Presidential Salaries

The president of the United States of America makes $400,000. 

In Kansas, the presidents of the six regent universities earn the following salaries:

-- Kansas University Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, $267,177
-- Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz, $255,298
-- Wichita State University President Don Beggs, $255,298
-- Fort Hays State University President Ed Hammond, $202,593
-- Pittsburg State University President Steven Scott, $202,593
-- Emporia State University President Michael Lane, $202,540 (http://www.ktka.com/news/2010/sep/16/state-universities-chief-executive-officers-get-no/)

I think these salaries are too high.  Firstly, College professors make mediocre salaries. At the school I graduated from, it was typical for professors to earn in the $50Ks, with some instructors' salaries hovering around a whopping $30K / year.  I recognize that the role of university president is more demanding that that of a sociology instructor, but is it seven times more demanding?  I don't know that it is.

Additionally, a web of benefits are attached to these salaries. Typical benefits for university presidents include a car, a house, and a lot of free food.  The instructor making $30K / year has to support him or herself on that salary; a university president is supported in many ways by the university that he or she works for.

To wrap it up and focus again on Barack Obama's salary of $400,000, I don't know if the presidents of these universities have only half the responsibility as he does. Both are public administrators, and both hold positions that are designed to serve the public. The difference is in the size of their constituent bases.  A university president's is millions of people smaller than that of the president of the United States.

Bullies in Washington, D.C.

After the tragic shooting in Tucson, AZ two weekends ago, politicians from both sides of the aisle admitted that maybe the harsh rhetoric had gone a little too far recently.  Despite the fact that lawmakers' questionable behavior appears not to have been a factor in setting off the temperamental perpetrator of the Tucson shooting, it was refreshing to watch politicians cool of a bit.  Unfortunately, I don't think these efforts extend to one of the biggest problems in government, which is the spew of outrageous and extreme labels placed on opposing views, laws, and people.

The House of Representatives voted last week to repeal the health care reform legislation passed in the last session of congress.  One might think the description of the legislation designed to repeal the health care reform legislation might be something like this: "To repeal H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act."  That makes sense, since that's the name of the bill that it's meant to repeal. In an act of linguistic hostility, they chose something different: "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act."  That doesn't sound very nice.

Three Democrats joined the united Republican caucus and passed the bill 245 - 189.