I have read Dan's column in today's Clips in which he defends the Mayor's trip to Hawaii. Since I consider the tenor of that column an attack on me, I must respond.
Let us be clear, I have NO objections for the Mayor and his Chief of Staff attending that conference. In fact I think he should go and with One aid if honestly NEEDED. And the City should reimburse him for his (or their's) basic expenses for attending.
What I do object to is (1) the size of the entourage which I can not believe is necessary, and (2) the secrecy behind the funding of the trip. Also are significant other included?
In the 80s I went to Hawaii 3 or 4 times to the AMA winter meeting as a delegate from the Muhlenberg Hospital Medical Staff.
My wife who loved Hawaii went with me and after the period when I could have any input into the Hospital Medical Staff Section's session (which I did have a major part) and the AMA's General sessions hearings we would go to Hana on the Island of Maui for several days.
I received, by Staff approval, a stipend for my coach airfare, cheapest room during the meeting, and a minimal daily meal allowance. I paid myself for all of Helen's expenses -air fares, meals. entertainment etc.- including the differences in upgrading to business class and a concierge room. In addition I paid for our airfares to and from Honolulu and Hana and our stay at Hana.
We do not need a repetition of the early PMUA leaders abuse of monies.
If their are typo or spelling errors please excuse. I usually write my blog in Word and transfer to my blog, but today my balky computer will not let me open the Desktop with Word.
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Doc, the excursion to Oahu with the entourage is so audacious that the public should be doing a Les Miserable and man the barricades. If no one on the Council raises an objection they are as complicit as the perpetrators. There is absolutely nothing on these Mayor's agenda that can not be discussed within the ambiance of the elegant Plainfield City Hall conference room. I would not object to funding the tab for pizza so that these community scions can have a "working lunch." So that the public in all the communities represented can benefit from the exchanges of wisdom, a recorded and filmed record might be made. It would be interesting to see what cost saving initiatives, hitherto unknown, are unveiled. It will be interesting to learn who are the "Fortunate Six' that are accompanying His Honor, along with their job descriptions relative to the conference? Bill Kruse
ReplyDeleteDoc on the subject of taxes. Our granddaughter works and lives in NY. She earns what at first blush appears to be an excellent salary. After her triple tax assessment, City, Stae, Federal, and several other mandatory employee side payroll deductions she nets about 60 % of her gross earnings. Then there are sales taxes and the innumerable taxes buried in every aspect of her life. Now our "Progressive" NJ Legislature wants to restore the Millionaire's Tax. Literally thousands of high earners are fleeing the States that impose these Draconian rates. What is they don't understand? Half of the "undocumented" inhabitants, and an equal number of documented inhabitants, work off the books: domestic help; contractors; landscapers; etc. If Government Agencies would focus on collecting taxes from that population. and reducing the budget, prohibit Hawaiian conferences for public officials, etc. they just might get the unsustainable spending under control. Maybe?
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