cash and so do their wives and so do their children and so do their secretaries - thank God there ain’t enough reporters left in the city to comb through your OCPF filings. You’ve been touching everything but the third rail.
You’re Mumbles and your developer pals hire the right lawyers and consultants. And not for nothing, but it don’t also exactly damage their prospects to take care of all-a them contractors and subs from Hyde Park what was with you back to the days when you was Joe Timilty’s driver.
Mumbles, thy middle name is Variance.
And now all them bust-out city councilors are going to start running for mayor in 2013, or so they’re saying. Just because you’ll be 70. Ain’t 70 the new 50?
You’re Mumbles Menino. Who says you can’t live forever? Whoever does, they’re on the naughty list.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1209724
Dear Old Dad always said, “When the parasites outnumber the hosts, it’s all over.”
Corruption and incompetence are totally irrelevant.
It’s all about “free stuff”, confiscated from neighbors and strangers by Democrat politicians and handed over to their constituencies of parasites in exchange for their votes.
So, I’m curious, how come Sandy never hosts the show? Didn’t VB used to do it on occasion, even when he was the producer?
Sandy hosted the show at least once. Maybe she doesn’t want to do it. VB definitely filled in a lot and of course briefly (2003?) did his own show, The Pit, around 10 or 11 at night.
(I have a cassette recording of the last Pit, in which he was joined by Sandy and also Paul “Butchie” Brennan, former
Howie sidekick who later worked for “The Radio Chick” in NYC)
VB btw was just on WTKK with Michael Graham, talking about Deval’s woes. He has also been on McPhee’s show plus has filled in for Jay Severin at TKK.
95 per cent say yes including me
>>Do you think President Obama was insensitive when he gave a shout out before mentioning the shooting at Fort Hood yesterday?
today’s show w/ Col Hunt filling in
Col. David Hunt Is In For Howie!!!
1st Hour TBA
2nd Hour
Paul Hogan author of the brand spanking new Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions will be with us. All of the authors’ profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the Home Instead Senior Foundation. Paul will be giving a free seminar at Atria Maplewood Place in Malden, MA on Thursday, November 12 at 6pm. For more information and to register, visit stagesofseniorcare.com and click the “events button.” Or call 781-662-2273.
3rd Hour
Call in for THE CHUMPLINE!!!! 617-779-3469 and leave a message for Howie or Sandy about today’s stories or whatever else is bothering you!
It is Police Blotter Fax Friday! You can fax (617-779-3467) or e-mail your funny police/accident/crime stories from your local papers to Sandy. Make sure to include your name address and phone number on your entry and if faxing that it is a copy and not the original! If Sandy picks yours as one of the two big winners you will win a fabulous prize!
4th Hour TBA
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